Revived and revamped, Tri-City Raceway is ready to shine again with a long-awaited West Series visit

Saturday’s NAPA Auto Care 150 for the ARCA Menards Series West is years in the making for Tri-City Raceway track promoter Greg Walden and his family.

It was not long ago that the track in West Richland, Washington sat mostly abandoned and decaying with no imminent plans to host a major racing series. Now the facility has an abundance of life to go along with a promising future, which continues this weekend with Tri-City’s first West Series event since the 2003 season.

A sellout crowd is expected for Saturday evening’s race that will feature NASCAR Cup Series legend Greg Biffle in the field. For Walden, having an event like this materialize stems from the arduous effort everyone put in to ensure Tri-City’s legacy could endure for the current generation.

“The story of Tri-City Raceway even coming back is remarkable,” Walden said. “There were so many factors and people who helped open doors to make it come back as a track again. Without them, there is no way it would be open as a race track.”

RELATED: Watch the NAPA Auto Care 150 live on FloRacing

Since Tri-City opened to the public in 1968, both the Walden family and the West Series have played integral parts in the track’s storied history

The first major event to take place at Tri-City was a 100-lap West Series race during the track’s inaugural year; the series at the time was known as the Pacific Coast Late Model Division. Six-time West Series champion Ray Elder took home the checkered flag that day before claiming a second at Tri-City two years later.

Even when the West Series was not a part of the calendar, Tri-City stayed active under the direction of Walden’s father Wayne, who served as track promoter from 1982-99. During Wayne’s tenure, Tri-City became a staple of the NASCAR Northwest Tour, which ended up racing at the facility 44 times across the series’ lifespan.

Walden cherished every event Tri-City hosted in its original run. One trait he still enjoys about Tri-City is its unique tri-oval layout that challenged competitors and subsequently produced great racing.

“[Tri-City] is absolutely a driver’s track,” Walden said. “Anybody that has driven it will tell you there is no other place like it. You are just driving your rear end off the whole time.”

Despite the vibrant racing culture, problems began to emerge for Tri-City at the turn of the century. Shortly after Jeff Jefferson won the final NASCAR Northwest Tour event there on Sept. 4, 2004, Tri-City ceased operations and remained relatively untouched for almost two decades.

Several efforts were undertaken to save Tri-City during its closure, which included an attempt from Biffle to assume ownership. The city of West Richland purchasing the track in the late 2010s set into motion a chain of events that enabled the Walden family to revitalize the track that had been a significant part of their lives.

Walden’s daughter Laci Tolar, who serves as the project manager at Tri-City, knew a massive undertaking was needed to remove urban decay and bring the facility into the modern era. Tolar and the rest of the staff endured many long days, but everyone was determined to make the investment into Tri-City pay off.

“When we had the opportunity to get the facility back, it was only asphalt,” Tolar said. “There was no catch fence, no grandstands and there were weeds growing out of the track. We have a beautiful facility now with new grandstands and lighting. The team has been working religiously on this facility.

“There have been a lot of mountains to climb, but we have kicked butt.”

Walden admitted autocross events that took place during Tri-City’s inactive period kept the racing surface relatively intact and helped save time and money with renovation process. By the time fall came around in 2021, Tri-City was ready to host major races.

Two events that have become cornerstones of Tri-City’s current schedule are the Fall Classic and the Apple Cup. Both events originally belonged to Yakima Speedway, but Walden was able to keep those respective northwest racing traditions alive at Tri-City after Yakima shut down in 2021.

With the Apple Cup and Fall Classic being well-received amongst drivers and fans at Tri-City, the next step in the facility’s revival for Walden was an important one: bringing back the West Series.

Walden did not have to wait long for that opportunity to arrive.

“During the [2023] offseason, I got a call from Ken Clapp to see if he thought we could have a West race [at Tri-City],” Walden said. “They were talking about 2025, but everything fell correctly in place to make it happen for 2024. We’re very grateful to everybody that made it happen.”

Months of rigorous preparation has Walden ecstatic to finally see Tri-City host another West Series race, especially when it comes to the local drivers mixing it up with the established stars.

Along with Biffle, who claimed track championships at Tri-City in 1995 and 1996, Kasey Kleyn is also on the entry list for the NAPA Auto Care 150. Kleyn is fresh off a runner-up finish to northwest short track veteran Garrett Evans in the Apple Cup earlier this year and is looking to impress the local crowd in his West Series debut.

Tolar hopes the fans who attend Tri-City on Saturday or watch the event on FloRacing can appreciate every detail that went into bringing the track back into a major spotlight. She is confident the NAPA Auto Care 150 will serve as another successful chapter in Tri-City’s ongoing comeback.

“This all happened so fast,” Tolar said. “Everybody on the ARCA side has been so kind, and we’ve worked as a team to make this race happen. We’re all so excited for the opportunity to showcase this beautiful facility.

“You can expect some of the best short track racing you’ve ever seen in the nation.”

Walden has no doubts about Saturday being a hit in every regard, but he understands adapting with the times is a key component towards ensuring Tri-City’s long-term viability.

The urbanization surrounding Tri-City means Walden must abide by noise ordinances, which prevents establishing a schedule of weekly events. Walden and his staff have countered this development by turning Tri-City into a multi-purpose facility that includes festivals and other corporate events.

“I believe we’ll stick with our four or five [racing] events per year,” Walden said. “There will still be other events going on, but with the residential areas creeping into the property, we’ve got to be mindful of that. If we tried racing every week, we would not be very well-liked, but we don’t have any problems doing our current schedule.

“We would love to have [the West Series] back for another year.”

A lot has changed for Walden compared to the days when Wayne oversaw the day-to-day operations at Tri-City. One constant has been the indelible spirt of the track that has persisted through the loud and quiet hours of its existence.

That spirit helped bring the West Series back to Tri-City. The Walden family plans to do everything possible to sustain that passion and keep Tri-City thriving for many years to come.