{"id":101789,"date":"2025-07-24T23:18:36","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T23:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/u-s-60-dragways-chris-mattingly-ready-to-do-whatever-it-takes\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T23:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T23:18:36","slug":"u-s-60-dragways-chris-mattingly-ready-to-do-whatever-it-takes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/u-s-60-dragways-chris-mattingly-ready-to-do-whatever-it-takes\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. 60 Dragway\u2019s Chris Mattingly Ready to Do Whatever It Takes"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a recent episode of\u00a0The Wes Buck Show<\/em>, U.S. 60 Dragway owner Chris Mattingly joined the conversation with a clear message: he\u2019s all in. The former racer-turned-track operator has thrown himself headfirst into the relentless grind of promoting drag races in today\u2019s ever-changing motorsports landscape \u2013 and he\u2019s doing it with his wife Shelby right alongside him every step of the way.<\/p>\n

Situated in Hardinsburg, Kentucky, U.S. 60 Dragway is far from a major-market venue. But that hasn\u2019t stopped Mattingly from dreaming big and putting in the kind of effort you just can\u2019t fake. Since taking over the facility, he\u2019s been on a mission to elevate its reputation \u2013 booking unique events, listening to racers, and doing whatever it takes to make sure fans leave entertained and racers feel appreciated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just going to work my tail off and do everything I can to keep people coming to this place,\u201d Mattingly told host Wes Buck. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy, but this place means a lot to people, and it means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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And it shows. U.S. 60 has gone from being a quiet outlaw track to one that\u2019s showing up more frequently on the radar of serious racers. From the recent\u00a0Grudge Bowl<\/em>\u00a0presented by Team Boddie \u2013 where Jimmy Taylor took home an almost six-figure payday \u2013 to a slate of special events still to come, the schedule is growing, and so is the buzz.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want U.S. 60 to be known for treating people right,\u201d Mattingly said. \u201cI want racers to know if they make the trip to Kentucky, they\u2019re going to have a good time and feel like their effort was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That attitude \u2013 rare as it is \u2013 has helped Mattingly win over racers from across the country. But the grind is real. And during his sit-down with Buck, Mattingly didn\u2019t sugarcoat the struggles that come with running a racetrack in 2025. From weather to payouts to the never-ending hustle of marketing and promotion, it\u2019s a job that never stops demanding more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the announcer, I\u2019m the prep guy, I\u2019m the garbage man, I\u2019m the parking lot guy \u2013 I do everything,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cAnd I love it, but I\u2019m not going to sit here and pretend it\u2019s not hard. It\u2019s hard as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he\u2019s committed. Deeply. Mattingly emphasized that this isn\u2019t just a business venture \u2013 it\u2019s personal. He\u2019s a racer at heart, a fan of the sport, and someone who wants to see drag racing succeed, especially in grassroots environments like his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen it from both sides,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been the guy trying to figure out how to make a pass. Now I\u2019m the guy trying to figure out how to keep the lights on and get people to the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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His wife Shelby is a major part of the effort. While many track owners operate behind the scenes, the Mattinglys are both front and center \u2013 working side by side to keep things moving. Whether it\u2019s at registration, managing social media, or literally walking the staging lanes to check in with racers, Shelby\u2019s impact is felt throughout the property.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t do any of this without her,\u201d Chris said. \u201cShe\u2019s just as passionate about it as I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of them have made it clear they\u2019re in this for the long haul, and they\u2019ve got big plans. Mattingly teased some future developments for U.S. 60 that could include expanded seating, a reworked schedule, and some fresh promotions aimed at bringing new eyes to the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to keep building. Keep adding pieces. Keep trying things,\u201d he said. \u201cNot everything will work, but you\u2019ve got to keep swinging.\u201d<\/p>\n

As drag racing continues to evolve, small tracks like U.S. 60 are going to be critical to the sport\u2019s future. Places where new fans can be introduced to the culture, where young racers can get seat time, and where the kind of raw, unfiltered action that defines outlaw racing can still happen every weekend.<\/p>\n

And for Mattingly, it\u2019s not about making a fortune or chasing national headlines. It\u2019s about keeping the fire lit \u2013 for the sport, for his community, and for the racers who show up and put on a show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what this place means to people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the first drag strip I ever came to. I want it to be the kind of place that makes someone fall in love with drag racing all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a time when so many tracks are going dark or struggling to stay afloat, Chris and Shelby Mattingly are doing the opposite. They\u2019re leaning in. Building. Promoting. Sweating it out in the tower and on the track to make it all work.<\/p>\n

And more than anything, they\u2019re proving that passion and grit still count for something in this sport.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on July 24, 2025. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post U.S. 60 Dragway\u2019s Chris Mattingly Ready to Do Whatever It Takes<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During a recent episode of\u00a0The Wes Buck Show, U.S. 60 Dragway owner Chris Mattingly joined the conversation with a clear message: he\u2019s all in. The former racer-turned-track operator has thrown himself headfirst into the relentless grind of promoting drag races in today\u2019s ever-changing motorsports landscape \u2013 and he\u2019s doing it with his wife Shelby right […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}