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.
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PHOTOS: VAN ABERNETHY, ROGER RICHARDS
Cecil County’s Success