Most of TNT Kartways acreage in West Quincy sold to Arkansas-based medical cannabis dispensary company

QUINCY — Terry Traeder is confident the decision was the right one, but that doesn’t make it easier to part with such an important part of his past.

Traeder, a longtime Quincy area businessman and former world-class karter, said he has sold most of the acreage that has been TNT Kartways in West Quincy, Mo., for more than 60 years.

The land has been sold to Good Day Farms of Little Rock, Ark., a medical cannabis dispensary company with 37 locations in Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The cost of the property was not revealed.

“I talked to my family … and did a lot of soul searching,” Traeder said. “That place has been a big part of my life. It was a hard, difficult decision … but times change.

“This is a positive for West Quincy and Marion County. There’s going to be a nice, new building and a lot of traffic.”

Traeder, 72, said he is selling the 10 acres that make up the karting area of the property. He will retain ownership of the three acres in front of the race track closest to U.S. 24. J.B. Hawks, West Quincy Pawn and Wise Finance all conduct business in that area.

“I hope other companies will want to locate there because of the high traffic count, easy access and lower taxes than are found in Illinois,” Traeder said.

Traeder said he had not been actively seeking to sell any of the 13-acre property, but a Good Day Farm representative contacted him late last year to put the wheels in motion.

“I will always cherish the 63 years of memories made with drivers, crew members and spectators from all over the United States, not to mention community members who helped support some of the biggest karting races in the nation,” Traeder said.

TNT Kartways was built by Terry’s dad, the late Gus Traeder, and opened on July 16, 1961. The track was the site of a variety of national karting events in the 1960s, including the 1966 IKF National Championship televised by ABC Wide World of Sports. Legendary announcer Jim McKay and director Roone Arledge anchored the broadcast.

Traeder, whose racing career included numerous national and other professional championships, won the first race at TNT as a 9-year-old junior driver.

“I would estimate I ran more than 100,000 laps on that track during my career,” Traeder said.

The track was repaved in 2020 in the hope of again attracting high-profile national events to help “bring back the glory days,” Traeder said.

But to no avail.

“The national races with larger attendance were the only way to make the track financially successful,” Traeder said. “The efforts to bring those events to the track were unsuccessful because organizations wanted to go to the newer facilities.”

Traeder is upbeat about the potential this sale can have for the region.

“The increased business Good Day Farm will provide should be very beneficial to West Quincy and Marion County,” Traeder said.