YDS article in THE BILLINGS OUTPOST

SO I READ THIS ARTICLE AND WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU GUYS SO WE ARE ALL IN THE LOOP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
to be honest it has a decent info but is very poorly written. im aweful at writting and can still recoganize this guy is bad.

THE DRAG STRIP SEEKS COMEBACK

By martin Mull
for the outpost

In 2010, a part-time drag racer and full-time drifting wyomingite became a tenant in the yellowstone drag strip control tower in acton. He slept on an air matress in the VIP lounge. This bizarre living arrangment may have been condoned by the community had loud, powerful automotive machinery consistently sprinted down the two quarter mile lanes below, at least during warm, beer-flowing, bon fire-flaming weedends.

Problem was, last year few cars, or fans, ever appeared. The squatter race track promoter was eventually ousted.

Molly Omo, mother, now Arizona resident and sole Montana race track proprietor, abruptly lost her husband, Ron, in December 2008. Ron Omo fullfuled a dream to dring drag racing to Bilings in 2003, along with 5 other partners, whom he eventually bought out. According to new YDS track manager/promoter Dennis McKinrie, since her husbands death, Ms. Omo desires to live near her architect daughter in sunny Pheonix and sell the Acton dragstrip. In the meantime, shes leased the track.

Problem is, a buyer has yet to surface. Problem is, the tracks opperation has ben dismal, to say the least - to the point the sports main governing body, the National Hot Rod Assoctiation, would not saction last year's racing season.

"There were problems last year with the promoter, and he put Acton behind the 8-ball", said Johnathan Adams, the NHRA's division 6 director based in Puyallup, Wa.

The troubles began when the promoter failed to secure the basic liability insurance for the track required by the NHRA.

"Acton hs very minimal insurance requirements because its a very good track, the facilities are new, the bleachers," continiued Adams.

"Its comes down to common sense. A promoter obtains the insurance, and if you have a hole in the track, well, you fix it. (The NHRA) Supports all our racetracks, but ultimately the running of the track is up to the promoter."

Bumpy, slippery tracks alarm serious racers. They wont compete, as happened in June of last year.

A consistent competative racing schedule with handsome payouts attracts them.

Adam says stablity has to appear in Acton before the dragstrip reappears on NHRA's website, next to Montana's only other quater-mile track, Lewistown Raceway.

"Its like a resurant owner says he will be open at 8. Come 8 the resturant is not open. . Well, people wont be there next time, " concluded Adams. Not to mention sponsers.

Longtime Billings racer Jeff Scheller hopes to crack the 200 mph barrier in his old school front-engine dragster this season.

"We have a great track right here in our own backyard, "he said. "Its awesome. I shouldn't have to travel to Lewistown or Andaconda (an eight-mile track) to run. I don't even have to clean the cars. We have good, clean pit areas, and its a short trip for the local racers."

Dennis McKnire grew up in Billinsg, raced a 1952 Chevy along downtown streets while a high schooler and fell in love with fast, cool cars. He spent 31 years with Burlington Northern Railroad, after and patriotic stint with the U.S. Army. The pale-haired 68-year old believes in loyalty, drag racing in Billings and a pristine restored '57 Chevy.

"I was close to Ron (Omo) and his death was a shock to all of us," said McKnire. "Molly doesn't want to be involved in drag racing, never did. She just wants to sell the track. I'm the go between for her."

McKnire will manage the track this season. Hes kind of like the veteran, bounced-around baseball manager hired to right the ship, who loves, in this case not baseball, but drag racing.

"I would buy the track if I was 53 years old, like I was when I retired from the railroad," said McKnire, who's content to restore his pearl 1957 Chevy at this stage in his life. "But I don't want to spend the next 10 years building up this track as a business. I will tell you this: I can make a great discount offer to any buyer who is interested, because Molly just wants to get out and and move on."

McKnire will promote YDS events this year for eight weekends, beginning in April and running through Labor Day. Sixtenn race days. He'll pay the insurance to the NHRA's liking, line up sponsors, keep the track safely clean and the beer flowing around the bonfire pit near the pavillion.

"Ron loved drag racing and wanted to generate as much revenue as possible," said McKnire. "He ran 40 race days a year. We want to be as efficient as possible. Lewistown only runs races four weekends a year, eight race days, but they have many racers each time, their fans come out, and they make money."

Larry Allen, the president of the Billings Drag Racing Association, said that, without a doubt, there is a drag racing community in the Billings area. He notes theat prominent Chevy dealership owner Denny Menholt and his two sons are regular past racers and consistently supported the drag strip sonce its inception on 2003.

"Last year, despite the problems, we still held two events late in the season, "said Allen. "We had 7,000 fans show up in August (the bleachers hold 3,000) and they were starved for racing."

Hopefully it will be as good, or better this year, by golly, for Molly, and Billings area drag racing fans.

Thanks for sharing that article. As poorly written as it may have been, at least it was something and was informative to me at least. I really wish someone with money and brains would actually buy the strip and run the darn thing, if only my lottery number had been drawn I could at least have the money half of that.

It is interesting to know how it is being run this year. For some reason, I thought the Menholts were running it, so I definitely got some education from the article.

It is a very nice facility and we are lucky to have it so close to us. With the shortened schedule (which is still very generous compared to last year) we should see good turnouts again. Maybe that will loosen the purse strings on someone and we'll get a consistent owner / operator year to year.

I'm looking forward to the race season, not sure what I'll be driving yet, but I'll definitely be out there.

Thanks for the info Jeremy. I am also very excited about the race season, cant wait to get out and pull some 11s!!

im super excited...... sike! i mean i happy for everyone but i cant run anastasia due to the fact im terrifyed of 3rd gear. so im super glad the strip is open this year just pissed i have a stock wrx tranny....

im happy its back up to i can actually run the car this year finally yea ts a honda its slow but owell who cares cause i dont i jus like my one wheel wonder burn outs haha.

yeah yeah, good info i just wanted to prepare everyone for a shitty read.