TERRE HAUTE — With the future of drag racing at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds floundering at the end of last season, fairgrounds officials knew they had to act quickly to upright what was a certain sinking ship.
They needed a new track operator, one who could keep the dragstrip afloat and headed in a new direction.
Former board president Brad Anderson knew the guy who had the expertise to handle the job and wasted little time seeking the services of racing insider Dallas Montgomery.
Although he was aware of the problems at the track, Montgomery was a little taken back when he got a call from Anderson. He was maybe even more surprised that after a series of phone calls and days of deliberation, he agreed to take on the task of reviving the once-proud program.
“Brad called several times. Said I needed to come over a take a look at the track. I was already quite familiar with the track. He said, ‘You’re the man to run it.’ But to be quite honest, the idea of taking it over was the farthest thing from my mind,” recalled Montgomery.
“I called my friends Faye and Myron Thomas, who had the track before and we talked over the numbers. Marty [Sabla], who is my nephew, and I got together and took a look at the numbers. We decided to do the deal. So here we are and we’re going to make it work,” vows the man who’s had nearly 50 years of involvement in the sport.
The Terre Haute natives want to return the southside facility back to its glory days when strong car counts profited the track, its competitors and the local economy.
They know it won’t happen overnight, but they appear prepared and determined to master the challenge.
“This race track used to be one of the finest eighth-mile tracks in the Midwest. I firmly believe it can be that again,” Montgomery said. “It takes race cars coming through the gate. It takes promoting the race track, treating everybody on a level playing field.”
To lure the racers back, the pair know they have to have a top-notch racing surface, one that has withered in recent years.
“We need to bring the race track back up to top quality,” Montgomery said. “When Myron and Faye had it, it was nothing for them to have 200 to 250 cars a night. Asphalt over time will deteriorate.
“You’ve got to give the people a quality race track, quality traction like we did two weeks ago. Without quality, you’ve got nothing. It’s been here. It’s coming back.”
For it to happen, the new promoters would like to see a different mindset by those calling the shots on auto racing at the fairgrounds.
“It’s a shame in the city of Terre Haute we have two tracks that are known nationwide and they are in the level they are now,” Montgomery mentioned, “when you compare them to what they use to be.
“We need full cooperation from the fair board, something we don’t have yet, but hope to have. We want a good working relationship with them to build this thing up to where it used to be.”
Although he admits being new to the racing business, Sabla is aware of the potential the dragstrip has for the city. He says he has to get more people involved.
“Surprisingly enough, there’s people in this city that don’t even know there’s a race track here. That’s the sad part. Terre Haute is a racing community. We have two of the finest tracks in the Midwest or what can be. We need to take it back to that level,” voiced Sabla.
Montgomery believes his lengthy background in racing will help him get the facility back on its feet.
“It’s fun. It’s what I know. It’s what I’ve done over the past 48 years. It’s where I’ve come. I guarantee a good race track, one the guys will enjoy coming to. We have fun. It’s all about safety. That’s what it is all about,” said Montgomery.
If there is any individual better prepared to express an objective and qualified view of the changes at what is now called Action City Dragway USA, it would be local drag-racing guru Nick Agresta..
A former dragstrip owner and operator himself, Agresta knows firsthand the work demands and financial pressures that go with running a racing operation the size of what Montgomery and Sabla are undertaking. He feels confident the pair are up to the task.
“Things change and that’s OK. You can’t look back. You got to go forward,” offered the nationally recognized NHRA track announcer.
“The people that are in place now to do the job are as excited about doing this thing as I’ve ever seen. And that is no reflection on anybody that was there before. They all did a great job in their own way and own time. They did what they had to do to make it go.
“It’s still there and still going. I think everything is going to be fine. They have a good schedule. There’s a lot of new things that are going to happen. I think the fans are going to have to support their local track, period.”
I I I
Pit notes — It was nice to see the Action City Dragway and Terre Haute Action Track well represented at last week’s motorsports show at Terre Haute North High School.
Finally, those calling the shots at the tracks recognize the potential of luring new and young faces to racing shows at the fairgrounds. Maybe the art of promoting isn’t dead yet.
There are some who think Chuck Boehler, who spearheads the annual show at North, should go into race promotions because of the connections he seems to have with Mother Nature. With threatening skies and an off-and-on rainy mist, Boehler and his staff still managed to squeeze their show in. And it was another top-notch one.
n Bill Ramsey, down at the Terre Haute Quarter Midget Association, passes along word that his group will host a special program Friday night aiding Scott Schidler, who’s battling cancer. Bill notes that, as always, events at the track located at 13th and Hulman streets are free to the public.
Joe Buckles can be reached by e-mail at jbuckles@verizon.net.
Trackside
Trackside: Dragstrip at Wabash Valley Fairgrounds is headed in right direction
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