TRI-STATE RACEWAY
Busy Weekends & Big Car Counts
June 3, 2025
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With the NHRA West Central Division 5 2nd Annual Gary McMann Memorial National Open Doubleheader and the NHRA West Central Division 5 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series 3rd Annual Wick Buildings Race Shop Showdown Built by Dave River Construction Points Race Divisional on back-to-back weekends, we knew we were going to be busy, but we had no idea just how busy it would get!
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We kicked things off with a record-setting 318 entries for the National Open. Racing ran sun-up to sundown on both Saturday and Sunday to get everything wrapped up, and despite a few oil downs and some chilly nighttime weather, the energy was electric. It was an absolute blast, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who stuck it out with us all weekend long.
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Before we could even catch our breath from Memorial Day weekend, it was time to jump right into Points Race #2 in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
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We were treated with some of the best weather in recent memory and an impressive 325 entries battled it out, all the way down to 10 well-earned winners. I even had a shot at the Sportsman Motorcycle Wally, which was a fun change of pace!
From start to finish, it was another fantastic weekend of racing, camaraderie, and crowning our champions.
After two huge weekends, we just want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the kind words, support, and for continuing to show up for us again and again. It truly means the world to all of us at Tri-State Raceway.
We can’t wait to do it all over again with you this September!
Not Always Perfect
May 19, 2025
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We woke up Saturday morning to a "feels like" temperature of 30°, and the wind was gusting over 40 mph, which was definitely not the start we hoped for. Due to the rough weather, we had to delay the start of the season, ultimately scrapping the box/no box and junior dragster gambler races and pushing the start time to noon.
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Once we got rolling, though, things started to click. The track conditions steadily improved throughout the day, and we even got all of our Small Tire Bash Heads-Up Series participants down the track. The highlight of Saturday? Andy Fangmann and his Nitro Pro Mod set a new personal best of an incredible 4.03 in the 1/8 mile!
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Sunday greeted us with much better weather and even higher hopes as the points championship race kicked off. With over 150 entries on the property, we were ready to go full throttle. Unfortunately, our timing system had other plans. A few electrical gremlins caused delays, but once everything was sorted out, the racing was on.
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In Wright-Way Trailers Quick 16, Cale Davis piloted his red Mustang to victory over #1 qualifier EmiLee Novak. Quick Performance Super Pro saw out-of-towner Dave Ringelstetter edge out James Halverson in a tight matchup, while Rob Livingston took home the win over Dan Steffens in the Toys Done Right Body Shop Pro ET class. Michelle Stepanek earned a long-awaited victory in Gateway Towing Sportsman, and Dylan Tydrich became the first double winner of the season by sweeping both Gear Driven Motorsports No-E Open Bike and Byron’s Baits Street Bike. Cory Miller claimed top honors in Ollinger Garage Doors Trophy Class, and the young gals delivered in Rydell Auto Sales High School and Junior Street with Leighton Haack and Lily Hanson lighting up the final win lights. Finally, in Novak Electric/Brandospeed Junior Dragster, Bennett Meier and Leighton Haack faced off in the run-off, with Leighton collecting her second trophy of the day to cap off a standout weekend.
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While the weekend wasn’t perfect, it was packed with exciting racing and memorable moments. We wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Welcome to the 2025 season!
Ready or Not...Here We Go!
April 30, 2025
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The weather has turned warm, the final coats of paint have been applied, the signs are up, and the grass is freshly mowed. We’re just a few short days away from our first big event of the 2025 season, and we couldn’t be more excited!
We’re thrilled to welcome back the Midwest Pride in Your Ride Truck and Tractor Show this year. With truck and tractor pulls, semi drag racing, and a full lineup of activities for all ages, this event truly has something for everyone. Best of all, every dollar raised goes to benefit cancer research.
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So whether you're a truck and tractor enthusiast or simply looking for a fun weekend out of the house, we invite you to join us. We’ll be waiting with open arms.
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Oh and did we mention? The Summit Racing Point Series presented by Fuel Branding kicks off in just a few weeks with Race #1. Let’s not forget...we have some unfinished business to settle in September.
A Successful Season With Less Than Successful Reporting
September 10, 2024
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I would like to start this by apologizing; I am not as good at track news as I thought I would be! As it turns out, It is way harder than expected to keep up with everything that is going on.
We had an extremely busy summer, and I would like to thank everyone that supported us through all of the crappy weather we had. I do not remember a time when we had so much racing lost to the weather, but we made it through, and with only a few more events to go, I am more than confident in calling this season a major success!
While it is not quite over yet, from the bottom of our hearts, Lucas, Alex, and I would like to say thank you to all of the racers, staff, spectators, and anyone who was with us along the way. We look forward to seeing everyone in Odessa, Missouri this weekend for the NHRA West Central Division 5 Summit ET Finals. Travel safe, race hard, and show everyone why Tri-State Raceway has not only the best racers, but the best racing family in the whole Midwest!
A Shortened Memorial Day Weekend
May 27, 2024
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After over 2" of rain and a canceled Friday qualifier, Saturday turned out to be beautiful as we hosted The Inaugural Gary McMann Memorial National Open. The gorgeous weather had us all in good spirits, and as the morning kicked off, the mood would quickly turn sour as computer problems would plague the morning and cause almost 3 hours in delay. After the technology bugs made their way out, it was smooth sailing, and we pushed almost 250 entries down the track in just under 8 hours!
Michael Freeman chose the right time of day to drop a .001 reaction time as he took his Duster down the line to get the win over Craig Schultz in Super Pro. Bill Cox saw nothing but green lights, and he took down Kevin Haack in the Pro final, with Haack having some trouble on the starting line. In Sportsman class, it was Dave Klein getting his first win of the season, as he handled Tim Earle on both ends of the track. Don Paisley took his little Trans Am to the winner's circle in Trophy class, and it was all Emma Lane in Junior Dragster as she powered her way through the winner's bracket and picked up the converted Wally in the Junior Dragster Runoff over Slade Hess.
The staff at Tri-State Raceway would like to thank all of the racers for sticking with us and being patient as we sorted everything out. We would also like to thank the Midwest Class Racers, MWSCA, and NCSSA for choosing to spend their Memorial Day weekend with us. We look forward to seeing everyone next weekend as we host the 2024 NHRA Division 5 2nd Annual Wick Buildings Race Shop Showdown Built by Dave River Construction Lucas Oil Points Race.
A Victorious Opening Weekend
May 20, 2024
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We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend to open the 2024 race season. The test and tune on Saturday went very well with over 120 cars on the property, including a nitro pro mod and a top alcohol funny car! Yet as soon as the sun rose on Sunday, a new points season dawned, and it was time for the chase to start!
Mark Rosenbaum picked up right where he left off last year clenching a win in Super Pro over Mike Halverson. After a runner-up on Saturday, Valerie Chitty finally cashed in a victory as she took down Kevin Haack in Pro. Andrew Quinn took a starting line advantage all of the way down the track to turn on the win light in Sportsman. Newcomer, Kagen Hilsenbeck, made himself right at home in the winner's circle as he took out Emily Vargason in the final of High School. Our Gear Driven Performance No-E Open Bike class saw a familiar winner as Pat Finder set out to defend his 2023 championship, while Street Bike saw a first-time winner as Randy Czarnecki got the job done on Sunday. Leighton Haack fought her way through the winner's bracket of our Junior Dragster class only to come up a little short to Slade Hess in the helmet run-off. Lastly, Suzy Kania picked up a win in Trophy with her 17.70 ET, while on the other side of the coin, Bill Black picked up the win in Quick 16 going 6.89 at 196mph!
We cannot thank everyone enough for helping make our season opener so successful. The support from all of our racers makes doing this job so easy, and we can’t wait to see everyone again very soon!
We're Back, Baby!
April 2, 2024
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A mild winter has given way to a wet and windy spring. As April blooms, although it may not feel like it, the race season is 100% back and better than ever!
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For some of us, there is never really an off-season...just long winter months of fixing broken parts (like throttle cables, amirite?), telling endless stories of what ifs, and talking about how great we are going to be in the spring. For Lucas, Alex, and myself, the off-season was highlighted with a road trip to PRI and a couple of outings to Topeka, Kansas. There were also plenty of meetings to be hosted, whether it was brainstorming to bring in new ideas, or trying to learn as much as we could to put the track in the best position possible.
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Yet, for all of us, the time for talking is over, and it's time to get things rolling. So, while we finish up some off-season projects and implement some new ideas, we ask that you get your race cars tuned-up and ready to hit the drag strip. We kick off the 2024 season in just 20 short days!
Fangmann Brothers Aim for Second-Year Success
December 29, 2023
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With the new year right around the corner, the Fangmann brothers have agreed to take over track operations here at Tri-State Raceway for a second year. With a previous successful race season in 2023, they are looking forward to what is to come. Congratulations to the boys. We anticipate a great 2024 race season and hope to see everyone soon!
Tri-State's Future in Fangmann's Hands
January 1, 2023
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The new year brought a new change to Tri-State Raceway and a big one at that! The Fangmann's, long-time employees of the track, announced that for the 2023 race season, they would be handling all track operations. Congratulations to them, and we look forward to a very exciting race season!