It has been a battle fought so hard, for so very long, but in the end there’s a sweet victory. Long Island has been without a drag racing facility for 17 years and thanks to the dogged determination of a group of enthusiasts, residents, and racers, they have one back. Starting next month, there will be NHRA sanctioned drag racing at the Calverton Executive Air Park and that’s fantastic news for everyone.

We could go into the years of meetings, proposals, and pitches these people have been through to make this happen but it  would be a novel. Instead, let’s just thank the team, all of the team, that worked so hard for this on the front lines and deep behind the scenes.

This track is a great story, the revival of 75-80 Dragway in Maryland is a great story. That’s a track literally coming back from the dead. The saving of the Spokane drag strip is another amazing story of the last few weeks. Creativity, hard work, and a resolute desire to give hot rodders a place to go succeeded here. It can succeed where you live as well.

Here’s the full release from the NHRA –

Long Island residents have become accustomed to hearing airplanes depart and arrive at Calverton Executive Airpark, but soon the sounds of race cars will be joining the airpark as Calverton Executive Airpark becomes the newest NHRA member track.

The unique location will see NHRA racing action five weeks of the year beginning in August. The Long Island airpark will play host to racers in the area and will give them a safe space to race their vehicles.

“We are thrilled to be bringing back drag racing to Long Island after a 17-year hiatus,” said Calverton Executive Airpark Track Promoter Peter Scalzo. “I first believe that the mention of these events being sanctioned by the NHRA was a major factor for the Town of Riverhead approving our Racetrack Not Street Series.”

“We are very excited to welcome the track to the NHRA member track family,” said NHRA Division 1 Director Dave Mohn. “This is a long-needed facility on Long Island, and we look forward to working with the track to take racing off the streets.”

Calverton Executive Airpark joins a group of more than 120 NHRA member tracks worldwide. As an NHRA-sanctioned track, the facility will be eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, and NHRA Jr. Street.

NHRA Division 1 includes seven tracks across the region. Racers in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Maryland make up the division in the northeast region. Division 1 hosts competitions throughout the year, along with countless other events for the heartiest of drag racing competitors and fans. For more information, including schedules, point standings, and more, go to the Division 1 website, NHRADiv1.com.