Family members of the late Tracy Dennis have agreed in principle to sell Sunset Racecraft to Buddy Wood of Sulphur, OK. Buddy and Tracy were close friends and had worked together in a business capacity in recent years as well, so for Wood the desire to carry on his friend’s business was a natural one.
Sunset Racecraft was founded in 1990 by Tracy Dennis and has grown from a small two-man operation into one of the premier performance and racing engine shops in the world.
“It was more than just a business to Tracy, it was his dream” Wood said. “He wanted to build an engine for every sportsman racer in the world if he could and he tried very hard to help every person he came across, customer or not.”
Wood plans to continue Tracy’s quest in that same manner and believes that the combination of his business acumen and the talent that Sunset Racecraft has in place will carry the Lubbock, TX based company to unprecedented levels.
“Tracy shared his future plans with me and the dream he had for Sunset Racecraft, so I know exactly where we are headed and have a specific plan to get us there,” he said.
By most accounts, Sunset Racecraft is already the largest sportsman drag racing engine builder in the United States, but Wood claims, “where we are now is only the beginning of where our company is headed.”
If anyone understands the finer points of corporate success, it’s Buddy Wood. He has been very successful in many different aspects of the oil equipment manufacturing and technologies sector.
“I’m just an oilfield guy that kept working day and night until I finally made a living” Wood said. “I’m not a Wall Street guy or Madison Avenue genius. I just know that hard work and good people mixed in with some quality leadership are a potent combination, so I’m as excited about this venture as any I’ve ever been involved in.”
Though the wheels are in motion and both sides are trying to get the legal transaction side of this handled quickly, it will take some time to complete the paperwork. Both the Dennis family and Wood want to reassure all customers and vendors that business is going on as usual every day at Sunset Racecraft and that all debts, obligations, and engine work will be completed as promised.
“I know people get nervous when a business sells and that’s understandable, but we are not going anywhere but up from here” Wood said. “I’d love to reveal my plans for growing Tracy’s business and expanding into areas that we never have, but I’m limited on what I can say legally until we get the paperwork signed and recorded.
“Many of the core employees that Tracy put into place are committed to the continued success of Sunset Racecraft, which is vitally important. Ultimately it’s their knowledge, relationships, and passion that will allow the business to continue to grow.”
The Dennis family remarked similarly when asked for their thoughts on the transaction, but they too are happy that Sunset Racecraft is going to continue on as its founder would have wanted.
Although complete details of the sale cannot be released at this time, all parties involved in the matter wanted to address the situation and squash some of the rumors out in the marketplace.
“We are here to stay, but I expect people will need to see it and not just hear it” Wood said. He went on to say that if customers, vendors, or even competitors had any questions until the deal is sealed and details released, they could contact Joe Jolly or Darrell Burgoon at Sunset Racecraft (806) 747-2700, or Buddy Wood (405) 203-5368.
This story was originally published on July 18, 2014.