By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Big things continue to happen at the SRCA Dragstrip west of Great Bend. Last Monday, the Great Bend City Council forgave a nearly $125,000 loan balance, which was given to SRCA during previous construction of crash walls at the strip. On Wednesday, Emery Sapp & Sons placed the first hand-pour of concrete at the end of the track to test the texture of the surface. Everything is building toward a 2026 racing season, as NHRA West Central Division Director Nick Duty told the council on Monday.
“We are super excited about what’s coming up out there in 2026, with the track getting re-opened,” he said. “Some big events are going to be coming to SRCA with the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, that will be one of about 30 tracks across the country that host one of those events next year.”
Another big weekend is planned around July 4 with the Nostalgia Heritage series that will celebrate SRCA’s 70 years.
“SRCA held the very first NHRA national event in 1955,” Duty said, “so it’s going to be a big deal for us, as a sanctioning body, to really go back to our roots and go back to the first event that shaped basically our entire industry and our sport.”
The Sunflower Rod and Custom Association (SRCA) will also be inducted into the NHRA Div. 5 Hall of Fame later this year in recognition for those 70 years of service to the sport.