This iconic slice of motorsports oddity is nestled in the town of Grand Prairie , the same town that gave us Selena Gomez , located roughly 12 minutes from downtown Dallas . The legendary stories I ’ ve heard over the years are that of lawlessness , mayhem and firearms with some drag racing mixed in just for good measure !

To be clear , this never-sanctioned track ( continuously operated since 1955 ) has had more than its fair share of brushes with the law . In fact , the police themselves even sometimes get into trouble at this joint ! In June 2020 , a couple of Dallas County sheriff deputies decided to sneak off to Yello Belly and engage in an epic match race with their Dodge Charger Police Cruisers , with light bars glowing on the roof and everything !

Trouble was , they never bothered asking their superiors if this kind of activity was within the realm of good police work , so an internal investigation ensued ! Many onlookers rallied around the officers , calling it a moment of bonding between the community and law enforcement , and heaven help us , we could sure use some improvements along those lines ! YouTube even has exclusive footage of the unauthorized police drag race , which I enjoyed thoroughly .

Believe me when I say that a lot of crazy stuff has gone down here ,

even before they decided to pave some asphalt and race on it . Previous to the track ever being thought about , adventurous youth would gather on the property and race on the sandy river bottom of Trinity River . Gamblers would even congregate to speculate a winner .

The land was owned by an eccentric millionaire , E . L . Nelms , who was reportedly friends with Lee Harvey Oswald assassin Jack Ruby ! Nelms told those who gathered to race in the river bottom that they lacked bravery , so alas , the name

Yello Belly Drag Strip was coined after the asphalt was laid . The catchy name has stuck for more than 65 years .

The track is currently managed by Eason Wright and his sister , Beth Taylor . They operate the facility on behalf of their mother , who holds a controlling interest in the corporation that owns the dragstrip . Wright insists the clientele has improved over the years and he ’ s all about law and order , but at the same time he doesn ’ t want to harass the paying customers .

“ We wink at some things , but we don ’ t want people getting hurt . We don ’ t want you shooting people , which has happened on occasion ,” explains Wright . “ We believe in the Constitution of the United States and freedom , but we also expect people to conduct themselves like ladies and gentlemen out here .”

Wright realizes ( and revels in ) the uniqueness that this unbridled Texas track embodies , and he doesn ’ t sugarcoat the feeling in the air . “ We ’ re filling a niche market – this

is the O . K . Corral and they ’ re duking it out , drag racing style !” he laughs . The fact that this place is “ straightup outlaw ” is a huge part of the appeal for many who come here . “ They don ’ t like rules !” chuckles Wright .

Eason and Beth were mere kids when their mother and her sister would stand at the gate and sell tickets , decades before this brother / sister team would eventually become sole managers of the track . “ There wasn ’ t even a ticket booth back then , just some little structure that looked like a bird house ,” Wright recalls .

These days , they ’ re using social media to promote the track , and patrons can even pay at the gate with credit cards since they got hooked up with the Square network . “ It ’ s come a long way from those early days ,” Wright says .

Eason and Beth feel that the place has so much more potential , though , and they ’ ve got big dreams for the future . “ We ’ re getting together some investment money right now , along with some of our own money , with a goal of getting a pro racing surface installed and transforming the track ’ s rough and dirty image to a more respectable , family-oriented place ,” says Wright .

The amazing aerial photo that captures the above view of Yello Belly Drag Strip was supplied by a local photographer and racer , Ronnie Barnes , who was among the many fascinating people I met while in Grand Prairie .

As for Eason and Beth , they envision a track with a 1950s vibe , but with a more modern look . They dream of converting the large building on the property into a restaurant that serves burgers , Tex-Mex and BBQ , all delivered by girls on roller skates ! “ The idea would be for people to come out here and race during lunch , get a time slip and sit out on the patio and enjoy quality food .” They have a long list of goals detailing Yello Belly ’ s transformation , while striving to maintain the unbridled American spirit that this place embodies .

As of this writing I ’ ve visited 155 different dragstrips and none are more unique than this iconic Texas relic . And while Eason and Beth have a head full of dreams to transform the place , I ’ m sure glad I got to see it in its Wild West splendor , ‘ cause I ’ m reasonably sure there will never be another quite like it . DI