Drag Day! Cool Cars and Action Photos From A Busy Sunday At Byron Dragway In Illinois


Drag Day! Cool Cars and Action Photos From A Busy Sunday At Byron Dragway In Illinois

(Words and photos by Greg Rourke) – Sunny warm Sunday, sounds like a trip to the drag strip is in order. So off to Byron Dragway I went.

The program promised a visit by Midwest Super Comp racers, some junior dragsters, and  bunch of test and tune. And of course Mr. Ron Leek behind the mic. As usual the staff had the track well prepped. Brad Dyer had his two time Drag Week winning 8 second Nova out getting sorted, Byron is on this years Drag Week schedule. The long skinny cars in Super Comp put on their usual display of how a throttle stop works and everyone ripping off 8.900’s like they were rolling out of bed. A couple stand out SC racers were a SBC powered roadster, who gave up a bunch of power to the dragsters. This car launched and then sounded like he cut the ignition off for a second before the throttle stop slapped wide open, rather than the dragsters running to nearly half track on the stop. Then there was a 68 Camaro that looked out of place but slapped 8.90’s on the board nevertheless. Several of the Folk clan were racing, I think they may actually be robots based on their near perfect reaction times and perfect runs.
A few stand outs were on the hallowed grounds. An older Pinto powered by a 302 and backed by a “two speed racing automatic” he told me, he doesn’t use that Powerglide word. He was track champion at Cordova and second at Byron, he reports he makes money with this 11 second bracket bomber. Then there was a 69 Hemi Dart, resplendent in Sassy Grass Green. Not the Elephant one would expect, but a late model Hemi, claimed displacement of 440 cubes. He ripped off effortless 10 second runs. A 57 Chevy was carrying the wheels to 100 feet with ease, I’m predicting a matchup with Mike Bilina in the future. A near new Z06 Vette locked horns with a six speed, Procharger equipped Pontiac G8 all day, I think the Vette won every contest, running 11.10s to the Poncho’s 11.50s. Several new racers were out for licensing passes, with that 37 Chevy running 10’s despite the planned 1000 foot shutdowns.
Recent track owner BJ Vangsness , who started here by cleaning the washrooms  as a youngster, continues the lead set by Ron Leek and runs a flawless show. During the week he runs his sprawling Autoland Outlets car dealership in nearby Roscoe, Il., then apparently for relaxation on weekends he runs his drag strip, out mopping up spills, applying the traction compound, and making sure everything runs smoothly. A big shout out to BJ, Ron and the crew for their usual hospitality, and the best dragstrip food anywhere.

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