ODESSA, Texas — As community leaders discuss ways to end street racing in Odessa, there is a legal alternative to race. To avoid risking your life, the lives of others and the penalties that come with street racing, you just have to go west of town.
There certainly is some history behind Penwell Knights Raceway. Gary Gardenhire is the general manager and owner of the racetrack, and he has experienced quite a bit in racing.
“[I] got into drag racing at about 13 years old," Gardenhire said.
Gardenhire is also the owner of a risky past.
“ I started illegal street racing when I was 14 years old," Gardenhire said.
A native of Odessa, Gardenhire has seen it all.
“We’ve turned a car on it’s roof a time or two," Gardenhire said. "A friend of mine, luckily, walked away from it. We’ve had wrecks on 42nd Street, just nonsense.”
Nonsense that would change everything.
“I sold the track in 2012," Gardenhire said. "I bought it back in ’15 because a friend of mine got killed street racing -- Zack Landry – passed away on 42nd Street.”
Now, Gardenhire is getting racers off the street and on the track.
“On the street you’d be waiting for the cops or the ambulance or medics or whatever – fire," Gardenhire said. "This we have instant response. Typically, it takes us 15 seconds to get to the scene of the accident.”
Penwell Knights Raceway – a legal place to race and to steer clear of street racing.
“2014 we lost Zack Landry," Gardenhire said. "2018 we lost a family of three, a mother and two children, and another kid that was racing -- I think he was 22 years old. So, the biggest thing is think about others – the safety of others.”
Gardenhire noted that as he saw more accidents in street racing, he thought this was something he needed to focus on. He also mentioned that safety comes first and that his racetrack helps keep everyone safer. For more information on Penwell Knights Raceway, click here.