Last year, Trackside acquired Accutime with a clear goal: build on a timing system that has served drag racing for decades and surround it with the infrastructure and technology today’s race tracks need.
This past weekend at US131 Motorsports Park, that vision came together on the biggest stage yet.
The Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals marked NHRA’s return to Michigan after 66 years, opened the Countdown to the Championship and drew a sellout Saturday crowd.
It was also the first NHRA national event ever run on an Accutime timing system.
Operationally, Accutime performed flawlessly.
Every pass was timed. No missed runs. No timing-system downtime.
That continued through a weather-disrupted weekend that stretched into Monday while the racers were rewriting the record books. The weekend included the fastest pass in NHRA history at 346.95 MPH, along with new Factory Stock Showdown ET and speed records.
A connected track in action
Ahead of the event, Trackside installed a brand-new fiber-optic infrastructure throughout US131, including redundant connectivity between critical areas of the facility.
That infrastructure allowed Accutime timing data to be delivered digitally to the broadcast operation through Trackside’s new API integration.
Traditionally, moving timing data into other systems has meant temporary serial wiring, splitters, converters, adapters and additional connections to the timing system.
None of that was necessary for the broadcast feed at US131.
The data was available digitally across the network — meaning less equipment to install, fewer connections to troubleshoot and less temporary wiring to remove afterward.
The same infrastructure supported the rest of the event. Trackside POS handled US131’s concession operations, while Trackside WiFi kept back-office operations, officials, photographers, videographers and media connected throughout the facility as they exchanged critical information and published coverage from the weekend.
That is what a connected race track can do when the infrastructure is already in place and ready to scale.
We’re especially grateful to US131 Motorsports Park for the tremendous trust they placed in Trackside and Accutime while preparing for this historic event, and to NHRA for trusting our technology and our team. We thoroughly enjoyed working alongside their staff and supporting the event behind the scenes.
And we’re doing it again this weekend as Trackside and Accutime head to Rockingham Dragway for its inaugural NHRA national event.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: A CONNECTED TRACK
The Great Lakes Nationals showed what Trackside + Accutime can support at the highest level of the sport.
But a track does not need to host a national event to benefit from the same approach.
US131 already uses Trackside online ticketing and point of sale throughout its regular season. NHRA uses its own ticketing for national events, however US131’s permanent Trackside systems and infrastructure continued supporting the facility around it during the national event.
Since acquiring Accutime, Trackside has also continued developing technology specifically around the timing system.
One of the biggest examples is TrackLink, developed by Trackside after the acquisition. TrackLink gives Accutime a protected connection to modern digital services while keeping the timing system separated from normal guest and staff internet traffic.
That enables capabilities including the MyAccutime App for digital time slips and more, secure cloud connectivity, remote support and deeper integration between Accutime and Trackside while protecting the reliability of the core timing system.
And that integration now reaches directly into race operations:
Racer registrations processed through Trackside can now flow directly into the Accutime timing system.
Instead of registration and timing operating as separate islands, racer information moves directly into timing eliminating manual tech card entry, saving staff time and streamlining the path from registration to the staging lanes.
That is what we mean by a connected track.
Timing. Registration. Ticketing. Point of sale. Fiber. WiFi. Digital time slips. Broadcast connectivity. Cameras. Displays. Support.
Not every track needs all of it, but it’s all available under one roof.
A smaller facility may start with TrackLink, online registration, better WiFi or one persistent problem that needs solved. Another may be ready for a complete fiber network and fully integrated operating platform.
Tracks can start with what they need today and scale from there.
For smaller operations, that can be especially valuable. When the same few people are handling registration, staging, concessions and customer service, eliminating duplicate/manual work and unreliable technology can make a noticeable difference every race weekend.
Our goal is to make race tracks easier to operate — with solutions that can fit the needs and budget of the facility today while providing a foundation for tomorrow.
About Trackside + Accutime
This year, Accutime celebrates 30 years in drag racing, bringing three decades of proven timing technology into its next chapter.
Nearly a decade ago, Trackside set out to revolutionize how motorsports facilities use technology by replacing disconnected systems, manual processes and outdated infrastructure with tools designed specifically around how race tracks operate.
Today, Trackside and Accutime collectively support more than 170 motorsports venues, sanctioning bodies and promoters with software, timing systems, ticketing and point of sale, networking, fiber infrastructure, WiFi and other critical event technology.
Some customers use one piece of that ecosystem. Others rely on Trackside + Accutime across nearly their entire operation.
That flexibility is intentional.
Thirty years of proven timing. Nearly a decade of building the connected track. More than 170 motorsports organizations supported today; and we’re still building what comes next.