By Amy Renee Leiker
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA, Kan. — Itching to race? Or challenge a Wichita police officer? Friday night, you can do both.
In an effort to curb illegal street racing in the city while having a little fun, the Wichita Police Department is partnering with Mel Hamilton Ford Racing and the Kansas International Dragway to hold a one-night, so-called “Take it to the Track” event where members of the public can try their hand at racing a cop in a patrol car.
“We understand the need for speed. We understand that our community is interested in this (racing),” Wichita police spokesman Officer Paul Cruz said.
“But we are also interested in doing it in a safe way and providing an outlet.”
Gates will open at 6 p.m. Friday at the Kansas International Dragway, 7800 W. 61st St. North, between Tyler and Ridge Roads.
Officers will start racing around 6:30 p.m. Other races will be ongoing through midnight.
The cost to race for the night, regardless of the number of runs, is $20. Racers must bring their own vehicles.
Admission for spectators is $8 for teens and adults. Children 12 and younger can watch for free.
There is no restriction on the type of vehicle that can be raced, Mel Hamilton Ford and Mel Hamilton Ford Racing general manager Phil Nightingale said. But they must pass a basic tech inspection.
Motorcycles are also welcome, he said, but they won’t be matched against cars.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the event had three races planned where members of the public can challenge a Wichita cop.
But Nightingale said they are asking officers from other area law enforcement agencies to participate, too.
Event organizers will use a drawing to decide which racers go up against the police, he said. The winners will receive a T-shirt announcing they “beat the police,” Cruz said.
“If you want to leave us in the smoke and do it legally, now’s your opportunity,” he joked.
There will also be racing on Saturday, said Nic Roberts, Mel Hamilton Ford Racing drag specialist. But it won’t involve law enforcement.
“We saw a great opportunity for young people and police officers to interact in a fun way right here in our community,” said Nightingale, adding that the idea came from similar race-an-officer events held in Denver with the Colorado Highway Patrol.
[RELATED: Colo. State Patrol steers drag racing off streets, onto track]
He said he hopes Friday’s police races will be popular enough to grow into a regular event.
Friday’s police racing event is held in tandem with the Kansas International Dragway’s summertime “Friday Night Street Drags” series, where amateur racers can run their car in a controlled environment, without the risks of racing on public roads — an issue that’s plagued law enforcement across the country for years.
“We really have seen an uptick and continue to see .... illegal racing in the city,” Cruz said, noting that of the 28 traffic fatalities in Wichita so far this year, eight have been blamed on speeding.
Two have been tied specifically to illegal street racing.
“I’ve been a witness to many fatalities. You don’t forget those. You don’t forget the accident. You don’t forget what you saw that day. It really sticks with you, and it impacts a lot of community members — the families, the officers, the victims,” he said.
“So again, come out and do it in a safe environment.”
(c)2021 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)