We have well documented histo The "Dragsters of Yuma" car club conducted the racing, which was approved by the Bureau of Reclamation. It was located on a 150-acre farm. LAKE ELSINORE - An innovator who lived for the roar of engines and crowds, C.J. The Fairplex in Pomona, California, might have hosted a number of sports car races, but it’s far better known for its drag racing.The dragstrip there, one of the first permanent drag racing venues, opened in 1952, hosted the first NHRA event a year later, and has hosted the Winternationals since 1961. But before Lions opened, there was Santa Ana Drags, which was the first drag strip in the United States. Two major SoCal dragstrips were part of larger oval or road-race tracks: Riverside and Ontario. As racers heard about the first official drag strip, they banded together to create more places to race, and by the beginning of the next decade there was a multitude of drag strips. Lassiter Mountain was the first drag strip I ever went to, in the autumn of 1961. Abandoned Dragstrips: East Coast. Drag racing began on the long, straight backstretch of Riverside Raceway in … Popularity grew steadily but drag racing still remained largely an underground pastime. Most, if not all, of the original strips were no more than abandoned WWII air field runways. Chevy 3100 - Custom built in the 60-70's to race on the first drag strip on the East Coast. Born in Burlington, Vermont, Shirley was named the “First Lady of Drag Racing,” as she was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a top fuel dragster. The drag strip was four miles south of Verdon, north of the Salem depot, and about five miles northwest of Falls City. Hart was a businessman with a heart. Ive been drag racing for most of my life in cars ranging from my 14 second stock 95 GT to my low 10 second 03 Cobra. The man in the Pontiac was James “Grover” Grove, who became the first paid customer and still has the ticket. The drag racing scene exploded on the West Coast during the 1950s and quickly spread. Drag Strip would sooner die a miserable death than ever sacrifice a victory, as he thrives on the bragging rights which accompany first place. The strip is still here, it is the black top in the infield. In fact, the determined gearhead had spent the night in his car to make sure he was first in line at the new drag strip. Hey guys, I am a drag strip veteran and I tried searching but i couldnt find any exact answers to my question. That put an end to the drag strip. The Nemaha Valley Timing Association held a regional drag championship there on October 7, 1956 and a midwest regional drag race on November 11, 1956. (In the foreground in the first photo) A Comp Coupe couldn't get slowed down, hit the banking of the oval track got airborne and hit the Cow Place. "As a kid growing up I would spend every weekend at the drag strip with my parents," Tommy said. I remember running on strips that every once in a while, we had to clear the track and let a plane land. I also had my first drag strip … Making your first time at the drag strip fun, stress-free, and safe. A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing.Although a quarter mile (1320 feet, 402 m) 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 (304.8m) races.