The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The 'Need for Speed', you either have it or you don't. Some people just like to go fast, and others don't. Going 'fast' is an incredible rush whether you're a fan or not. I don't think there are many folks in the middle on the matter and maybe it's a sensation that can be learned, acquired, or even lost at some point. One thing for sure is that there are plenty of local men and women that are fans of 'going fast'.

Just east down Highway 2 there is an 1/8 Mile strip that certainly caters to the needs of those individuals. The Phillips County Motorsports website lists itself as a IHRA Division 6 Drag Strip and uses the motto. 'The fastest 1/8-mile track in Montana' and features 660 plus feet of concrete track. The Phillips County Motor Sports complex focuses on providing a great family atmosphere with racing taking place May through September.

Surely those racing down the track in their Dragsters are young, energetic twenty somethings with lots of gusto and nothing to fear. Not so fast! Yes, there are plenty of younger men and women racing down the track, but there is a group of old school, been there, done that types that have reached a point in life that allows them to just be free, and have plenty of time on their hands to satisfy that insatiable need to just 'Go Fast!'.

In Blaine County alone there are several adventurous adults that tend to scratch that itch and race down the strip just because they can.

The Airport in Malta once operated at the site where the Phillips County Motor Sports complex now sits. In 2001 a new Airport opened, and the land became vacant. The City of Malta owns the land and later leased out the property to a development company which in turn leases out the property to Phillips County Motor Sports.

Dan Stout from Harlem is currently the President of Phillips County Motor Sports Inc. and has been a member of the board since it first formed in 2006, "They (City of Malta) built a new airport and a development company called Philco worked out an agreement to lease the land from the city and we then worked out a lease from Philco. Stout said a board was formed and soon proposing the idea of a dragstrip, "In 2006 we held a race, an 'Outlaw Race' with one guard rail set up and ran on the asphalt runway. Running on asphalt is hard to get traction on but we had a bunch of cars show up and that kind of showed people that the idea could work.

The strong showing in 2006 quickly developed and prior to the start of the 2007 season the idea had become reality, "We poured an 1/8-mile cement track and put up another row of guard rail," said Stout. "Fundraisers were held, Malta contractors and businesses donated concrete and money, people donated their time, it was a huge, amazing community effort."

Stout says things just took off from there, "Been going strong ever since, the only thing that has really slowed us down was Covid the past few years, and that was due to the boarder being shut down with Canada. We have a significant number of racers that come from Canada so to be able to have them back this year is a huge plus."

Since that first year in 2007, the board has consistently reinvested back into the facility, "Every year we try to do something to improve the facility. We added bleachers and other amenities along the way and added pavement in front of our pit stops in 2021. We did a big project where we leveled and graveled the pits, so they drain good and as a result we picked up more pit space. We just finished the graveling in the past few weeks in fact," said Stout.

Phillips County Motor Sports offers a number of racing options, "We have Sportsman, Pro, Super Pro and Junior Dragster for Kids. These are furnished by their parents and are small dragsters powered by single cylinder Briggs and Stratton engines," said Stout. "Kids as young as eight can race and the older you get then the faster you can build your dragster."

For the adults Stout commented, "Setup is basically race for points each week and over the course of the year the most points win jackets and prizes. There are trophies at every race, plus a cash payout at every race for each class except for juniors during the season.

So, what is the general age of those racing down the strip, "The bulk of the racers are around 50 but there are a lot of retirees as well. Racing is an expensive sport so the ones that race are generally people that have reached a point in their life or have succeeded in their business to have the money and time to race. A lot of them start their kids out racing as juniors and move up each year," said Stout.

It's a close community, "Really a family affair. There is a group of us that pit together, and hangout together. The racing world in general is very tight nit, one big family. A very close group that supports each other. If someone needs a part, then somebody will lone you what they have. We even once had a guy get in his car, drive back to his shop in Glasgow, get the part and bring it back for another racer," added Stout.

Stout lists several drivers from Blaine County that actively race at the dragstrip, some of which also serve on the Board, "I started racing back in '84 so this will be my 38th year. There are a lot of us older Blaine County guys that race, Dan Johnson, Terry Townsend, Denny Overcast, Frank Baldick, Stacey Klungland, Kay Johnson and Harold Miller"

Stout added, "Harold's daughter Yelena races really well as one of the younger racers. She was out here just last week practicing." Next up for the Phillips County Speedway is a Test and Tune on Saturday, June 5. "There is a big car show in Malta that day. So about 3:00 p.m. we'll get started. On Sunday we will have our points race for June."