Drag Illustrated Issue 190, September / October 2024 | Page 78

racing schedule as a whole , and for the next special attraction , Moore is working on bringing Pro Mods to Rico . “ It ’ s difficult to get those guys to travel this far into eastern North Carolina and there ’ s not a whole lot of them that ’ s local to this area , so we ’ ll probably do a four-car show and pay them $ 10,000 ,” says Moore .
The track location , while rural and sometimes unhandy for certain kinds of events , does provide a near year-round opportunity for racing by virtue of its proximity to the ocean . “ You can be at Wrightsville Beach in probably 45 minutes after leaving the track ,” says Moore .
As far as the events schedule goes , this is
DIALED IN
Moore ’ s first full year at booking events , and it ’ s currently about three months out , but he hopes to provide a lengthier outlook for the entire season in 2025 . One thing that ’ s sharply on the upswing at Rico is their bracket racing program , and it ’ s experienced greater participation this year than in recent history . They ’ re currently holding one or two bracket events per month at Rico , with about 11 of them part of their points series .
During the hottest parts of the summer , they ’ re on a limited schedule with Saturday test-and-tune sessions before returning to a more robust lineup of events , including lots of grudge and no-time
events after the sweltering summer heat subsides .
“ Looking ahead to 2025 , we ’ d love to branch out and host all kinds of different events , such as the Gear Jammers organization , and also Donnie Gibbs ’ 4.70 Outlaws ,” says Moore .
More facility improvements are also likely in 2025 , including resurfacing of the track , as well as scoreboards for the bracket racers . “ Lonzell has even talked about seeking IHRA sanction after those improvements are completed , which would definitely be a first in this track ’ s history . We ’ re convinced that if we be consistent in what we do , we believe that Rico will continue to grow and prosper ,” concludes Moore . DI
78 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com