This weekend the NHRA Mello Yello drag racing series rolls into Epping, New Hampshire and will compete on the historic grounds of New England Dragway. The track is celebrating its 53nd anniversary season this year and the big national event has become the crown jewel of the season since it was added to the Mello Yello tour a few years ago. This video is awesome because the same track you will see on Fox Sports 1 this weekend looked a WHOLE lot different more than 30 years ago. In fact, it looked a lot like a road running through the middle of a sand pit, not an NHRA national event facility! My own history at New England Dragway means that I love every inch of the place and to say that it looks a wee bit better now would be an understatement. There are still defining features in both videos, though.
First there is the short airport looking timing tower, the large hill on the left hand side of the track, and the physical direction and layout of the surface is still the same as well. The voice you hear over the PA system belongs to a guy named Jan Landers who was one of the defining personalities in New England Dragway history. His wild, off-the-wall announcing style endeared him to fans and racers alike. The jokes were on the edge, the style was high energy, and the smiles in the stands are likely because of something he had just yelled out. A true legend! There are lots of New England legends on display here, actually. From Al Segrini in the Brut sponsored car to Arnie Karp in the Boston Strangler funny car, this was one heck of a sunny afternoon at the digs.
One of the best parts of the whole deal is watching the funny car burnouts. There’s no water box but there is a guy dousing some juice in front of the rear tires and then there’s those massive clouds billowing out from the rear of the flopper bodies. This is awesome.
This video is long and you can skip around to see some truly cool cars at a place that I love with all of my being. The track as evolved and changed over the year but it still has that classic, intimate feel that you don’t get anywhere else on the tour. Long live New England Dragway!
