Soup Run

A Soup Run in motorsport refers to when a driver starts in a low-level preliminary race and advances through multiple qualifying races to reach the main feature event.

This term is most commonly used in short track racing, particularly in midget car and sprint car events. When there are many drivers competing, race organizers use a system of preliminary races to determine who gets to compete in the final main event.

The process works like this: after initial qualifying, drivers are placed into different "Main" races based on their performance. These races are labeled with letters - starting from the bottom with names like H Main, G Main, F Main, and working up through E Main, D Main, C Main, B Main, and finally the top-tier A Main.

During a Soup Run, a driver must finish in the top qualifying positions of each race to "transfer" or advance to the next higher level. For example, a driver might start in the E Main, finish in the top two positions to advance to the D Main, then repeat this process through the C Main and B Main to finally qualify for the prestigious A Main.

The term "Alphabet Soup" is also used to describe this same process, referring to how drivers work their way through the alphabet of race classifications. Successfully completing this journey from a lower Main all the way to the A Main is considered an impressive feat in racing.

This system ensures that only the fastest and most skilled drivers make it to the main event, while giving everyone a fair chance to prove themselves through multiple opportunities to advance.