This weekend the NHRA series is off but next weekend, the biggest names in drag racing will be at Epping, New Hampshire’s New England Dragway which is the last venue standing for quarter mile fun in the region. 50 years ago, people had more options. They could go to Connecticut Dragway which was another headline making track in the Northeast and it is the scene of the video you’ll watch below.
This track was closed in the 1980s but not for the reasons you think. The property was bought and it now serves as the testing location for Consumer Reports. Seriously. The drag strip is still there and still used as a test track for new cars and evaluations. Wild but true.
The video below is amazing because of who we see in it. This was definitely shot on different days and in different years with the main tell of that being the appearance of BOTH the Tasca Mystery 8 and then the Mystery 7 funny cars. The Mystery 8 car was an altered wheelbase freak with operational doors. Mystery 7 was a traditional flip top funny car that was run by Tasca Ford and driven by Bill Lawton until 1969-1970 when it was parked and drag racing was not a focus of the dealership for a time.
You’ll see other big names from the period like Bill Flynn in the Yankee Peddler, Steve Bovan, Larry Coleman, the King Fish funny car, and the list goes on and one. How about gassers? The Hill Brothers, Stone, Woods, and Cook, the Kohler Brothers, and more.
We’re guessing that the days where the video was taken were both match race/big events but in different seasons. Also, you’ll note one really interesting thing about Connecticut Dragway. No walls. None. Nada.
Lordy this is a good watch!
From the opening in 1961 to the final event in 1984 there was never a fatality it was just one hell of a great place to race at and watch the races taking place. Good times for sure.