Looking to elevate the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 at Deer Creek Speedway into a destination event during July Fourth weekend, fans will be treated to a live concert from country music artist Dylan Scott after Friday’s races.
The three-day event, boasting a $248,000 overall Feature purse, will showcase the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series all three nights (July 4-6), along with fireworks Thursday night (for July Fourth) and the Dylan Scott concert Friday night. The weekend will conclude with Saturday’s massive $50,000-to-win World of Outlaws Feature.
“Mike (Sorensen, co-owner of Deer Creek) and I were talking and trying to figure out with the Fourth of July weekend, how to make this a destination event for the holiday weekend,” said Cole Queensland, who co-owns Deer Creek with Sorensen. “How do we build this thing, grow this thing? Just do something different in the racing world. At the end of the day, we got looking at it, seeing the possibilities out there, we see this as an opportunity of making it that destination, making it an event everyone wants to go to year-in, year-out, with fireworks on a Thursday night, a large concert on Friday night and the $50,000 to win finale Saturday night.”
Scott, who has more than 6.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, is also an avid dirt racing fan, having helped promote various races. With his passion for the sport and experience in the concert industry, Queensland said it’s created a perfect partnership.
“He was the first one that popped up (when looking for an artist) and he thought it was a great idea himself,” Queensland said. “He’s somebody we could bounce [ideas] off, ‘Hey, Dylan, what do you think of this idea?’ He thought it was great too, and how we can cross promote it with the racing world and the country music world, bringing both markets together on one night could be really unique. We feel very beneficial with Dylan, being the big race fan that he is, and a concert is new to us. We can learn a lot from Dylan in that aspect as well.”
For Queensland, he wants the concert to lay a foundation and set the standard for mixing concerts with racing. The stage will be preassembled before the night and the band will sound check in the afternoon. Once the final checkered flag drops Friday night, Scott’s team will get to work with readying the equipment and Queensland said the concert should be able to start minutes after Victory Lane ceremonies are complete.
And to further benefit fans, Friday night’s ticket lets you see the race and the concert.
“We think that’s the unique thing too, being able to get new people, get a new market out to the speedway, you know, some of the younger generation and some different demographics and promote to them the racing product,” Queensland added. “The ticket is one ticket. Your race ticket is your concert ticket, and your concert ticket is your race ticket. We want this to be some affordable fun.”
The World of Outlaws returned to Deer Creek Speedway for the first time since 2019 last year for a one-day event – won by 2023 Series champion Bobby Pierce. This year, The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet return for three nights during the mid-point of the year-long championship battle to compete in the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 – co-promoted by the Blooming Prairie Lions.
Thursday and Friday’s Features will pay $7,000 to win, and Saturday’s finale will pay $50,000 to the victor – the first $50,000 check of the season.
“The Gopher 50 has always been a prestigious Late Model event, and what Cole and Mike are doing with it this year by having the fireworks show on Thursday, bringing in Dylan Scott and presenting a substantial purse will not only take it to the next level, but also help elevate Late Model racing,” said Steve Francis, Word of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series Director. “I’m excited to bring the World of Outlaws back to the event and help build the Gopher 50 into a new destination for all race fans.”
With the addition of the concert, Deer Creek will follow a trend that national, and global, racing series like Formula 1, INDYCAR and NASCAR have turned to, to reach a wider audience. It’s also a trend Queensland said he hopes continues.
“I do see this as hopefully a future trend in the sport a little bit,” he said. “As we look, what’s the next big thing? Or what can we do to grow the event, take it to the next level? That’s a hard question to ask. You see all these big races come and go. You see more money being put into the purse. You see less money. At the end of the day, we try to look outside the box. You know, what can we do that is completely different, and that we haven’t really seen be done to build and grow this event, and ultimately make it a destination event.”
Tickets to the Gopher 50 at Deer Creek Speedway, July 4-6, are now on sale at DeerCreekSpeedway.com. General admission will be $40 Thursday and Friday, and $45 on Saturday. For reserved seats, tickets will be $45 on Thursday and Friday and $50 on Saturday.
For more information about the event, CLICK HERE.
