Drag Illustrated Issue 130, March 2018 | Page 55

DIALED IN Hoosier State Hit Racers and fans flock to Indiana’s Muncie Dragway By Van Abernethy F ive years ago, Muncie Dragway was in a state of noticeable decline. Interest was waning from both racers and fans. The clientele that did patron- ize the track had become somewhat rough around the edges, as the family-friendly atmosphere that Muncie once possessed had pretty much disappeared. Like so many vintage tracks that have been around for decades, this eastern Indiana quarter- mile facility needed some fresh hands and some new vision, and that’s exactly what it got when Scott Daniels and his wife, Dawn, bought the track in 2012. The Daniels came in with a desire to make steady improvements in time, realizing it wouldn’t happen overnight. The track, which was built in 1959, wasn’t exactly falling down around March 2018 them, so the new owners thankfully didn’t have to completely restore everything in sight. The track was resurfaced four years prior to the Daniels’ purchase, so it was in pretty good shape, although some new concrete was added to the starting line and plans were in place to add more during the current offseason. The timing system, on the other hand, instantly plagued the facility during the Daniels’ first season, and they realized that a major repair was in order. “Bob Brockmeyer from Compulink came out and redid the entire system with completely new wiring, and we replaced some components that were close to failing. Since then we’ve had great success with our timing system,” Daniels says. The overall perception of Muncie Dragway was also at the top of Daniels’ list after taking over DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 55