Vashawn Young purchased the Havana, Illinois drag strip in 2022 and it’s a track he grew up going to as a kid watching his father Ed “Fast Eddie” Young race down the drag strip. His good friend, Greg Gebhardt, serves as general manager. It felt right to change the name back to what generations of racers knew it as.

“We wanted to change the name back to the original name, Midstate Dragway, because it just feels right,” Gebhardt said. “We love the sound of it and it brings back memories for many of us growing up at a very early age.”

It turned out the name change didn’t just feel right to Young and Gebhardt. It has proven to be very popular to the racers and spectators. They have seen a strong commitment from Young and Gebhardt with recent upgrades including new LED lighting for the track and pit area, new LED scoreboards and a new PORTATREE timing system with a new Christmas tree and live timing. A huge improvement has been paving in the pit area to cut down on the dust.

“I’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of my racing family that’s come up to me or sent messages and told me how it finally feels like home again,” Gebhardt said. “We are going to continue to make huge improvements to the facility and we want everyone to know that we are 100 percent dedicated to turning this track into a top-notch place everyone will remember and love for years to come.”

Check out the new Midstate Dragway webpage at www.midstatedragway.com and click here for the track’s new Facebook page. Check out the exciting schedule as racers have multiple chances to win $10,000 throughout the year.