08/24/2026
๐ THANK YOU FOR A GREAT 2026 SEASON! ๐
As we close the book on the 2026 racing season at Hancock County Speedway, we want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped make Friday night racing in Britt possible this year.
First, an update on the Night of 1000 Stars. Unfortunately, we will not be able to find a suitable makeup date this season.
Between the community schedule in Britt, football and school activities, track worker availability, IMCA scheduling and competing special events, and our own personal schedules, there simply isnโt a date that works well enough to put on the kind of event the Night of 1000 Stars deserves.
We hate to leave that race on the table, but sometimes Mother Nature wins.
With that said, this also marks the end of a chapter for us.
For the past three years, weโve had the privilege of managing and promoting Hancock County Speedway, and weโve truly enjoyed the experience. We are incredibly thankful to the Hancock County Fair Board for trusting us with the speedway and supporting us along the way.
A huge thank you also goes to Mark Hiscocks for all of his help with track preparation, and especially to our entire track crew and personnel. Racing doesnโt happen without the people working behind the scenes in the tower, concessions, gates, corners, pits, track prep and everywhere in between.
And most importantly, thank you to the racers, crews, sponsors and fans. You are what makes Friday Night Racing at Hancock County Speedway special. Every driver who hauled through the gate and every fan who sat in the grandstands played a part in keeping dirt track racing alive in Britt.
As racers ourselves, these last three years have also given us a different perspective on the challenges facing weekly dirt-track racing.
One thing I was personally very proud of was the racing surface we were able to provide week after week. Mark and our crew put an incredible amount of work into giving racers a smooth, competitive track, and we worked hard to provide a strong purse that wasn't simply top-heavy... we tried to put money throughout the field so the racers who didn't win were rewarded for supporting the track, too.
And yet, like many tracks across the country, we still wished for higher car counts even though on average it was one of the highest car counts in the area per class.
That leaves us/me asking a question we honestly don't know the answer to: What more can a weekly dirt track do?
You can provide a good racing surface. You can pay a competitive purse. You can spread that purse throughout the field. You can work to keep the show moving, treat racers fairly and give fans an entertaining night of racing... and sometimes the cars still don't come.
We don't say that as criticism of racers. We're racers too, and we understand better than most how expensive and time-consuming this sport has become. There are more races competing for the same pool of cars, costs continue to rise, and everyone only has so many Friday and Saturday nights available.
Maybe that's simply one of the challenges our sport has to figure out going forward. We love dirt-track racing and want to see weekly racing survive and thrive. We hope the next generation of promoters, racers, IMCA, and tracks can continue finding ways to make that happen.
For us, though, after three seasons, we have decided that we will not be returning as promoters of Hancock County Speedway.
Thereโs no big story behind the decision. We simply have busy lives, growing family commitments, and our own racing that weโd like to spend more time enjoying. Promoting a racetrack takes a tremendous amount of time and energy, and we feel like this is the right time for us to hand the reins to someone else.
We sincerely hope someone steps up to take on Hancock County Speedway, and we wish the next promoter nothing but success. There is a lot of history at this little dirt track in Britt, and we hope Friday nights continue to be filled with race cars, families and fans for many years to come.
From all of us who have helped manage and promote HCS over the last three years:
Thank you for the memories, the support, the friendships, and a great three years of racing.
Weโll see you at the track!
-Darin and Chris Toot
