It is hard to believe what a little elbow grease, a bit of know-how and some TLC can accomplish.
Just ask one-half of the ownership team that helped a worn-out legendary racetrack in America’s heartland grow from a tired track to a reinvogorated motorsports Mecca of the midwest/south/southwest.
First off, let’s get one thing straight, Tulsa Raceway Park (TRP) – proudly sponsored by Osage Casino since 2013 and home to this weekend’s season-opening PDRA Nationals – has never been a forgotten racetrack by any stretch of the imagination. Far from it, actually. The track, just a short drive northeast from the epicenter of downtown Tulsa, has been a popular stop for racers for over 50 years.
In fact, TRP has been a popular testing ground for America’s top drag racing team for decades. But only recently has the track stepped back out onto the national stage with a breath of fresh life. And in that short time, Tulsa Raceway Park has gone from a beauty queen of the 1970s to a modern day Miss America contender.
“We are all about under-promising and over-delivering,” said emerging motorsports icon and half of the Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park ownership team, Keith Haney. “This track has so much history. My dad raced here. I raced here as a kid. This track means a lot to me and I want to help turn this place into what I know it can be.”
But it hasn’t been an easy path.
Haney and co-owner Todd Martin helped save Tulsa Raceway Park from an untimely demise in 2011 when it was purchased by a local quarry and on the precipice of being lost forever. Haney, a longtime sponsor of the track, asked if there was any way he could help keep the track open. A few days later, he was part owner.
“I was a major sponsor of Tulsa Raceway Park for 14 years prior to my ownership. When I found out the track was closing, I really wanted to do whatever I could to help keep it open,” Haney said. “Later that year Todd Martin called me up to see if I wanted to continue to sponsor the track, continue to support it. A day went by and I asked if they are going to keep it open and he said they are working on it. Next thing you know, I asked if he would like a partner. He didn’t wait two seconds, ‘absolutely’ was the next word out of his mouth.”
Not long after, the ball was rolling and project “turn TRP into something special” was off and running.
“That year, we received great support from the City of Owasso in Tulsa. The racers were excited, the city was excited, there was a real buzz,” Haney said.
First up in the plan – the marketing partners.
“The previous owners did a really good job with the place, but nobody knew it. They had no marketing in it at all. So when Todd brought me on board, the first thing I said was give our marketing partners exactly what they deserve,” Haney said. “I have been a sponsor of this track for 14 years. I absolutely got business from it, but I didn’t get what I paid for. They didn’t go over and beyond.
“When we took it over, I was determined to give them what they want. And it is working. In five years I have only ever lost one partner, and that wasn’t even our fault. We have got major sponsorship with Lucas Oil – and they don’t give money to anybody – and RacingJunk.com jumped on this year. It is growing.”
Next up in the master plan – spreading the word.
“Our social media is so huge. A little over 88,000 people,” Haney said. “We do a lot of marketing, we have a great email database, our fans are really interactive with us. Instagram, Twitter, there is a lot going on and we like to remain really active and listen to our fans.”
Finally, it was time to bring them in by bringing to life the famed Field of Dreams line – “if you build it, they will come.”
“In 2010, we decided to build a mud track. That has turned into a state-of-the-art mud racing facility, a place that has changed the mud racing world,” Haney said. “During our big drag races, we have added concerts alongside the races, inflatable rides for the kids, a vendor row like a carnival – heck we even offer two-for-one beer during an oildown. We want to give them something to do when there is downtime. There is nothing worse than downtime during a race so I thought, let’s give them something to do.”
Today, Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park has grown into a true destination racetrack. The infamous Throwdown in T-Town has turned into one of the biggest non-sanctioned drag races in the country. The Midnight Drags continue to be a hit. And the last time the PDRA was in town, fans were piling in by the car-full through midnight.
“I begged my partner to let me have PDRA in March. The last time they were here we filled up both sides. It was the biggest show they have ever had in the history of PDRA. Here we were at 11 at night and people were still coming in,” Haney said. “PDRA has an organization that is second to none. They have the baddest drivers and cars in the world. I want this race for Tulsa.”
The PDRA Nationals take place this Friday and Saturday, a week later than scheduled after heavy rains postponed the race one more week.
Haney, known throughout the racing community as a brash and bold competitor behind the wheel himself – with the words “you know my name” splashed across his window – has taken that same attitude into turning Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park into a track second-to-none in the racing world.
And so far, he is doing just that.
“I want this to be a place racers and fans have to go see a race,” Haney said. “I was coming here as a baby. Now we are taking it to another level.”
