Jim Demmitt Jr
Banned
Historical Photo
When tbirds beat Vetts in the good old days
SIBLEY AT DIX....The "Dirty D", as Detroit Dragway was affectionately known, was opened in 1959 by Gil Kohn. Over the years, different sanctioning bodies came and went, including the NHRA, AHRA, and Kohns own UHRA. Detroits auto factories ran their muscle cars here and the track hosted all of the big-name racers. Garlits, Muldowney, Prudhomme, Kalitta, Nicholson, and on and on. But, Detroit was also home for many Motor City racers for nearly 40 years. And, thousands of spectators who spent their Saturday evenings enjoying the roar of the quarter-mile warriors, the smell of nitro and the bright glow of Funny Cars under the night sky.
U.S. NATIONALS....It's amazing to think Detroit, the "Motor City", home to the Big-3 Automakers, doesn't have an NHRA National Event. It doesn't even have a dragstrip anymore, since Detroit Dragway was demolished a few years ago. Detroit did host the NHRA for a short time, many moons ago. In 1959 and 1960, when the NHRA only had one national event, the "U.S. Nationals" were held at Detroit. The U.S. Nationals moved in 1961, when the brand new Indianapolis Raceway Park opened, and Detroit forever lost it's time in the drag racing spotlight.
THE END....A 1994 plan by the NHRA to rebuild the track, and bring in a national event was by killed by local opponents, sealing Detroits fate. Detroit slowly died, and finally closed in 1998. The closure forcing racers to travel to Milan or further, or back onto the streets. Following the demolition, Detroit-area industrial real estate builder Ashley Capital, built their Brownstown Business Center warehouse complex on the grave of Detroit Dragway. How ironic is it that one of the first tenants to lease warehouse space there was none other than Ford Motor Company.
RIP Detroit Dragway.
When tbirds beat Vetts in the good old days
SIBLEY AT DIX....The "Dirty D", as Detroit Dragway was affectionately known, was opened in 1959 by Gil Kohn. Over the years, different sanctioning bodies came and went, including the NHRA, AHRA, and Kohns own UHRA. Detroits auto factories ran their muscle cars here and the track hosted all of the big-name racers. Garlits, Muldowney, Prudhomme, Kalitta, Nicholson, and on and on. But, Detroit was also home for many Motor City racers for nearly 40 years. And, thousands of spectators who spent their Saturday evenings enjoying the roar of the quarter-mile warriors, the smell of nitro and the bright glow of Funny Cars under the night sky.
U.S. NATIONALS....It's amazing to think Detroit, the "Motor City", home to the Big-3 Automakers, doesn't have an NHRA National Event. It doesn't even have a dragstrip anymore, since Detroit Dragway was demolished a few years ago. Detroit did host the NHRA for a short time, many moons ago. In 1959 and 1960, when the NHRA only had one national event, the "U.S. Nationals" were held at Detroit. The U.S. Nationals moved in 1961, when the brand new Indianapolis Raceway Park opened, and Detroit forever lost it's time in the drag racing spotlight.
THE END....A 1994 plan by the NHRA to rebuild the track, and bring in a national event was by killed by local opponents, sealing Detroits fate. Detroit slowly died, and finally closed in 1998. The closure forcing racers to travel to Milan or further, or back onto the streets. Following the demolition, Detroit-area industrial real estate builder Ashley Capital, built their Brownstown Business Center warehouse complex on the grave of Detroit Dragway. How ironic is it that one of the first tenants to lease warehouse space there was none other than Ford Motor Company.
RIP Detroit Dragway.
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