“We started coming out when Jerry Goss and Harry Hronas built the track,” Thompson said. “We were there day one and I was out there more than I should admit. I was out there every single week when it was open. It became a home away from home. The people I grew up with, my dad, uncles, cousins and friends, that’s where we went to race.”

Thompson has been around the sport his entire life with some of his first baby pictures showing him sitting on his dad’s truck at the race track. Now in a new phase of life his busy schedule includes a podcast called “The Hometown Hot Rodder,” which is into everything car related.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Thompson wants to expand the variety of events at I-30 Dragway. He has been working hard with clean-up and maintenance to have the venue ready by early March. There’s new paint, work on the bleachers and goals to have the scoreboards repaired in the coming weeks.

The 1/8-mile track will still host bracket racing through the IHRA Summit SuperSeries program, but will also feature No Prep and Nostalgia racing. Thompson wants to open up the facility to more community events and plans to have some of the top car shows in the Lone Star State.

“We’re going to see a different business model,” Thompson said. “We’re going to cater to the grassroots guys, and we’re going to put on some pretty cool Nostalgia events. I’m a car guy and cars have been my life since I was born. We also want something that involves the community at Caddo Mills a lot better. 

“We want to run a community and family-friendly facility. This place will be a lot more than a drag strip. With ‘The Hometown Hot Rodder,’ I’m pretty entrenched with the car show scene. The car show we’re putting on March 25 will probably have 200-300 cars and they will be able to make passes on the drag strip. A car show in June, the promoter is hoping for 500 to 1,000 cars.”

For the bracket racers, don’t fret. There is still the opportunity to compete in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries with a chance to advance to the IHRA World Finals. Drivers who advanced to the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals from I-30 Dragway’s points program included: Max McGlothlin (Box), Jacob Pitt (No Box), Aaron Jordan (Sportsman) and Graeme Rufenacht (Junior Dragster).

If that last racer sounds familiar, Rufenacht is one of the most accomplished Junior racers in the country. 

For more information about I-30 Dragway, click here to check out the track’s Facebook page.