“I like seeing the old heads-up classes and seeing them run,” Baskin said. “I’ve always enjoyed the heads-up racing.”
Baskin has a background in the heads-up racing, competing in a number of cars over the years including a 1969 Nova Pro Stock machine once raced by the legendary Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins.
He has also seen great bracket racing as well as the owner of Jackson Dragway LLC. This will be the track’s first year racing of participating in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries program. Baskin likes excitement joining IHRA has brought to his Tennessee track located between Nashville and Memphis just minutes off Interstate 40.
“A lot of people are racing more since we have the SuperSeries,” he said. “It’s something bigger than your regular bracket race where they can pick up points. They’re able to race against the other people who are the best around the country.”
Baskin is referring to the way IHRA Summit SuperSeries points champions from each member track earns the opportunity to compete in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals presented by Strange Engineering. The program offered over $275,000 in payouts and prizes in 2023.
The racers are also looking forward to representing Jackson Dragway LLC at the IHRA Summit Team Finals.
Baskin’s story is one of success. He started out fixing up old 18-wheelers, some of them wrecked, others with bad motors. From those humble beginnings, he now owns Don Baskin Truck Sales LLC which sells over 5,000 trucks a year and has over 100 employees at its Covington, Tenn., location.
“I’ve made a lot of friends along the way and sold a lot of trucks,” Baskin said. “We’ve had a good run the last several years.”
He has been generous in his support of the sport he loves. He has put forth a varied schedule of events at the 1/8-mile Jackson Dragway LLC. They have a monthly heads-up event as well as the bracket racing, no prep and radial events. Also part of the 2024 schedule are swap meets, a cruisin’ event and a Ford Takeover, highlighting the Blue Oval brand.
With the busy schedule, Baskin continues to make the facility better for the racers and fans.
“We’ve got a bunch of stuff lined up so I added another 10 acres for parking race cars,” Baskin said. “We added another 1,000-seat bleachers and a place to sit down and eat your food while you watch the races on TV.”
It’s about improving the racers’ experience as Baskin and staff have done asphalt work on the track and are adding 50 amp breakers and a water supply in the infield. They’re also working on the lighting for better visibility at night.
That desire to constantly improve has made Baskin a great success both in the business world and the racing world.
To learn more about Don Baskin Truck Sales LLC, click here to check out the company’s website. To keep up with the latest news about Jackson Dragway LLC, click here to visit the track’s Facebook page.
