(Words and photos by Tommy Lee Byrd) – Paradise Drag Strip in Calhoun, Georgia has been around since 1961, and it’s still operated by the same family that founded it. If you’re interested in going fast and having a good time, Paradise Drag Strip is a great place to do it. A few times a year, the track hosts Show-N-Go events, which are nostalgia-themed, but allow pretty much anyone to make passes down the historic eighth-mile drag strip.
We were there for all the action, which included a bunch of cars and drivers that were too fast for their own good. While this can sometimes be a recipe for disaster, pretty much everyone kept it between the lines throughout the day.
Three blown and injected front engine dragsters came out for some test passes and put on a heck of a show. The super short wheelbase Chassis Research dragster owned by Josh Flammer did a killer wheelstand, and would later make another pass that involved peddling the throttle and lifting the front tires at 600 feet down track. Other cool creations included a high-riding altered roadster, a blown big block Corvette gasser, and a 14-71-blown Ford-powered Mustang II. You may notice that there is someone in the passenger seat of the Pro Mod style Mustang! Yikes!
Another vehicle that had everyone running to the fences was a bright orange S-10, owned by Travis Burney. The truck has a big-inch big block with multiple nitrous systems, and the driver is just as aggressive as the engine combination. The truck is scary fast, and Travis actually spun out trying his best John Force impression at the infamous uphill burnout box. No one was injured, but he scraped some of the fresh paint off the truck’s nose.
Lots of tire smoke, wheels up launches and sketchy moments made for a fun day of racing, and we thoroughly enjoyed the wide variety of stuff that came out of the woodworks for the event.
Hit the link to see Tommy Lee Byrd’s gallery of photos from the Fall Show-N-Go at Paradise Drag Strip –
