Longest continuous operating dragstrip? (1 Viewer)

[mltdwn12]

Am I just being picky? Every time I hear the announcers refer to Pomona as the longest continuously operating dragstrip in the world it bugs me. IMO, it certainly isn’t a continuously operating dragstrip. I think a continuously operating dragstrip only closes for the winter if you’re up north but they run races at least once or twice a month to support local drag racing of which Pomona does zero. Being closed 50 weeks out of the year does not constitute continuously operating, again just my opinion. That title should go to one of these drag strips that’s been running since the 50s or 60s a majority of the weekends each year, say like Great Lakes Dragaway?

 

[Sherman, Sherm, & Sherm Gun]

Cordova and Union Grove were both built in 1956. They are both one of the earliest "purpose built" drag strips, not airports, or converted air bases.

On the flip side, Great Bend is a converted air base, and opened in 1953. I have been to SRCA the last two years, and I think it is probably the nicest "small" track in the Midwest.

Drag Strip List

 

[mltdwn12]

I could load up my 11 second car and go to any of those drag strips you mentioned probably just about any weekend of the spring summer and fall and be able to race. I bet if I went to Pomona any weekend of the year I’d never be allowed to race at their “continuously operating”dragstrip.

 

[Cliff]

Hmmmm, you could call Pomona the oldest drag strip still in operation, even if it only runs 2X year. I think it goes back to 1951.

Just for yuks & grins, according to High Performance (by Robert Post), the first legal, organized drag race was in Goleta, Calif, 1949. Run on a street, closed of by Calif Hiway patrol. The race of the event was Tom Cobbs vs Fran Hernandez. Cobbs with a blown Ford flathead, 249 CI, on gas. Hernandez with a 296" Mercury flathead, carbs and nitro. Yep, nitro. Hernandez won the race. He later went to work for Mercury and is kinda considered the father of the one piece funny car body.

 

[twostep]

Redding opened in 1953, still operates today but I don't know if that's continuous. Our track was opened in 1952, NHRA sanctioned in 1960 and today it's one of the nicer 1/8 mile all-concrete facilities....but there were a couple of periods when it was shut down mainly due to the owner of the land it sits on becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. That was resolved nearly 40 years ago and it's been open since.

I used to watch Eddie Hill make 1/4 mile passes with his 2 engine, 4-tire dragster on our track. Tells you how ancient I am....

 

[The Little Lizard]

Redding opened in 1953, still operates today but I don't know if that's continuous. Our track was opened in 1952, NHRA sanctioned in 1960 and today it's one of the nicer 1/8 mile all-concrete facilities....but there were a couple of periods when it was shut down mainly due to the owner of the land it sits on becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. That was resolved nearly 40 years ago and it's been open since.

I used to watch Eddie Hill make 1/4 mile passes with his 2 engine, 4-tire dragster on our track. Tells you how ancient I am....

N.H.R.A. sanctioned 1953

Redding Drag Strip - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

ABOUT

The Historic Redding Dragstrip It was about 1948 when local hot rodders, including Roger Whipp, first sought a safe place to drag race their cars, and in Roger’s words, “…offer encouragement to be …

reddingmotorsportspark.com

 

[mikebcurve]

Bret Kepner could probably give info on a lot of this off the top of his head. He’s been putting something together documenting all tracks past and present.

 

[.]

photo credit: NHRA Archive https://www.nhra.com/news/2019/road-pomona
if you zoom in, you can see Mike English in the tower. lol

 

[Mike]

Paul, that hurts

 

[ironpony]

Kind of like the NHRA crowning the "World Champion"

 

[r2]

if you zoom in, you can see Mike English in the tower. lol

Hair threw me for a second ... Good eye Paul.