Empire Dragway, formerly known as New York International Raceway Park, is a quarter-mile drag strip just located in Leicester, New York.
Originally it was proposed as a full motorsports complex. Initially, there were ambitious plans to build a motorsports facility that would host oval racing, a full road course (which was to utilize the dragstrip as the front straight, as well as the dragstrip itself. Ultimately, the plans to build it were too expensive to complete once the dragstrip was finished. The track was first owned by Peter Geib and Ron Mangone and Abe Hamza. Mr Hamza was a concert promoter and Mr. Mangone was a successful contractor. Corwin Boddy designed the property area and Mr Mangone's company built the track. It was originally called Empire Dragway, then became Dragway 36, followed by Motorcity Raceway, NYIRP and ultimately reverted to the name "Empire Dragway". The track first opened on August 29, 1971. For a few years, it hosted what was to become a popular annual event in the '70s: The "Gold Cup". Over the years that followed, many promoters leased the facility to hold drag racing and also other events. The track faced major financial difficulties from the start and was eventually taken over by Livingston County for unpaid taxes in the mid-80s. The track fell into disrepair and suffered some other damage due to being inoperative for nearly two years without proper maintenance. It was originally called Empire Dragway, then became Dragway 36, followed by Motorcity Raceway, NYIRP and ultimately reverted to the name "Empire Dragway". The track first opened on August 29, 1971. For a few years, it hosted what was to become a popular annual event in the '70s: The "Gold Cup"...The track still boasts the longest shutdown area on the East Coast, at 3,000 feet (910m). The longest running consecutive seasons occurred while it was owned and operated by Bob and Donna Metcalfe, who acquired it in 1986. It had an abbreviated opening season beginning in August of that year. Their first full season in 1987 had sanctioning from NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). In anticipation of hosting future National Events, a change of sanctioning bodies was made to IHRA (International Hot Rod Association) in 1989 and held its first IHRA Empire Nationals the following year. Many schedule changes and facility improvements were made under Metcalfe's ownership. It once ran "test and tune" and bracket racing for trophies on Wednesday nights. Friday night the track was open to everyone for test and tune. Once a month the track held a "MOMS" events usually on a Friday night. "MOMS" stood for Mustang on Mustang Shootout (now defunct), and had been running pro-tree & heads-up racing at NYIRP since 1994. Typically fifty to one hundred plus "pony cars" regularly showed up to race at each of these events. On Saturdays, the track still runs its full bracket points program for paid purses. The track's original name--"Empire Dragway", was resurrected following the 2008 season. At the end of the 2013 season, a Livingston County successful businessman, Jerry Scaccia and wife Clara, purchased the facility and intended to operate it on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights; The track has undergone many major improvements since the change in ownership—long needed basic maintenance, repaving, a new competitor entrance was constructed which made easier access for racers, much needed new drainage, rebuilt timing tower, updated timing system, improved lighting and installation of concrete barriers running the full length of the strip on both sides, with other minor changes as well. The Scaccia's first season began 4/19/2014; the inaugural full season ended 10/25/2014. The Scaccia's still own and operate the facility and continue to make further updates and improvements.
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.
A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile (201 m) tracks, and the premiere classes will run 1,000 foot (304.8 m) races. The race is begun from a standing start which allows three factors to affect the outcome of the race: reaction time, power/weight ratio, and traction.
Memphis International Raceway was an auto racing park located near the Loosahatchie River in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, just approximately ten miles south of Millington, and a few miles north of the city of Memphis.
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is the second-largest drag racing sanctioning body after the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
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.
Great Lakes Dragway is a quarter mile dragstrip in the Town of Paris, Kenosha County, near Union Grove, Wisconsin.
Kil-Kare Raceway is a motorsports complex located in Xenia Township, Greene County, near Xenia and Dayton, Ohio, USA. It first opened in 1959 and features two separate tracks: Kil-Kare Speedway, a 3/8 mile (0.6 km) asphalt oval for stock car racing and Kil-Kare Dragway, a 1/4 mile dragstrip. The oval is unconventional in shape, with the cars almost in a continuous slide between turns one and four.
Grand Bend Motorplex is a dedicated multi-use motorsports facility located southeast of Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. It features IHRA Championship Drag Racing on its 1/4 mile dragstrip as well as two competitive Motorcross tracks and is home of the annual IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals, Canada's longest running and largest National Event Drag race.
Summit Motorsports Park, formerly Norwalk Raceway Park and Norwalk Dragway, is a drag racing facility located at 1300 State Route 18 near Norwalk, Ohio. It has been a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned facility since 2007 and annually hosts the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals an NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Event and the Cavalcade of Stars, an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Regional Event. As well as the national events, the facility holds regular local competition throughout the season.
RAD Torque Raceway, formerly known as Capital City Raceway Park, Capital Raceway, Labatt Raceway, Budweiser Motorsports Park, and Castrol Raceway, is a multi-track auto racing facility located just south of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located on land leased from the Edmonton International Airport, the clay oval opened in 1991 and the dragstrip opened in 1992. The facility went into receivership at the end of the 1997 season. It was purchased by Rob Reeves and ten other local racers and businessmen, and re-opened in 1998. Several of the investors have opted out since 2000 but remain as advertising sponsors of the facility. The track is now owned by Rob Reeves and Family.
Willowbank Raceway is a drag racing facility located off the Cunningham Highway, Willowbank, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 30–45 minutes drive west of Brisbane. It is part of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct, which includes a kart racing track; Ipswich Sprint Racing Circuit, a short circuit dirt racetrack; Ipswich Motor Sport Complex and bitumen racetrack Queensland Raceway. Since the closing of Surfers Paradise International Raceway following the 1987 Winternationals, the popular event, one of the largest drag racing festivals in the southern hemisphere, moved to the circuit in 1988. Between the end of Calder Park Raceway's top level drag racing career and the opening of Western Sydney International Dragway, it also hosted the Australian Drag Racing Nationals.
Alaska Raceway Park is a motorsports complex conducting races from Mother's Day to Labor Day. It is located in Butte, which is near the Knik River, and Knik Glacier at Mile 10.4 of the Old Glenn Highway, about 41.5 miles northeast of Anchorage, Alaska, US. Nearby 6,398-foot Pioneer Peak looms over the finish line, providing a scenic racing venue recognized worldwide among race fans. The track sits at an elevation of 63 feet above sea level, offering excellent air pressure for racing.
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.
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.
Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) is a 1/4 mile dragstrip in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, just outside of Petersburg. It opened in 1994 and originally hosted the NHRA's Virginia NHRA Nationals. It has a seating capacity of 23,000 spectators. After a brief time with IHRA beginning in 2010, the track returned to NHRA in 2012.
Palm Beach International Raceway was a motorsports facility located west of Jupiter, Florida. The facility had a quarter-mile drag strip, a 2.043 mi (3.288 km) road course, 7/10-mile kart track as well as mud racing tracks. The road course at Palm Beach International Raceway was a 2-mile, 10-turn circuit constructed of hot-mix asphalt and set on an aggregate base. It was 40 ft (12 m) wide with a 1/3-mile section measuring 80 ft (24 m).
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.
Gimli Motorsports Park is a multi-track motorsports facility located in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. The 95-hectare facility features a 1/4-mile dragstrip, a 1.3-mile road racing course, a one-kilometre karting track and a two-kilometre motocross track. The park hosts events for motorsports groups including the Winnipeg Sports Car Club, Drag Racing Association of Manitoba, Manitoba Roadracing Association (Superbikes), and the Manitoba Karting Association.
The 2022 Pacific Office Automation 147 was the fourteenth stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series and the first iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, June 4, 2022, in Portland, Oregon, at Portland International Raceway, a 1.967 miles (3.166 km) permanent road course. The race was contested over 75 laps. In a caution filled race, A. J. Allmendinger, driving for Kaulig Racing, took the lead on the final restart, and would earn his 12th career Xfinity Series win, and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Myatt Snider of Jordan Anderson Racing and Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
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