Last July, we discussed the fact that Dunn Benson Dragstrip was up for auction, and we’re back with an update. It seems that Earl Wells of GALOT Motorsports fame purchased the facility and has spent the last several months performing a complete upgrade of the storied eighth-mile facility. The GALOT Motorsports team comprised of Todd Tutterow, Kevin Rivenbark, and John Strickland, competes in the NHRA’s Pro Mod and Top Sportsman categories among others, and now they have their very own facility to call home.

Now dubbed GALOT Motorsports Park, the dragstrip has been torn up and completely replaced in preparation for this season. Not only did the GALOT team tear up the strip, they replaced the surface with a state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled, all-concrete dragstrip.

The ability to control the temperature of the racing surface is an innovation pioneered by Bandimere Raceway in Colorado and has proven to have extensive benefits for providing racers with a consistent racing surface, no matter whether the exterior temperature is blazing hot or bitterly cold. Although it doesn’t get to Arctic temperatures in North Carolina, the winter months can bring a pretty substantial chill, and the summertime routinely sees triple-digit numbers on the thermometer.

In addition to the new racing surface, the guardrails have been removed in preparation for concrete retaining walls, new scoreboards are in the works, and a brand-new scale has been installed.

Performing these extensive upgrades is a gigantic financial commitment, but GALOT Motorsports Park appears to be in the running for one of the premier facilities on the East Coast when it’s all said and done. We look forward to seeing the facility completed, and wish Earl and the GALOT Motorsports team all the success in the world with their new endeavor.