Starting this summer time, engines will as soon as once more be revving up at Greene County Airport when the street-legal racing occasion often known as Flashlight Drags returns.
Produced by Altered Fuel Efficiency Occasions LLC, the favored Flashlight Drags occasions have been scheduled this 12 months to be held on 5 dates in Might, June, August and September.
Bret Moore, director of the county recreation division, mentioned he’s enthusiastic about what this 12 months’s races will supply.
“The drag races are extraordinarily common, and each occasion attracts a big crowd and those that attend have a good time,” Moore mentioned. “It’s enjoyable to look at various kinds of vehicles and vehicles from totally different and a number of eras race towards one another.”
The primary occasion can be held Sunday, Might 22, and gates for the occasion will open at midday with races scheduled to run from 2 to six p.m. Admission is $10 to look at and $40 to race. In case of rain, the occasion can be rescheduled to Might 29.
Extra races can be held Sundays, June 19 and Aug. 14, and – for the primary time in Greene County – back-to-back on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11.
“The September weekend is one thing totally different this 12 months,” Moore mentioned. “It will likely be a two-day occasion, which is able to embrace vehicle-related actions on Saturday. The main points should not but finalized, however automotive exhibits and automotive film nights have been advised as actions.”
Flashlight Drags consists of a 1/8-mile race alongside the airport runway. The format is heads-up, that means each autos depart the beginning line on the identical time.
The identify of the occasion refers again to the early days of drag racing, when a flashlight was used to sign the beginning.
For the races, street-legal vehicles and vehicles are eligible to race, and all drivers will need to have acceptable paperwork, together with a sound driver’s license, present state registration and proof of insurance coverage. All racers should signal a waiver and attend a compulsory drivers’ assembly previous to the beginning of the occasion.
For drivers wishing to race convertible vehicles, the highest have to be up, or the motive force ought to put on a helmet. Mufflers and state Division of Transportation-approved tires are required. Drivers should additionally put on their seat belts.
The Flashlight Drags additionally function a automotive present, automotive cruise, distributors halfway, music and meals.
The occasion advanced from a easy thought to supply a venue the place a hot-rodder or tuner may burn tire and race a good friend, with out risking jail time or jeopardizing security. This is the reason Flashlight Drags’ motto is “Avenue racing with out the jail time.”
The county hosted its first Flashlight Drags occasion in 2007.