MANSFIELD — Mansfield Speedway owners Matt and Jordan Tifft promised a multi-use venue when they bought the 180-acre property off Crall Road last year.
The Freedom 250 Festival is exactly what they had in mind.
There will be something for everyone when the reborn racetrack celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday Saturday. The event is free to the public.
“We’re trying to utilize this facility to its full potential,” Matt Tifft said. “The vision for this place was not just circle-track racing.
“It’s not a one-trick pony.”
Saturday’s celebration was the only event on the weekend schedule until the Lucas Oil Late Model Series came calling. The national touring series was supposed to race at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, but had to find a new host site.
“We’ll have our hands full after taking Friday’s race on short notice,” Tifft said earlier this week. “The crazy thing is once we get through Friday, we still have to go out there and execute Saturday.
“I think we’re all going to be very tired at the end of Saturday night.”
There’s a full schedule of events waiting for Saturday, including a car show, live music, a tractor pull and a hot dog eating contest, among others. And of course, the night culminates with a fireworks display.
“I know the city of Mansfield hasn’t had fireworks in a long time,” Tifft said. “To be able to open up the gates will be really cool for a lot of people. It will be the first time for a lot of people.”
Saturday’s celebration is part of a big race weekend in north central Ohio.
In addition to Friday’s Lucas Oil Late Model Series race at Mansfield Speedway, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will host the the NTT IndyCar Series for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid. A full complement of support series will be in action ahead of Sunday’s main event.
“There’s a lot of racing fans who will build their weekend around (north central Ohio tracks),” Tifft said. “This is a huge weekend for motorsports in this piece of Ohio.
“That’s a huge win for tourism in our area.”
Saturday’s celebration aligns with the vision the Tiffts have for Mansfield Speedway. Events later in the summer include a Russell Dickerson concert in early-August and the Festival of Hope, a faith-based outreach event, later in August.
“The cool thing about it is we are able to shape our space,” Tifft said. “We can transition from dirt-track racing to tractor pulls to all these different things.
“We’re able to rally the community together.”
