Races, monster trucks, tractor pulls, demo derbies at Speedway

By Jared Lankford monettsports@gmail.com

The sounds of loud motors and fan-packed stands will soon invade town, as the Monett Speedway is set to open its 55th consecutive racing season.

This year, the track has undergone a major makeover.

Over 150 loads of clay have been hauled in to overhaul the track. Improvements have been made to the concession stand, pit and tech areas, and a partnership with NASCAR has excitement at an all-time high.

“Being NASCAR-sanctioned is a big deal for us,” said Jeff Ogle, Speedway promoter. “The same insurance coverage available to the guys who race on Sunday in NASCAR is now available to our guys on Friday. We have a $15,000 points fund, and we elevated it to a $23,000 points fund payout to our drivers.”

Ogle said the Speedway spent time in reflection after last season and placed a premium upon improving the driver and fan experiences.

“I think that all together, the higher payout and track improvements will lead to larger turnouts,” Ogle said. “We averaged around 66 cars per event last year, and we want to see that rise this year. We proved to the drivers we can run a fast show and get them in an out.”

Currently, the track has more than 30 events scheduled for this racing season, including monster trucks, tractor pull and demolition derbies.

“We want to appeal to as many fans as possible,” Ogle said. “If we averaged 500 fans per event last year, we want to see 750 to 1,000 this year.”

The speedway is also shifting from its traditional Sunday night slate to a Friday night schedule.

“We have drivers come from three four hours away to race,” Ogle said. “They leave here on Sunday night at 10 p.m., and they are not getting home until 2 a.m. We have kicked the idea of Friday racing around for a couple of years, and this year, we just decided to go with it.”

Monett will host Weekly Series racing on Friday nights throughout the season, which began April 4. B Mods will serve as the track’s Division I class. Other NASCAR-sanctioned Weekly divisions will include Midwest modifieds, pure stocks and bombers.

A full 2025 schedule will be available at www.monettmotorspeedway.com soon.