Dead Drag Strip File: More Great Photos From The Late Montgomery Dragway


Dead Drag Strip File: More Great Photos From The Late Montgomery Dragway

(Words and photos by Doug Gregory) – I saw my first drag racing accidents there and one of them is featured in this collection.  Unfortunately the track was lined on both sides with a narrow patch of grass before you’d meet the rail.  Often cars would get out of shape and one tire onto the grass then stab the go-pedal  again to salvage the run with grass covering the gummy rubber.  Many would lift and save the car and their wallet for another day while a few would keep at it and those usually did not turn out so well.  A quick short-bed, primer-grey Chevy pickup lost a driveshaft right at the speed trap (you come to your own conclusion as to what happened there) which lifted the rear of the truck off the tarmac and put a sizeable gouge in the racing surface.  Tech at the track consisted of giving your money to race and getting a card to fill out.  It makes it easy if you want to race on the cheap and aren’t too worried about safety for anything.  There might have been times that differed from my experience.

There were plenty of racers that ran big races with top-notch rides that frequented the track.  Some ran Stock, one nice ’39 Chevy ran IHRA 10.90 index and a whole crowd of folks that ran Super Gas.  One S/G champ, Hugh Meeks III,  ran a variety of cars while I was there from a RED dragster to a burgundy C2 Vette.  His father reportedly ran Stock on a divisional basis and was successful.

Periodically the track would host the ‘Dixie Pro Stocks’ which was a collection of ProMod-ish cars with few limitations that always put on a great show.  Cars would come from FL, GA, TN, MS, SC, and even Texas.  Often there would also be a ladder of Top Alcohol floppers mixing it up which would really draw the spectators.

Enjoy this collection from a now-silent track.


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