Jimmy Keenan took over the reins of Dallas County Fairgrounds Speedway in 2023. Prior to that, he had raced hobby stocks, crew chiefed for John Watson, and promoted RC car races at Send It R.C. Speedway at the Dallas County Fairgrounds. Keenan said what he had learned from promoting RC car racing applies to full-sized cars at the dirt oval in Adel, Iowa.
“I learned [from RC cars] the way you treat people will give you your biggest growth,” Keenan, of Ankeny, Iowa, said. “I treat everyone the same — I don’t care who they are or how long I knew them. Level respect — everyone treated the same — is the key to success in running a racetrack, whether it be RC or figure 8.”
Dallas County Fairgrounds Speedway pulled 20 to 30 cars a week at the end of 2022, according to Keenan. This season, the track averaged 74 cars per night.
“I turned DCFS into the fun place to be on a Saturday night,” said Keenan. “One thing was lacking there — there needed to be a connection from the grandstand to the pits.”
How Keenan Grew Dallas County Fairgrounds Speedway
To build that connection, Keenan instituted a twice-a-year Front Stretch Party. Cars line up on the frontstretch and fans can meet the drivers and see the cars up close. Drivers hand out hero cards and candy. Young fans get rides in the race cars. For all nights, Keenan invites the entire grandstand to the pits after the racing program ends.
“Kids who see a race car from the stands don’t know who drives it,” Keenan said. “We give kids and adults a chance to see and talk to the drivers face to face. Young girls find out this isn’t just a guy’s game. We have eight women drivers.”
DCFS also offers promotions to draw children to its events.
“Our last bicycle giveaway saw 150 kids in the grandstands,” said Keenan. “And they all brought their parents.”
The track also offers other events that build the racing community at DCFS.
“We had a bonfire for everyone and cornhole tournament for the race teams,” Keenan said. “There were 12 teams in the cornhole tournament. It created comradery. It brought racers and crew members together where they could actually talk to each other and have fun together. Some racers never physically talk to the people in the very next trailer on race night. That’s what I’m hoping to change. Racing can be fun, and lifelong friendships can be made at the racetrack.”
Keenan still promotes the RC car races, too, located at the other end of the fairgrounds from the dirt oval.
“It runs on weekends opposite of the speedway,” said Keenan. “There is some crossover from the speedway. A few drivers compete at both tracks.”
The Building Blocks of a Show
DCFS runs six classes total, with two on the figure 8 track and four on the oval.
The figure 8 track has a stock class, with former stock cars and hobby stocks, and an open class, which is a center-drive car with open engine rules.
The oval classes include JR FWD (for those 12–15 years old), FWD, cruiser cars, and hobby stocks.
“Our hobby stock class is unsanctioned and has different rules than the sanctioned classes at area tracks,” Keenan said. “Our hobby stock class makes it so racing is much more affordable — things like no stamped parts. We’re going back to the days when parts were built instead of bought. We are allowing the 5.3-liter LS engine that can be bought for $1500 at area junkyards.”
The cruiser cars feature a pilot and a co-pilot.
“The gas pedal is moved to the passenger side,” said Keenan. “The passenger runs the throttle; the driver steers the car and handles the brakes. We have husbands and wives teaming up. We have new drivers like James Robinson, who won last week with co-pilot Chris Mitchell — the guy he just bought the car from. It’s so much fun for the fans to watch.”
Keenan said another lesson he applied from the high-volume world of RC cars was to run an efficient race program.
“We learned how to keep the show moving, so there are no gaps between qualifying races, division features — fans and racers appreciate that,” Keenan said. “We offer cheap, exciting entertainment — a four-hour show that costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids.”
That formula seems to be working, and Keenan plans to stay at the helm of Dallas County Fairgrounds Speedway for years to come.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
