Drag Illustrated Issue 112, August 2016 | Page 48

Dirt By Lisa Collier H e’s been heralded as one of the greatest Pro Mod racers of all time. He recorded the first ever five-second run in a nitrous oxide-assisted doorslammer. He was also the first nitrous car to top 240 miles per hour. He’s got a shelf full of trophies across different series. This year, though, he’ll only run a handful of events. There will be no top ten points finish beside his name. He may not set a record. But he’s no less involved in drag racing than he was when he made the historical 5.99-second run in 2008. As owner of Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, Jim Halsey is enjoying a different kind of success these days. Although he still fields his red ‘68 Camaro when he can, day in and day out he focuses on building the reputation and milieu of his track. Cecil County Dragway has thrived under Halsey’s care, most recently developing its own street car scene, often even merging it with the regular doorslammer action that is so popular along the East Coast. The track has become a hotbed for both types of racing and is cherished by east coast fans and racers alike. Cecil County is home to the famed YellowBullet Nationals, which will run for the seventh consecutive year Labor Day weekend. Each year the event draws hundreds of cars from across the nation and fan counts upwards of 10,000. Halsey helps create a fair-like atmosphere for the event, ensuring maximal enjoyment for both racers and fans. What makes your track successful? We kind of cater to the racers, I think, more than most places do. We try not to run too tight of a ship. We try to keep everybody safe, but we also try to make everybody have a good time while they’re there. I’d say that’s our big thing right now. What about the fans? What do you do to get them in the door and keep them coming back? Actually, what we’ve found is best so far, especially in the last few years, is social media, Facebook, Twitter, stuff like that. People don’t listen to radio anymore, so radio commercials don’t help us too much. So that and word of mouth. Our highest ticket price is twenty bucks, but like on our Street Outlaw nights it’s only ten dollars. It’s pretty reasonable cost for somebody to come in and hang out for four-, five-, six-hours, have a good time and go home. What are you expecting for this year’s YellowBullet Nationals? We’ve added Pro Mods in this year, so I’m sure that will make it more appealing for fans to come. I don’t really know what to expect. It’s hard to gauge that one. Outlaw 10.5 has found a good home at your track. Is 10.5 making a comeback? I think over the past few years Outlaw 10.5 has made a comeback. There are some unique circumstances this year that we’re facing with some slim car counts because guys haven’t gotten their cars finished. They’re building new cars and have sold their old cars. I think we counted the other day there’s like 12 people that haven’t raced this year at all that are either building a new car or redoing their old car and haven’t been able to get out yet. I think the YellowBullet Nationals will be a pretty good race to gauge it by. I think everybody will be ready by then. It’s been said Cecil County has a grassroots feel. You still field a Pro Mod, which has advanced well beyond grassroots. What are your thoughts on grassroots racing versus high profile racing? We actually try to mix in the high profile cars, like Pro Mod, with the grassroots stuff. We kind of went back, following the old Street Outlaws kind of thing. We have two events a month that cater to those types of cars, street cars. Then we have our once a month event with Outlaw 10.5 and Pro Mod, Top Sportsman and eleven different doorslammer classes. It seems like in these smaller venues, that type of event seems to attract more spectators than the higher profile stuff sometimes. Like your local hero type of thing, ya know? So you think the fans feel more connected to these drivers and that’s why the fan count is greater?   I think so, yeah. What direction are you headed in with your racing operation? I will probably stay close to home and run some of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association races. I have a couple of races at our place the first weeks in August. I’ll hit the PDRA races that are feasible for me time-wise to drive to. Do you miss running with a national series for a national championship in Pro Mod? I do, but I don’t. The travel... I mean, we have a construction company and a concrete company we run, plus the race track. Trying to do those three and race was kind of tough for me. It’s actually kind of nice not being committed to a series. DI DI DI DI DI DI DI 48 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com I s s u e DI1 1DI2 DI PHOTOS: VAN ABERNETHY, ROGER RICHARDS Cecil County’s Success