Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Smokey Yunick told us he had the best _ _ _ _ garage well I'd like to hear opinions on the best place for a racer to live considering distance to tracks, number of local tracks, how often you can race, how you are treated at these tracks, seasonal temps, quality and fair race minded machine shops nearby, anything else that may be important to you that makes you think it's the best place for a racer to live.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Probably pretty tough to beat central NC, or anywhere else in NC for that matter.

I live on the coast ( Carolina Beach, NC) and have 5 'local' tracks within about 100 miles, and we have races year round. It does slow down to about 1 per month in dec-Jan-Feb, but they are all good paying bracket races. Of those 5 local tracks 3 are IHRA (Coastal Plains in Jacksonville, Dunn-Benson, Fayetteville).

Go out out another 100 miles and there is Zmax, Piedmont (IHRA), Darlington SC (IHRA with a triple header points race on Labor Day), Outer Banks Dragway, North East Dragway, and another 30 miles will find Richmond VA (NHRA), Roxboro, Farmington, and a couple other dragstrips.

If someone was living in the Raleigh area they would probably have more tracks within 100 miles than anyplace else.

There are also a couple of specialty organizations like the CCRA (Carolina Class Racers Assoc.) and the Classic Gearjammers that race all over NC.

EDIT- The tracks here have always been friendly to me, most of the time track prep is very good, lots of race shops and engine shops around, and really good payouts compared to other areas I have read about. A typical program around here will have a $45 entry for footbrake that pays $1000-1500 to win. Michael Beard and others put on big bucks races like the one scheduled next weekend at Coastal Plains-a 5K, then a 20K, then another 5K (all in 2 days) footbrake race.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Getting tired of living in the city the rhymes with fun?

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Where I live in South Jersey , I am less than 90 miles from 5 tracks : Atco 12 miles, Englishtown 39 miles, Cecil County 74 miles, Island 79 miles & Maple Grove 88 miles. Add another hour or less and I can be at : Numidia, Capitol, Quarter Aces , Delmar, MIR.
Pretty tough to beat that !

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

hands down, 1/8 mile, North Carolina.
for 1/4 mile, north east, say... PA, DE, NJ

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Qatar

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Las Vegas, NV. The Strip held 3 NHRA Nationals this year. Your stuff won't rust faster than you use up a tank of gas. The winter break from racing lasts from mid-December to late January. You trade a hot July/August for innumerable weekends lost due to rain and snow elsewhere. During the winter, the low temp is often better than the high elsewhere.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Michael Beard has a dragstrip locator on his site 'staginglight.com', not sure if he has every track listed but he's got lots of 'em for sure.....you can search state by state if need be-here is a link, you can scroll through all the states-

http://www.staginglight.com/links/trackfinder.html#NC

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Pretty good location here in the Lehigh Valley.
Maple Grove and Island , 1 hour or less.
Numidia ,Cecil County,Englishtown,Atco ,all 2 hours or less.
Skyview ,3 hours, Lebanon Valley 4 hours.
Only long Divisional trips are Dinwiddie ,at 6 hours and Epping ,at 7.[ If your lucky!]

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Winston Salem, Raleigh, Greensboro, N.C. The climate is nice, there are tracks everywhere. We run some 1/4 mile, but lots of 1/8. Z-MAX and Bristol are close. Living near Piedmont Dragway would be best in my opinion. We have the V.I.R.road course near Danville, Va., quite a few oval short tracks, etc.We have the Carolina Class Racers here, a great combo group. This area is IHRA Div. 9 country. Check out Farmington Dragway and Mooresville Dragway. We also have stickshift clubs here, go to classic gearjammers.org The Mooresville,NC. area is home to all things motorsports. Fayetteville Motorsports Park still runs 1/4, hope this helps.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

without a doubt NC..great weather, great tracks, nice people, NHRA&IHRA tracks, race year round! Wish I still lived there :(

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

I'd have to agree with everyone about North Carolina, but I'm about an hour north on the coast. Piedmont is about 4 1/2 hours, as is Mason-Dixon in Hagerstown, and at least half-a-dozen 1/8- and 1/4-mile drag strips which are closer. Florida used to be the place to play, but with all the tracks closing, it's not as much fun.

Lew

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

north carolina top's the list, lived around the smithfield/selma area just off i-95 and 70. i can count at least 8 tracks with in 1-1-1/2 hours driving time and then they ran every sunday, where?, your choice!!! but you better be on your game, there was a lot of local "heavy hitters" back then and i'm sure there still is. wish i was still there....

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

I would have to say Louisville, Ky. Ohio Valley here, Bowling Green 120 miles, Indy 110 miles, combo races at Bowling Green and at Ohio Valley. Columbus is fairly close, St. Louis 4 hours, Chicago 5 hours, Norwalk 5 hours.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

From my home in Bardstown, KY, there are 8 dragstrips within 120 miles. Those are all in the state of KY.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Las Vegas gets my vote too!

Centrally located for Divisional Races and National
Races on west Coast.

LVMS has a very full schedule so you do not need a lot
of other local tracks. Not a lot of Rain Outs to spoil the
weekend.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Lewistown, MT. Ok maybe not, but if you hunt in the offseason it's a plus. Got Lewistown Raceway (1/4mi NHRA) here, 1/8 mi IHRA 120 mi north(Phillips County Motorsports), 1/4mi IHRA 120 mi south (Yellowstone Drag Strip), and 1/8 mi NHRA about 4hrs west(Lost Creek Raceway). Plus Boise and Mission aren't bad drives. Lots of clean old iron too.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

No doubt about it Tommy - we've pretty much got it easier than most in the country ! ! !

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Let's see...

New England - 1 1/2 hrs
Lebanon Valley - 2+ hrs
Oxford Plains - 3+ hrs
Englishtown - 5 hrs
Napierville - 5 1/2 hrs
Atco - 6 hrs
Maple Grove - 6 hrs
Numidia - 6 1/2 hrs


If you're a racer, you definitely DO NOT want to live where I do!

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Having lived 30 min from Tom G. in PA. there are a good number of NHRA tracks. But moving to SC/NC has some advantages. 1. More tracks- not all world class but still fun to race at. 2. Can race both NHRA an IHRA. We met alot of great people that race only IHRA. We have fun racing both. 3. Cost of living. It is much cheaper to live in SC. It would cost less to race the entire Div 1 schedule from SC than it would to live in the northeast.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

5 min Cecil
2 1/2 E-Town Atco Maple Grove
5 VMP

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Have to agree with Tom and Dave, went out west a few years ago and really realize how well we have it here on the EC.

35 Min to Atco
1 1/2 hours to Cecil
2 Hours to E-Town
2 Hours to Maple Grove
4 1/2 Hours to Numidia
6 hours to VMP
Don't really travel to Leb Valley or New England but, it's about 5 hours to LV & 7 Hours to NE

Well I used to live in Deptford up till about 2 years ago and got to be at a Phillies, Flyers game in less then 10 minutes and still live in a safe area where I didn't need to put bullet proof windows into my house or car...lol

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

New Jersey.....Yea many are saying WHAT!!

I live in northwestern NJ......45 minutes from NY City....I can go see the Yankees.....or go to a Broadway show.....as Matt Schurman did last Saturday........( Jersey Boys).....and be home in an hour or so....

Shopping 5 minutes..Everything and anything...including Home Depot and PC.Richards.....and lots more malls a short drive away....
.
Work 10 minutes away and I am fortunate to be in a line of work that has almost always been busy and I have been there for 20 years....and right now we are off the charts busy......

Tracks.....Island....20 minutes
E-Town 1 hour
Atco 2 hours
Maple Grove 2+ hours
Numidia 2-1/2 hrs
Lebanon Valley 3 hours
Cecil...about 3 hours...

All those driving times are with NO traffic tieups and that is always a potential problem depending on what time and what day....

I live in the "Burbs"......Nice rolling hills......Very nice area with eveything one could want.......Some of the highest average income areas in the USA are not far from me......As well as some nice lakes including the largest lake in NJ.....Head a little farther North and or West and you can still find farms and lots of forest land.....
Of course it comes with a price....but it beats the heck out of many places I have been to.....

About the only thing we are lacking anymore is Machine Shops for racers like myself that like to do their own engines.....Not much to choose from these days and that is a serious problem.......I was used to having one 5 minutes from my house to work with.....Sadly they closed their doors.....

I still love NJ......and was born in Newark.....and spent many hours in the City type atmosphere.......so I appreciate where I live a lot......and have been in the same home for 41 years......

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Southeast Louisiana, has a few strips, but I don't know if you need a job. We have the lowest unemployment in the state for 10 years and at least one month a year as the lowest in the nation. If you don't need to eat, then it's a different story, but Mardi Gras, New Orleans, and a few other unique things.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

And, mosquitoes as big as chickens. LOL

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Surely you have heard of mosquito gumbo. Good with crackers and beer. Especially the big fat ones from deep in the jungle.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

:-)

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

If I could live near Jeff Teuton I think anywhere would be fine......
I guarantee.....like Justin Wilson used to say....and he was very funny....

Anyone with a sense of humor like your's Jeff makes up for everything and anything else.....We could always drink a beer and all would be fine....

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

VMP - 1 1/2 hrs.
Rocking ham - 2 hrs.
Dunn-Benson - 1 hr.
Fayetteville - 1 1/2 hrs.
Roxboro - 1 hr.
Piedmont - 1 1/2 hrs.
Farmington - 2 1/2 hrs.
Z-Max - 3 hrs.
Coastal Plains - 3 hrs.
Northeast - 3 hrs.
Outer banks - 3 hrs.
Harrell's - 2 1/2 hrs.
Darling ton - 3 hrs.
MIR - 3 1/2 hrs.
Richmond - 2 1/2 hrs.
Quite a choice here in n.c.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Northern Ky/Cincinnati Oh area is pretty good in my opinion.

Edgewater (Oh) - 1/2 hr
Tri-State (Oh) - 1/2 hr
Thorn Hill (Ky) - 1/2 hr
Kil-Kare (Oh) - 1 hr
Bluegrass or I64 (Ky) - 1 1/2
Columbus (Oh) - 1 1/2
Ohio Valley (Ky) - 1 1/2 hr
Indy (In) - 2 hr
Mount Park (Ky) - 2 hr
Muncie (In) - 2 1/2 hr
Bunker Hill (In) - 3 hr
Lake Cumberland (Ky) - 3 hr
Bowling Green (Ky) - 3 hr
Terre Haute (In) - 3 hr
London (Ky) - 4 hr ??? Never been there
Owensboro (Ky) - 4 hr
Quaker City (Oh) - 4 hr
Pacemakers (Oh) - 4 hr
Magnolia (Oh) - 4 hr
Norwalk (Oh) - 4 hr
Kanawha Valley (WV) - 4 hr
Thompson (Oh) - 4 1/2 hr
Dragway 42 (Oh) - 4 1/2 hr
St. Louis (Mo) - 5 hr
Milan (Mi) - 5 hr
Chicago (IL) - 5 hr
Martin (Mi) - 5 1/2 hr

You also have pretty good machine shops with in an hour or two depending on what you are doing. We just lost Tommy Ellison but we still have D&D, Tony Bischoff at BES and Parson & Meyers that are local. As far as chassis shops you have MPR at about 5 hrs North, John Holt about 2 hrs North and a lot of pretty good local shops. As far as speed shops there are a few like Jegs and Summit but also a lot of small local deals too.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Joe, if you live outside of Raleigh, which you live near me, you left out several if you want to extend out to a 4 hour ride.
New Bern, NC 2 hr
Shady Side, Shelb,NC 3 3/4 hr.
Carolina Dragway, SC 4 hr
Union County, Akien, SC 4 hr
Red Springs NC 2 1/4 hr
Elk Creek, VA 3 3/4 hr
All of these I believe run under IHRA. I think there is possibly a dozen more that I can't think of right now that are still operating and have been operating for years. I think Bret Kepner, Max Presley, down in Indian Trail, NC and I talked about this a few years ago and from where we are there was about 19 or 20 within 2 1/2 hours of us when you include southside Va and Northside SC. If you have a motor home you could race on Friday night, drive about an hour or so race Saturday and drive an hour or so and race Sunday. This depending on whether you are diversified and don't care if you race 1/8 mile or 1/4, race Stock/Superstock, bracket, index or Nostalgia as long as you get to race without breaking the bank for fuel to tow with. Oh, I thought of another one but not sure of the milage and that is MotorMile,Va

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

Chris, I can throw out Greer Dragway in SC and Pageland Dragway in NC to your list.

Re: Best _ _ _ _ place for a racer to live
 

I made a list using Michael Beard's dragstrip locator and knowledge of tracks within about a 5 hour distance of Raleigh, NC which is right off I-40 and close to I-85 and I-95.

I came up with 38 tracks in NC, SC, and VA that are within that 5 hour drive from Raleigh.

They are:

30 min -Dunn Benson located in Benson NC IHRA Div 9, 1/8 mile
1.25 hour -Fayetteville Motorsports Park in Fayetteville NC IHRA Div 9, 1/8 and 1/4
1.5 hour-Piedmont Dragway in Julian NC (near greensboro) IHRA Div 9 , 1/8 mile
1.25 hour Roxboro Dragway in Roxboro NC IHRA 1/8 mile
1 Hour- Brewers Dragway in Sharpsburg NC 1/8 mile **not sure if this track is still open**
2 Hours-Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham NC IHRA Div 9, 1/8 mile
2 Hours-710 Dragstrip in Rowland NC ,1/8 mile
2 hours -Farmington Dragway in Mocksville NC IHRA Div 9, 1/8 mile
2 Hours- Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie VA NHRA Div 1, 1/4 mile
2 Hours -Wayne Country dragstrip in Wayne County NC (near Goldsboro) this may be a 500 ft track, not sure
2 Hours-Kinston Dragstrip in Kinston NC IHRA Div 9 1/8 mile
2 Hours- Harrells Dragway in Harrells NC 1/8 mile **kind of rough track and facility**
2 Hours- Thunder Valley in Red Springs NC 1/8 mile
2 Hours- Coastal Plains Dragway in Jacksonville NC IHRA Div 9, 1/8 mile
2.5 Hours-Zmax Dragway in Charlotte NC NHRA 1/4 mile
2.5 Hours- Mooresville dragway in Mooresville NC IHRA Div 9 1/8 mile
2.5 Hours-Wilkesboro Dragway in Wilkesboro NC IHRA 1/8 mile
2.5 Hours-Darlington Dragway in Darlington SC IHRA Div 2 1/8 mile
2.5 Hours-Outer Banks Dragway in Creswell NC IHRA 1/8 mile
2.5 Hours-North East Dragway in Hertford NC 1/8 mile
3 Hours-Pageland Dragway in Jefferson SC IHRA Div 2, 1/8 mile
3 Hours-Richmond Dragway in Ashland VA IHRA Div 1, 1/8 mile
3 Hours-New London Dragway in Forest VA IHRA, 1/8 mile
3 Hours-Natural Bridge Dragway in Richmond VA, 1/8 mile
3 Hours- New Bern Dragstrip in New Bern NC, 1/8 mile **kind of rough track & facility**
3.5 Hours- Colonial Beach Dragway in Colonial Beach VA IHRA, 1/8 mile
3.5 Hours- Midway Dragstrip in Greeleyville SC, 1/8 mile
3.5 Hours-Greer Dragway in Greer, SC IHRA, 1/8 mile
3.5 Hours-Union Dragway in Union SC IHRA Div 2, 1/8 mile
3.5 Hours-Shadyside Dragway in Boiling Springs NC
3.5 Hours-Bowman Dragway in Orangeburg SC **may be Orangeburg Dragway**
3.5 Hours- Summerduck Dragway in Fredricksburg VA IHRA Div 1 1/8 mile
4 Hours-Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas VA
4.5 Hours- Elk Creek Dragway in Wytheville VA IHRA Div 1
4.5 Hours-Carolina Dragway in Jackson SC IHRA Div 2
4.5 Hours-Ware Shoals Dragway in Ware Shoals SC IHRA Div 2
4.5 Hours-Dorchester Dragway in Dorchester SC ** Not Sure if This Track is Open**
5 Hours-Motor Mile Dragway in Radford VA IHRA Div 1

Edit-Some well known engine builders in NC within 3 hours or so of Raleigh include (but not limited to) Buck Racing Engines in King NC (I think), Warren Engines in Clinton NC, Garley Daniels in Bayboro NC, Bud Rowe Engines in Bridgeton NC, Billy Plage Racing Engines, Sloan Racing Engines, Ball Performance and Machine, P&M Performance Racing Engines in Jacksonville NC, Gene Fulton Racing Engines in SC, among many more.

Wisecarver Brothers chassis shop is about 3 hours away in Rustburg VA.