(Words and photos by Tommy Lee Byrd) – We published a story on Bangshift about the purchase of I-40 Dragway last year, and we could see that the new owners had big plans for the facility. Nearly one year after the purchase, the track is ready for its first event, the Rocky Top Diesel Shootout, a two-day diesel-only drag racing event that will take place Friday, July 29th and Saturday, July 30th.
The event will mark the first time that the new and improved Crossville Dragway (previously known as I-40 Dragway) will be open in the 2016 season. The new owners have went above and beyond to make this track one of the premier eighth-mile facilities in the country. They have widened the racing surface, poured fresh concrete, cleared a lot of land and basically leveled all of the existing buildings.
The crew at Crossville Dragway are putting the finishing touches on the track as we speak and they’re burning the midnight oil to make sure this place is ready to rock. According to the track crew, there is not a fall race schedule yet, as improvements will continue, even after the Rocky Top Diesel Shootout is complete. As a bonus, there will be an 8-car Shootout on Friday night, with 8 of the fastest cars in the area. They’re going to put the new all-concrete surface to the test, and you can bet there will be a record breaking crowd on hand to see how it all shakes out.
We’ll keep you posted on the new and improved drag strip’s schedule, but for now, take a look at some recent progress pictures sent to us by the Crossville Dragway staff. Be sure to check out Crossville Dragway’s Facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/racecrossville/
Let’s go racing boys!!
I’ve been checking out the progress as I drive by on I-40 at least once a week.
I can’t wait for the smell of burning rubber!