TERRE HAUTE — When DHK Promotions LLC signed a three-year contract in February to take over promotional rights for the Terre Haute Action Track, the only direction it could go was up.
Wabash Valley racing fans don’t need to be reminded how disastrous 2007 was at the Action Track under the direction of previous promoter Dave Allison, so anybody new in charge would have been considered a welcome change.
DHK Promotions — originally consisting of former major-league baseball player and Terre Haute car dealership owner Brian Dorsett, longtime racing broadcaster and former WTHI-TV sports director Mike King and Indy Racing League driver Davey Hamilton — announced in February its 2008 schedule that included six events.
Because of a Sept. 12 rainout, that schedule was merged into five dates. Following the Oct. 4 season-ending card that featured the First Financial Bank Hut Hundred for U.S. Auto Club midget cars, DHK Promotions described its first year as a success, although the partners realize they’ll need to continue adding improvements and satisfy paying customers during gloomy economic times.
“I think in all, it was a very successful year,” Dorsett assessed. “Going forward, the sponsors are key for us. Keeping those sponsors, making it better for them, is very important.”
“I wouldn’t call it spectacular,” King reflected. “We ran six events over five dates. I’d say we got a nice vote of confidence from local race fans… There’s still a lot of room for improvement. All we did was get the track back on its feet.”
In separate interviews with the Tribune-Star last week, King and Dorsett addressed some of the issues DHK Promotions faced in 2008:
n NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley no-showing Hut Hundred after being advertised to appear — “J.J. had entered the race,” Dorsett explained.
“There was no indication from USAC or J.J. Yeley that he would not show up. For USAC to send out a press release [promoting Yeley’s appearance] and J.J. Yeley not to show, that really disappointed USAC.”
Dorsett said USAC officials learned on the afternoon of the event that Yeley would not appear. For the record, Yeley raced a sprint car that night at Lawrenceburg.
“There’s not much we could do,” King added. “I know I got a copy of his entry in the mail. I was told the day of the race that he would not be here.”
n Small fields for two events — Although the Hut Hundred starting field usually consists of 33 cars, only 22 were available Oct. 4.
“We were very disappointed by the car count,” King admitted. “For there to be 22 cars for a 33-car field, it left Davey dumbfounded.”
King pointed out that the 2008 Sumar Classic, also sanctioned by USAC, had a smaller field than usual as well.
“That is a problem we are addressing ongoing,” King insisted.
n No “Race to Recover” on Oct. 4 — King said he started spreading the word around a few days before Oct. 4 that the previously publicized “Race to Recover” charity race had to be canceled because of scheduling conflicts for several nationally known drivers. It had been postponed from the Sept. 12 card, which got rained out.
“We have a lot of commitments for next year,” King promised. “We just have to find the right date for it. We want this to become a big deal.”
“Next year, we want to build off that commitment from the drivers we had [for 2008] and we actually want to make it more special,” Dorsett mentioned. “Yes, we’re hoping next year to have a celebrity event.”
n Hut Hundred ending a few minutes before midnight — Even before Allison’s term with the Action Track started, a complaint often heard about the half-mile dirt oval was that races ended too late for families making long trips to Terre Haute.
For the most part, DHK Promotions avoided that problem in 2008, although 17-year-old Cole Whitt didn’t take the checkered flag as winner of the Hut Hundred until about 11:55 p.m. Oct. 4. A 20-lap Monster Energy Drink Modifield Classic feature (originally part of the rained-out Sept. 12 card), plus heat races, took place earlier that night.
“This past Saturday was simply a matter of the amount of racing we had,” King noted. “We kind of expected to run a little bit later than usual.”
“I thought both races went off pretty smoothly,” Dorsett said. “What we have to realize is we had two things happen. Even though the Modifieds did a wonderful job, the [Modifieds] feature did have a lot more yellows. But that’s just because they were racing hard. And then we had an interruption in terms of a delay before the start of the midgets feature [Hut Hundred], because we wanted to make some improvements to the track… Add to that, we had a race stoppage at 75 laps, which was ordered by USAC [so drivers could refuel during what was originally a yellow caution period]. That cost us probably 20 minutes.”
As one might guess, dealing with these situations — which often pop up unexpectedly — can lead to premature gray hairs for promoters.
“I don’t think you ever really know what you’re getting into when you become a promoter for the first time,” Dorsett acknowledged. “Now that I’m a promoter, it gives me an idea of what I can look for or expect in terms of glitches that might come along the way.”
Despite the occasional glitches, Dorsett and King found time to smile over what they had accomplished wit h the help of dozens of others.
Dorsett credited Chris Novotney (who became the fourth partner in DHK Promotions after the season started), Tim Wolfe and volunteers for working on track preparation all season.
“I thought they did a remarkable job for the first year,” Dorsett said. “Because of what we’ve learned, we will now be able to make these shows move along even smoother.”
King and Dorsett mentioned countless others — please believe they wanted every single name listed in this story, but space limitations prevent it — who helped keep the prestigious Action Track alive for racing fans throughout the Midwest.
“Spectators love the fact that the Terre Haute Action Track is back,” Dorsett emphasized. “They love the improvements. And I want to say ‘thank you’ to the fans in a huge way, because without them, this thing doesn’t happen. Without our great sponsors, it doesn’t happen.”
King said the biggest crowd was about 4,000 fans for the Tony Hulman Classic sprint-car feature May 22. “We had very consistent crowds, given the smallest was probably about 2,500,” he added.
Looking ahead to 2009, Dorsett and King predict racing will be hotter than it’s been in recent memory at the Action Track.
“I think, all in all, we now have a platform to build on for next year to hopefully have a couple more races, maybe more than a couple, if everything lines up perfectly,” Dorsett said. “Maybe seven or eight total.”
“Clearly, our fans in this area enjoy sprint-car racing,” King pointed out. “The midgets drew fairly well too.”
King said he’d like to put on a Modifieds-only card and see how that goes over with the fans.
As for the World of Outlaws, well, don’t hold your breath. King said the large amount of money the Outlaws want up front “is not feasible,” especially considering the Outlaws don’t guarantee rain dates.
King added that DHK Promotions would need to raise ticket prices to bring in the Outlaws, which he said was probably not worth it, considering the group already had rolled back prices to late-1990s levels in 2008.
Still, King hasn’t slammed the door shut on the possibility of the Outlaws returning to Terre Haute. He’s willing to negotiate with the Outlaws if they’re willing to compromise on a deal.
Dorsett mentioned Late Models and motorcycles as other possible Action Track attractions in 2009.
If DHK Promotions’ partners maintain their high energy level and dedication to Valley racing fans, can they return the Action Track to its glory days of the 1960s and 1970s?
“I think we’re really close,” Dorsett said. “This year, I think we were able to bring it back as much as possible.
“I was going to those races when I was 11, 12, 13 years old [in the 1970s]. My dad [Larry] took me. Back in the day, he had an old push truck from Dorsett Auto Sales and we went down in the pits and I’ll never forget we pushed out Gary Bettenhausen on a Sunday. He ended up winning the race. So we were in the pits. We were around it. We were watching it. As a kid who grew up loving the action on dirt, I knew what it felt like there.
“I was one of those fans who sat in the stands. I know what fans look for and want and we’re trying to bring that, as much as possible, back to the forefront. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we want it to be better than it’s ever been.”
Auto Racing
DHK finishes first year promoting Action Track
- Auto Racing
-
-
TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
A look back on the 2011 Wabash Valley auto racing season reveals the best and worst of times the sport has to offer.
-
Action Track to play host to 4 USAC events
U.S. Auto Club officials have released preliminary schedules for next season and four events are listed to be run at The Action Track.
-
ISU's Troxell, Crossroads Dragway in running for NHRA awards
Indiana State University student Derick Troxell and the Crossroads Dragway are both in the running for annual National Hot Rod Association awards.
-
Memorial service for Wheldon attracts thousands
Thousands came to honor deceased IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon during a memorial service at Conseco Fieldhouse on Sunday.
-
Indy remembers Wheldon
Dan Wheldon’s biggest fans wanted one more chance to thank their favorite driver.
One by one, they turned Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s main gate into a memorial for the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, who was killed Sunday in a fiery crash at Las Vegas.
-
Wheldon fans leave tributes at Indianapolis track
Dozens of fans have left flowers, candles and notes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gates in memory of two-time Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon.
-
Indy 500 winner Wheldon dies after massive wreck
Race car drivers always know the worst can happen whenever they get behind the wheel.
-
UPDATE: Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon dies after massive crash in Vegas
Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after his car became ensnarled in a fiery 15-car pileup, flew over another vehicle and landed in a catch fence just outside turn 2.
-
It was a frigid ending to oval dirt track season
The oval dirt track part of the 2011 Wabash Valley racing season came to a highly successful and climactic end over the weekend at Lincoln Park Speedway.
-
Windom’s impressive streak evokes lofty comparisons
In the storied history of the Terre Haute Action Track no name is more synonymous with winning and dominance than the late Jim Hurtubise.
-
Windom drives away from field at Action Track
Chris Windom led all 30 laps to capture the Jim Hurtubise Classic presented by First Financial Bank for USAC National Sprints at the Terre Haute Action Track on Saturday.
-
USAC cars return to Action Track today
The United States Auto Club sprint cars return to the Terre Haute Action Track tonight for the Jim Hurtubise Classic presented by First Financial Bank.
-
Points titles are on the line at Wabash Valley race tracks
They have become as much a part of the motorsports scene as the traditional green and checkered flags.
-
Stock cars: ‘backbones’ of short tracks
It was a familiar scene played out every Saturday night throughout the summer at hundreds of short tracks scattered across the country.
-
Menard pulls off the upset
Thirteen different drivers held the lead for at least one lap in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Paul Menard led 21 of them — including 11 of the last 12 and the last four — to take the checkered flag.
-
Family: Menard’s team won IRL title
Although it took 35 years, the name Menard finally made it to victory circle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
-
Sprint Summer Showdown begins at Indianapolis
The Sprint Summer Showdown begins today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Brickyard 400 for NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers is the first of five races in the new event that will culminate with the AdvoCare 500 in Atlanta.
-
Johnson knocked off pole by upstart Ragan at Brickyard
The 18th Brickyard 400 will be run today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
-
Billboard aims to curb race fans’ hot dog cravings
A new billboard is warning Brickyard 400 fans that eating hot dogs can be dangerous to their health.
-
Hinchliffe looking forward to IndyCar's Canadian stops
James Hinchcliffe is looking forward to the next two IZOD IndyCar Series events to be run in his native Canada. First up is Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto to be run on the streets of Toronto. Versus will carry the action live at 2 p.m. EDT.
-
Safety rules at track
A race delayed for more than two hours by overnight rain was eventually forced to be postponed by extreme heat and deteriorating track conditions as the vagaries of Mother Nature found another way to plague the Terre Haute Action Track on Sunday.
-
Sumar Classic hits track Sunday
Jason McCord remembers how he used to watch racing, playing catch with his father on the infield during lulls in the action on the track.
-
TRACKSIDE: Coons should be favorite for Sunday
When the U.S. Auto Club Silver Crown contingent motors into the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds this weekend for the SUMAR Classic it would appear that Jerry Coons Jr. would be the odds-on favorite to win Sunday’s 100-lap main event.
After all, the veteran driver has all the credentials to make him a winner. -
TRACKSIDE: Decision to stick with USAC pays off
When the 2011 USAC Indiana Sprint Weeks schedule was announced back in January, there were many who expressed their share of disappointment that Lincoln Park Speedway had once again been snubbed for one of the coveted series dates.
-
Stunning victory
After one of the craziest finishes in racing history, Dan Wheldon emerged as winner of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Just when it looked like rookie J.R. Hildebrand was one corner away from giving Panther Racing its first Indy 500 victory, he got up into the marbles in the fourth turn, bouncing the right side of the car into the wall. -
Field still split over double-file restarts
For the first time ever at the Indianapolis 500, the IZOD IndyCar Series began using double-file restarts during the race.
-
Centennial Indianapolis 500 fill have deep meeting to today's winner
In the words of Al Unser Jr. as he stood in the winners circle in 1992, “You just don’t know what Indy means.”
-
USAC Tony Hulman Classic tonight
The 41st running of The Tony Hulman Classic for United States Auto Club cars is set for tonight at The Action Track.
-
TRACKSIDE: Auto racing in May in Indiana runs on history and tradition
Possibly nowhere in the sports world does history and tradition play such a key role in an event’s success and future as that found in auto racing.
-
MARCO, DANICA MAKE THE CUT
Every year on Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the question is “Who will make it?”
The question this year was who wasn’t going to make it in the centennial running of the Indianapolis 500. When it was all over, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick were in. Teammates Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay were out. - More Auto Racing Headlines
-
TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Snow Strands Italian Towns
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Video of M.I.A's Obscene Halftime Gesture
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Today in History for Tuesday, February 12th
Stocks Fall Sharply As Greek Deal Is Held Up
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson after the Pebble Beach Pro Am-2/12
Exclusive Video: Bobbi Kristina Leaving Hospital
2012 Grammys: Rihanna
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
2012 Grammys: Taylor Swift
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
Whitney's Final Days - EXCLUSIVE
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Absolute Lin-sanity
Madonna's Daughter Shaves Head
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Test on Comforter in Powell Unit Shows Blood
Hero Driver Saves Kids From Burning Bus
