Dover Drag Strip, opened in May 1961 and closed in 1976, and was a dragstrip for quarter-mile drag racing in Wingdale, New York. [1] The track was touted as "the smoothest, most state-of-the-art facility" of its kind at the time. The track featured epoxy-based asphalt, 60 feet wide. It had its own "timing tower" that had the timing equipment, and served as the operations center, with operators calling the Elapsed Time [ET] and MPH of each pair of racers via intercom to the "times slip booth" at the other end of the track. This is also where the track announcer entertained and informed the spectators of the action. All this was considered "new technology" in 1961. By 1964, the flag starter was replaced with a homebuilt "Christmas Tree", with multiple colored lights, counting down each start. This was one of the first of its type in the entire nation.[ citation needed ]
The track was founded and operated by Brookfield gas station owner Chet Anderson and his partner, Joe Archiere, of Germantown, Connecticut. [2] It filled the regional gap left by the closing of the Car Club Racing at Montgomery, New York, airport. Dover preceded the other tracks to follow suit, famous in the area, namely Connecticut Dragway (now closed) and the still operational Lebanon Valley Track, near Albany. Racers from as far as Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey would regularly frequent the strip.[ citation needed ]
Dover was host to exhibition runs by the Legendary Don ‘Big Daddy” Garlits, California's “T.V Tommy Ivo”, the original Batmobile and Jet Cars. Average car entries of over 400 were common with upwards of 4,000 spectators on special events. [3] There has been continued interest in this now defunct track, thanks to the ongoing Dover Drag Strip Nostalgia reunion every year. [3]
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly 1⁄4 mi, with a shorter, 1,000 ft distance becoming increasingly popular, as it has become the standard for Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, where some major bracket races and other sanctioning bodies have adopted it as the standard. The 1⁄8 mi is also popular in some circles. Electronic timing and speed sensing systems have been used to record race results since the 1960s.
The Irwindale Speedway & Event Center is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California, United States. It opened on March 27, 1999 under the official name Irwindale Speedway. Toyota purchased the naming rights to the facility in 2008, and from that time until 2011 it was also known as the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Jean is a small commercial town in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located approximately 12 mi (19 km) north of the Nevada–California state line along Interstate 15. Las Vegas is located about 30 mi (48 km) to the north. There are no residents of Jean, but many people in nearby communities such as Primm and Sandy Valley have Jean listed in their mailing address because it is the location of the main post office for the 89019 ZIP code. South Las Vegas Boulevard ends about 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Jean, and it contiguously runs northbound past Las Vegas, ending near the I-15–US 93 Junction.
Nostalgia drag racing is a form of drag racing using cars from the 1950s, 1960s and lately the 1970s.
Route 66 Raceway is a motorsports facility located in Joliet, Illinois, United States, which consists of a 0.25-mile (0.40 km) dragstrip and a 0.375-mile (0.604 km) dirt oval racetrack. The facility is owned and operated by NASCAR and is located adjacent to Chicagoland Speedway.
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003. It started being built in 1949 and opened as a dirt track in 1951, before permanently changing to asphalt in 1955. The raceway was also well known for featuring a towering statue of a Native American, dubbed "Chief Running Fair", at its entrance until it was destroyed in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy but rebuilt by Christmas and still standing at its original location.
Wingdale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Dover in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census.
The Famoso Bakersfield Raceway dragstrip is located in McFarland, California just north of Bakersfield, California, and is known historically as the home to the annual March Meet, also known as the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships.
The Woodburn Dragstrip is a quarter-mile NHRA dragstrip located in Woodburn, Oregon.
Gainesville Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip just outside Gainesville, Florida. It opened in 1969 and is most famous for hosting the NHRA's prestigious Gatornationals event since 1970. Kenny Bernstein became the first drag racer to break the 300 mile-per-hour barrier at the track on March 20, 1992, during qualifying for that year's Gatornationals.
The Pomona Raceway, is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features a quarter-mile dragstrip. Since its opening in 1961, the dragstrip has hosted the NHRA's Winternationals event – the traditional season opener – and since 2021, the season's last race, the NHRA Finals. These two events have contributed to its becoming perhaps one of the most famous dragstrips in North America. The facility has a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators, and it is one of the few dragstrips in the USA that is operated directly by the NHRA. This dragstrip has also gone by the nickname of The Fairplex, in reference to its location at the Fairplex, formerly called the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.
Bandimere Speedway, also known in the NHRA as Thunder Mountain, is a quarter-mile dragstrip located just outside Morrison, Colorado and Lakewood, Colorado. It opened in 1958 and hosts the NHRA's Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals. The facility has a seating capacity of 23,500 spectators. In April 2023, it was announced that Bandimere Speedway would be closed at the end of the 2023 season, with the intent to move the speedway elsewhere.
Maple Grove Raceway (MGR) is a quarter-mile dragstrip located near Mohnton, Pennsylvania, just outside Reading. It opened in 1962 as a 1/5-mile dragstrip. It was eventually lengthened to its current quarter-mile length in 1964. The track has been sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association for most of its existence. It has hosted an NHRA national event since 1985. Uni-Select Auto Plus came aboard as the Nationals sponsor in 2011. Other key events include the American Drag Racing League, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the Geezers Reunion at The Grove, the Super Chevy Show, Mopar Action, Fun Ford Weekend and the NHRA Pennsylvania Dutch Classic.
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, originally known as Madison Township Raceway Park, is an American auto racing facility located in Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.
Empire Dragway, formerly known as New York International Raceway Park, is a quarter-mile drag strip just outside Lancaster, New York. It is located just outside of Buffalo.
New England Dragway is a 1⁄4 mile NHRA dragway in Epping, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, United States. The track hosts the New England Nationals event as part of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. The track also hosts a regional event as part of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
The March Meet is an independent drag race held at Famoso Raceway, a dragstrip located approximately ten miles north of Bakersfield, California. It began in 1959 under the sanction of the "Smokers Car Club" and was initially known as the "US Fuel & Gas Championships." The event became officially known by its nickname, the "March Meet," when the Smokers sold the rights to the name "US Fuel & Gas Championships."
South Butler is a hamlet in the Town of Butler, Wayne County, New York, United States near the Savannah town line. It is located seven miles (11 km) south-southeast of the Village of Wolcott and five miles (8 km) north of the hamlet of Savannah, at an elevation of 400 feet. The primary cross roads where the hamlet is located are N.Y. Route 89, South Butler Road and South Butler-Conquest Road.
Roberta Maxine Leighton was an American drag racer. She was the first woman licensed by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to race competitively. She was also the first woman to win a national title, in the 1962 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, in the J/S class. In 2002, shortly before her death, she received a lifetime achievement award at the World Finals at Pomona.
Steve Reyes (Born:1948) is an American photographer and storyteller from Oakland, California. Reyes has been included in Don Garlits' International Drag Racing Hall of Fame (2002), NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion Honorees (2009), and the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame (2011).