Racing families kick off season Memorial Day weekend

BUTTE —Alaska Raceway Park kicked off its season with a family affair on Memorial Day.

Alaska’s fastest female drag racer, Toni Prockish, qualified first in her late father’s memorial race. The stands were packed with fans who got to feel the rumble of the engines and see cars go nearly 200 miles an hour on a sunny day at Alaska’s only sanctioned drag strip.

Earl and Karen Lackey own Alaska Raceway Park, and run it as a family venture. The track opened in 1964, and has been owned by the Lackeys since 1998. Three generations of Lackeys race in different divisions, although Earl and Karen’s son, Jimmy, was the only member of the Lackey family to race this Memorial Day weekend.

“Racing is a thrill by yourself, but it’s no fun unless you’re going against somebody else,” Karen Lackey said.

Memorial Day Weekend is the first of three major racing weekends this summer. Highlighting the events was the Tony Prockish Memorial Race, honoring the late racing legend, who brought his daughter up in a garage and developed her love of the track at an early age.

“I always hung out in the garage with him and his racing partners watching him work on the cars,” she said. “I’d love to come out to the track; unfortunately, when I was little they didn’t have the junior dragsters to drive like they do now.”

Toni Prockish recorded the fastest qualifying time in her class of 6.85 seconds at 199 mph in her father’s memorial.

“The racing family is a totally separate family than your blood family, but just as close,” she said. “We’re able to run and keep it competitive an fun, that’s what makes it worth it.”

Prockish hopes to break 200 mph this summer. Prockish is selling her trailer and dragster, and said this will likely be her last season racing at Alaska Raceway Park.

Katie Harris, 14, a third generation Harris driver at Alaska Raceway Park, competes in the junior dragster division. The Harris family owns the Glacier Shaker funny car.

“I love the adrenaline rush,” Harris said. “It’s great that we can get out and honor and respect those that serve our country. Once I get older, I’d like to have my own funny car or dragster.”

Harris has raced since age 9. She has moved up a class to her junior dragster, which will top 70 mph.

The Roloff family also enjoys racing at Alaska Raceway Park.

“I’ve been drag racing with grandma Diane for 45 years since before we got married,” Randy Roloff said. “Everybody wants to win the championship. I won it eight years ago, my son Scott has won it four or five times. Zack (Richards) won it last year. The whole family enjoys coming down to the track and spending time together doing something we wouldn’t be able to at home.”

Randy’s grandson Ryan Roloff raced his cousin Zack’s 1970 Chevy Nova over the weekend weekend, running 11.78 seconds as his fastest time.

“When I was little I used to sit here and play in the dirt with the model cars and ask every hour, ‘When can we go? Can we leave now?’ Roloff said. “And now I never want to leave.”

Roloff Racing truly is a family affair. Zack is regarded as a very talented driver, while Ryan has more expertise as a mechanic. Ryan said after graduating high school next year, he wants to go to AVTEC in Seward to get more training and get a job in a garage.

Contact Tim Rockey at 352-2252 or timothy.rockey@gmail.com. Follow him @trockeynews on Twitter.