They were one of the venues which opened the IHRA Sportsman Spectacular season in 2023. Local favorites John Angelle (Top), Derrick Patton (Mod), Wesley LeJeune (Sportsman) and Slade Olinde (Junior Dragster) took home Ironman trophies from the IHRA Sportsman Spectacular presented by Moser Engineering and FuelTech.
With something exciting always going on, State Capitol has a rescheduled IHRA Ironman Classic race slated for February. The IHRA’s programs with an emphasis on grassroots, Sportsman racing and the racers themselves works well with State Capitol’s goals.
“The IHRA programs are well suited to our track,” State Capitol Raceway assistant manager Cody Pollage said. “They’ve shown the same commitment to the grassroots racer that our track has. It’s a thrill for our racers to have the opportunity to go compete for IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Championships.”
The track, which will celebrate its 55th year in 2024, has a loyal following with longtime track owners Lanny and Valerie Lewis, and general manager Gary Carter providing a great place to zoom down the drag strip.
Over the past couple of years, they’ve added a new Accutime scoring system, new scoreboards and have upgraded the concessions with racers now raving about the quality of food. It’s going back to the commitment track management and staff have made to the racers.
“There’s a lot of work, countless hours, that goes in behind the scenes that nobody sees,” Pollage said. “Lanny, Valerie and Gary provide the leadership and resources, then there’s a great support staff to give the racers the best experience possible.”
There’s a well-deserved reputation for competitive racing at the track 16 miles outside Baton Rouge. Patton earned the IHRA Summit SuperSeries track points championship for Top (Box) in 2023. Others who qualified for the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals presented by Strange Engineering through the track standings included: Robby Mullins (Mod), Ricky Dwyer (Sportsman) and Kane Kern (Junior Dragster).
Other major events include the Funny Car Chaos and the King of Louisiana Car Show. State Capitol is set to host the Big Tire N/T Sugar Cane Showdown this Saturday. The facility was even used in the 2005 film “Dukes of Hazzard” with the drag strip providing the finish line for the fictional “Hazzard Road Rally.”
Click here to check out the State Capitol Raceway website and learn more about this historic facility.
