Stampede of Speed 2022: ‘a huge success’

Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed 2022 brought huge crowds for music, racing and more from Oct. 7 to Oct. 16.

A High Noon Cattle Drive in downtown Waxahachie kicked off the 10-day Stampede of Speed on Oct. 7. Co-owner Christie Meyer Johnson said the drive included multiple community member participants: WHS Charmers, star students from WISD schools and county judge Todd Little.

“It was a really neat way to kick off the event with the community and invite them to participate in the whole 10-day event,” Johnson said.

During the drive, they handed out Stampede of Speed programs with coupons and discount codes.

Over the weekend of Oct. 7-8, the Motorplex hosted the Funny Car Chaos World Finals, an event Johnson described as a “fun, laid back type of drag racing with the nostalgia of funny cars,” which concluded with a concert on Saturday.

The Stars Over Texas Music Festival on Oct. 9 was “a huge success,” Johnson said. The festival included bull riding, a beer expo, barbeque contest, performances from multiple country stars and a lantern release. Brett Young, a multi-platinum country music star, headlined the festival. In between sets, jet cars and funny cars raced down the track.

“The whole point of doing the concert was to invite a whole new group of people to the racetrack because obviously racers and racing fans and sponsors know we’re there, but we want to introduce drag racing in our facility to a whole new group of people,” Johnson said. “Both concerts did just that. People got to see both racing and music.”

About 15,000 people attended the music festival with many falling in the 18-35 age range instead of the Motorplex’s normal 45-75 age range. Johnson said they have thrown around the idea of making the music festival two days instead of one, but it is still something they are brainstorming.

Following the festival was the Scott Palmer Nitro Sideshow, where wild race cars attempted to set speed records as they breathed fire down the track. During this event, fans also participated in a food drive benefitting Helping Hands of Ennis and Waxahachie Care. Johnson said the food drive is something she hopes to build on next year, as they continue to look for ways to give back to the community.

New to this year, the Motorplex hosted a formal champion’s dinner, where the 2021 NHRA

Fall Nationals champions chose the dinner’s entrée and dessert. Fans had the opportunity to take a photo with all four champions and receive autographs. Also included at the dinner is a Q&A session, a cocktail hour, special concert, whiskey tasting and a cigar bar.

It is an event Johnson said they are planning to make an annual tradition, and this year’s winners are already discussing their choices for the dessert and entrée for next year’s champion dinner.

Johnson said the dinner was her favorite part of this year’s Stampede of Speed because it gave her and her team a chance to sit back and enjoy the night.

“It was a way to say thank you to each one of the teammates for all the hard work that they’ve done,” she said. “We got to enjoy that dinner and for a minute get to sit down and relish the week. It was a fun opportunity to just enjoy each other and to be around some of the racers and the media that are good friends with us.”

Stampede of Speed wrapped with a Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie on Oct. 13 and the NHRA Fall Nationals from Oct. 13-16. Along with bounce houses, a band, face painting, food trucks and more, the fan fest featured about 60 drivers seated at tables, where fans could meet them and get their autograph.

“We are so fortunate and blessed to have had such a successful event,” Johnson said. “We couldn’t do it without our team, who worked so hard to make it a success. I’m so grateful for the community and their support. The county has been so good to us, Ennis and Waxahachie, to work with us to help make the race a huge success.”

To view the Motorplex’s upcoming events, visit https://texasmotorplex.com.

Originally published October 26, 2022 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/sports/stampede-of-speed-2022-a-huge-success/article_f501f468-5558-11ed-9c5e-032cbe75ff6b.html