The buzz of excitement was especially intense throughout the Midwest racing community since there ’ s a definite need for more places to race . Odessa is approximately 35 minutes east of Kansas City , and let ’ s face it , there ’ s not an abundance of dragstrips in this region when compared to say , the Carolinas , where you can realistically drive to around 30 dragstrips within a two-state area on any given weekend .

Racers and fans in the Kansas City area would have been excited about any new track being constructed , but what they got in Flying H is quite a bit more than your average Saturday night honky-tonk that was built on a shoestring budget . This sprawling facility is impressive and can host a wide array of events .

Many people are hopeful for a NHRA national event to be held here , and they were disappointed when early plans fell through . Track owner Scott Higgs and manager Blake Housley definitely entertain the idea of hosting a national meet someday , but they ’ re more concerned with accomplishing a few more short-term upgrades . “ We ’ re going to need more asphalt and some additional infrastructure work in order to host a national event , but yeah , it ’ s a goal down the road ,” Housley tells me .

A dedicated concessions building , new bathrooms , as well as restructuring the road that connects the pits to the staging lanes are all near-term plans .

Flying H made headlines

in mid-September when they hosted the muchanticipated Mid-West Drag Racing Series Smackdown , which featured the largest payout in Pro Mod history . The event was slated for three full days of action that also included other standout classes such as Top Alcohol Funny Car , Top Sportsman , Top Dragster , and they even booked in the “ Bone Shaker ” jet-powered semi-truck !

Naturally , this was the event I didn ’ t want to miss , so I made the trek to Missouri . Not surprisingly , the pits were packed with greatlooking and fast race cars , many of which were towed great distances , as drivers were hoping for the big payday in Pro Mod . The event certainly had the makings for a monumental outcome , but the weather would simply not cooperate this weekend . In the end , it was lingering

rain ( and the threat of more rain ) that forced the cancellation of the event .

That ’ s Keith Haney in this month ’ s column photo , heating the slicks of his “ Black Mamba ” Pro Mod Camaro during a qualifying pass at the

Smackdown before the rains came .

Since I ’ m still the same energetic fan I ’ ve always been , each time I visit a new track I ’ m anxious to check out the view from the top row of the grandstands . Sure , I ’ m tempted to just sit up there most of the day and watch run after run , but there ’ s tons of other stuff I need attend to , so I have to limit my spectating adventures to just a few passes , or else half the day will be gone before I realize it .

Even though the mega-payout Pro Mod race didn ’ t go exactly as planned , Flying H had a jam-packed roster of events in 2024 . Their grand

opening weekend kicked off on April 11-14 , as local racers were able to get acquainted with this brand-new facility and surface . By early May , Flying H was ready for its first bracket points meet , which was scheduled on back-to-back days and was part of an eight-race points championship series . Other events in May included Street Car Takeover and Street Outlaws : No Prep Kings . The NHRA Lucas Oil Division 5 series met at Flying H in June and was a pretty huge gathering .

As I glanced over the full schedule , it was great to see such a diverse lineup of events to kick off their inaugural season . Everything from the Victory Nostalgia Super Stockers to small-tire shootouts and highdollar bracket events . There ’ s plenty of great stuff to enjoy at this track , and hopefully the weather will be stellar the next time I come this way . Flying H Drag Strip comes in at # 166 on my ever-growing list of tracks I ’ ve visited . DI