Tulsa Speedway Opens New Dirt Track

Friday was opening night at the new Tulsa Speedway and droves of fans came out to support the new track at the Tulsa Raceway Park.

Co-owner Todd Martin says it's the first time in more than a decade fans have been able to enjoy dirt track racing in Tulsa.

“We haven’t had spring cars in Tulsa in 16 years, so we’re really excited about starting our season off," he said.

Martin says the rumble of hot steel and the smell of oil and gasoline is nothing new to the Tulsa Raceway Park and its asphalt drag strip, but to see and feel that on a dirt track again has been a long time coming for race fans like Larry Dean.

“We’ve needed it for 16 years. And it’s just great," Dean said.

Dean is a push car driver. He's been working in and around racing for 50 years.

“Raised all my kids out here at the racetrack, and it’s just my family," he said.

Now that the Tulsa Speedway dirt track is complete - he doesn't have to. Neither does Sprint Car Driver Zach Chappell.

“I’m pretty excited about it because we’ve finally got a track in our backyard," he said.

It took two years of work to turn a muddy field into a racetrack - but now that it's up to speed, Martin says the racing family is here to stay.