DIALED IN: Lonzell McKenzie, Chris Moore want more for Rico Drag Strip
Clarkton, North Carolina’s Rico Drag Strip has seen steady improvements and a lot of love poured into this vintage outlaw track located in the southeast region of the Tar Heel state. From humble roots of decades past, this eighth-mile facility once sported a split-lane racing surface and a crudely constructed deer stand for a tower, but those days have long-since past.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #190, the State of Drag Issue, in September/ October of 2024.]
Track owner Lonzell McKenzie began to really ramp up the updates a few years back, and has been steadily improving this folksy facility that features a ton of history. By the time racers showed up for the 2024 season, they were greeted with a brand-new and sprawling timing tower, as well as a brand-new construction known as the “Chicken Coop,” which is how Rico identifies their concession stand – and for good reason, since the fried chicken is legendary at this track. It’s the signature food offering that’s been a fan-favorite for decades.
Another recent addition to Rico was when McKenzie hired Chris Moore for the role of track organizer. Moore is something of a “Swiss Army Knife” around the dragstrip, providing a litany of functions related to racing operations, in addition to being a racer himself. He’s also a guy who can locate things. Early on, McKenzie needed a flat drag, a tractor, and some nice aluminum bleachers, so Moore produced the items in short order.
And since that all worked out so well, McKenzie also thought it would be cool to book a jet car on Father’s Day weekend, since a jet hadn’t gone down Rico’s eighth mile since the mid-1980s! Moore made some calls and indeed made arrangements for Larry Aldrich and his “Thunderbolt” jet dragster to thrill the fans at Rico. His quickest pass came on Saturday night, demolishing the track record to the tune of 4.09 seconds at 189 MPH. “The last time a jet car came to Rico was back in 1984. It caught the woods on fire, and this latest one blew down a fence! Lonzell wanted that fence gone anyway, so it all worked out,” laughs Moore.
McKenzie also relies on Moore to oversee the racing schedule as a whole, and for the next special attraction, Moore is working on bringing Pro Mods to Rico. “It’s difficult to get those guys to travel this far into eastern North Carolina and there’s not a whole lot of them that’s local to this area, so we’ll probably do a four-car show and pay them $10,000,” says Moore.
The track location, while rural and sometimes unhandy for certain kinds of events, does provide a near year-round opportunity for racing by virtue of its proximity to the ocean. “You can be at Wrightsville Beach in probably 45 minutes after leaving the track,” says Moore.
As far as the events schedule goes, this is Moore’s first full year at booking events, and it’s currently about three months out, but he hopes to provide a lengthier outlook for the entire season in 2025. One thing that’s sharply on the upswing at Rico is their bracket racing program, and it’s experienced greater participation this year than in recent history. They’re currently holding one or two bracket events per month at Rico, with about 11 of them part of their points series.
During the hottest parts of the summer, they’re on a limited schedule with Saturday test-and-tune sessions before returning to a more robust lineup of events, including lots of grudge and no-time events after the sweltering summer heat subsides.
“Looking ahead to 2025, we’d love to branch out and host all kinds of different events, such as the Gear Jammers organization, and also Donnie Gibbs’ 4.70 Outlaws,” says Moore.
More facility improvements are also likely in 2025, including resurfacing of the track, as well as scoreboards for the bracket racers. “Lonzell has even talked about seeking IHRA sanction after those improvements are completed, which would definitely be a first in this track’s history. We’re convinced that if we be consistent in what we do, we believe that Rico will continue to grow and prosper,” concludes Moore.
This story was originally published on October 15, 2024.
The post DIALED IN: Lonzell McKenzie, Chris Moore want more for Rico Drag Strip first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
