(Words and photos by Doug Gregory) – I will start this off stating that this was not a good night for me. It was nice seeing folks I hadn’t in several months, but I felt like complete garbage having had a cancer treatment the day before. My movement was limited and at some point I just sat down and watched. Yes, I have my seriously dumb moments. Still it was better than sitting on the couch at home watching LivePD (a good option when there’s no racing).
Remember, Thornhill is the oldest continuously-operating dragstrip having grown out of a dirt airstrip used during prohibition. There’s a long-standing injunction in place brought by a neighboring county that only allows the track to operate from 6PM till Midnight only on Saturdays, April through October.
This particular event was the return of the Straight-Axle Mafia to the area so I drug myself, my eldest son and his best friend along. His best friend had never been to a drag race before so this was a fun night for him.
Many of the usual suspects were there and a few new faces. We walked the pits once then tried to capture some action. I fought with my flash and ultimately surrendered. The sole Jr. dragster photo I have to share is of this young lady’s very first pass ever. I am happy to report she did a fine job and ran a few flawless and safe passes to start her drag racing career.
As always, I like the diversity of rides at these smaller Kentucky tracks and the friendliness of the people there. The only hitch for the evening was when the Straight-Axle Mafia was getting ready to run a round – the starter got on his motorcycle and left the grounds. Only a few of us seemed to notice this as some track staff conduct a search. After the delay the water box worker moved up to the starter position and the action was back on. Definitely one of the strangest moments I’ve witnessed at a track.
We hope you enjoy the photos.
That little Vega wagon looks wicked.