When it comes to dragstrip renovations , no expense was spared on the grand reopening of this stunner of a facility , but before I divulge the litany of upgrades , I ’ ll briefly touch on the track ’ s history . For a dragstrip that opened in 1991 , it ’ s undergone more twists , turns , name changes , and owners than I realistically have space to list .

“ I ’ ve gone through five owners !” chief starter Scott Duncan told me when I stopped by . Indeed , Duncan is actually the only thing that ’ s original here , as everything else has been uprooted , leveled , and literally built back better . Heck , Scott even maintains a permanent residence on site , so getting rid of him won ’ t be easy !

This neat and tidy track located in the Florida panhandle originally opened as an NHRA-sanctioned eighth-miler known as Powerhouse Drag Strip . In the years that followed , it ’ s been renamed ( in no particular order ) Breakaway Dragway , Panama City Dragway , Dave Pybus ’ Powerhouse Drag Strip , 231 S . Dragway ( named after the nearby highway ), and after yet another name change in 2018 , the track was known as Powerhouse Motorsports Park .

Sometimes it was open , sometimes it was shuttered for a while . They ’ ve experienced sanctioning body changes , while other times the facility slipped into outlaw status . By the time brothers Kevin and Cody McDaniel entered the picture and bought the place in 2021 , the on-again , off-again dragstrip in Fountain , Florida , might have very well had an identity problem .

However , everything

you knew about the track prior , including decades of inconsistency in its operation , kinda melts away when you step onto the property and see the multiple millions that were spent on renovations . When I say everything except the aforementioned starter Scott Duncan has been bulldozed , you can take it to

the bank !

Everything from the track surface to the giant , state-of-the-art timing tower to the timing system has been completely replaced with the latest technology . The bathrooms even feature extremely fancy , polished ebony toilets and sinks ! The concessions building has sitdown

dining , while another dining spot atop the grandstands offer trackside viewing , with not only tables and chairs for dining , but also outdoor lounge furniture . Each side of the track features identical VIP areas , complete with large televisions , so you can also catch college football ( which is mega-huge in this area ) all while watching drag racing as you dine !

The track utilizes LED lighting that more closely resembles a shopping mall at night . The sprawling facility comes in at 140 acres , and features 75 pit parking spots with electrical and water hookups . Remarkably , the property even includes a 300-foot dirt dragstrip , which will host national events from that particular realm of drag racing this year .

Shortly after the McDaniel brothers bought the facility , they reached out to then-longtime IHRA official Josh Peake to inquire about sanctioning the track , but the relationship spun in all sorts of additional directions . The trio really hit it off , and the McDaniels relied on Peake heavily to oversee the operations of various events .

Finally , the brothers convinced Josh that they needed him full-time as track manager , so Josh and his family relocated from their native South Carolina to the beautiful Florida panhandle . Peake was also instrumental in launching the brand-new World Drag Racing Alliance , which now sanctions many Southeast dragstrips , including the magnificently renovated North Florida Motorplex .

It was great to finally visit this track , which is number 163 on my growing list . Josh gave me the grand tour as he communicated his new role as track manager . He ’ s got plenty of exciting events in the works , so I can ’ t wait to revisit this awesome dragstrip later this year . No surprise , I would encourage anyone within a thousand or so miles to do likewise ! DI