FRANKLIN – Rimersburg natives Mike Graham and Roger Crick have sold Tri-City Speedway to H&H Motorsports’ owners Rich Hetrick, an Oil City native, and Roy Hill, of Richmond, Va. The sale ends Graham and Crick’s 13-year tenure at the dirt track, which they reopened in 1996 after a nine-year hiatus.
“Mike and Roger made Tri-City into a fantastic racetrack, and we want to continue the oval track tradition,” Hetrick, who also owns Hetrick Racing, an all-terrain vehicle shop in Oil City, said in a statement. DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, Fastrak Late Models, E-Mods, Pro Stocks and Thundercars will remain on the 2009 schedule. Super Sprint, Super Late Model and Mod Lite shows also will be held.
“Roy and I want to take the area’s best racetrack to new heights,” Hetrick said in the statement.
According to the release, Hetrick said they could pursue other types of racing events at the facility. That statement dispelled rumors that the track would close in favor of an ATV motocross facility.
Graham didn’t immediately return a telephone message. But in the release, he said, “Roger and I believe that Rich and Roy will be excellent owners. Their preliminary plans are impressive, and we wanted to sell Tri-City Speedway to them because we believe it is in good hands.”