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Along with IHRA points , Centerville also has a very unique track points system in which eight events are scheduled from March to roughly July , after which , a points champion is crowned . Then , eight more point bracket races are scheduled for the second half of the season , which usually runs until November , with brand-new champions crowned . “ We ’ ve done it this way since we first bought the track ,” says Patty . “ Of course , our IHRA points deal is completely different from our track points . Our IHRA points season is from May to September .”
Centerville Dragway is typically open every Saturday and every other Sunday . Bracket racing is very successful here , and features a handful of special events such as the two-day Thanksgiving race that ’ s usually very heavily attended . The Outlaw Small Tire shootout with indexes is a monthly attraction that works well at Centerville . “ We also have a stick shift race that ’ s grown tremendously , and we usually do that in July , August , and September ,” says Wayne .
Another popular gathering is the “ Jackson ’ s Junkers ,” where teams are selected and they race against another team , all while driving low-buck bracket entries that have a value not to exceed $ 1,200 . It ’ s a fun-loving group of racers who have their own Facebook page and specialize in racing on a tight budget . “ We have a lot of little races that work well for us , and we also just had the Titans of 10.5 here for the first time ever , and it was a great race for us ,” says Wayne .
Centerville Dragway is open nearly year-round , including early January when a huge New Year ’ s race is contested . For Wayne and Patty , the racers have become more like family . “ Oh sure , we think about retirement , but then we quickly ask ourselves , ‘ What would we do then ?’” laughs Patty .
Visitors show up from time to time and make a lasting impression . “ We had a guy visit the track on Saturday from France ! He was so excited to be able to get a t-shirt ! It ’ s people like that and hearing their stories that we love ,” Patty adds .
So , with no real plans of changing course anytime soon , Wayne and Patty continue living life here at the track and operating it weekly , much to the delight of the people who visit from both near and far . DI
84 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 183