Mike Mathis out as Dodge City Promoter

Committee to review candidates for track management

He went from Rocky Mountain Raceway in Colorado to Kansas and after three seasons of running Dodge City Raceway Park, promoter Mike Mathis said he would step aside.

Mathis considered submitting his qualifications for managing the racetrack in 2007 and beyond but he decided this month that he did not want to run the track anymore.

Mathis said health issues that prevented him from taking charge of the track.
Mathis said he will offer his assistance to some of the candidates who have applied to promote the track, but he did not specify whom he would help.

The city committee who will select the new promoter will be made up of members of the racing community, a representative of the Community Facilities Advisory Board and representatives of the Dodge City and Ford County Commissions.

Earlier this year, the city asked people interested in running the track to submit their qualifications for the position. Seven candidates responded, and a committee reviewed those individuals and recommended four candidates for interviews.
The four candidates who were recommended for interviews were the strongest of the seven who applied.

The candidates are:
- C. Ray Hall, general manager for 81 Speedway in Park City.

- Brad Maxwell, who ran the Jetmore Motorplex in 2005 and 2006.
- Rick Salem, a longtime driver who operates the United Rebel Sprint Series, a promotional series for the 305-sprint car class.

- Ken Brown, technical director for the Sports Car Club of America and former manager of the track in Fort Calhoun, Neb.