The Evadale, Texas track, located just minutes from the Louisiana border, features a year-round calendar of events. Besides racing on the eighth-mile and quarter-mile at the former Ben Bruce Memorial Airpark, track operator Gary Pelliter has scheduled such unique events as jambalaya and gumbo cook-off competitions.
It’s truly a community gathering place and that was never more evident than the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the nation’s worst flooding disaster. During that time, the track donated its concessions to the first responders, and served as a drop-off point for other community donations.
Evadale features a serious group of racers, who finished runner-up at the always tough IHRA Division 4 (Renegades) Summit Team Finals in 2017. With the largest group from the track to ever attend the team finals, they also captured the prestigious Best Appearing Team Award.
Evadale enjoys enthusiastic support from racers in both Texas and Louisiana. The 2019 season opens with the Hangover Nationals on Saturday, Jan. 12, while the track will once again participate in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries, the largest and most prestigious national championship in bracket racing.
“Evadale Raceway’s impact is felt well beyond the track,” IHRA Division Director Frank Kohutek said. “Through Gary Pelliter’s leadership, the track has been successful in providing a racer-friendly environment and being a leader in the community. We are excited they continue to be a part of the IHRA family.”