This is fun video! We’re going back to what looks like the 1983 AHRA Winternationals at the “old” Tucson Dragway which is about a 15 minute (or less) ride from the current Tucson Dragway that you likely know and love for its many appearances on shows like Roadkill, Street Outlaws, and other media. Jim and Matt who run the joint are fantastic people and have done so much for the local drag racing community during their time stewarding the strip. The OG Tucson Dragway was a much smaller and more rustic operation which met its end, supposedly, after some nefarious activity by the operators of the place. It seems the drag strip was being used as a runway on occasion and the deliveries were not exactly filled with contents that could be considered “legal”.
Anywho…back to happier times.
You are going to see some fan shot video here with sportsman racing, a Dr. Pepper funny car that was driven by Craig Epperly, some cool shots of the pits showing the highest tech and highest luxury haulers of pro drag racers in the early 1980s, and finally the capper is John Force in his 1983 Mountan Dew Camaro ripping a classic burnout.
This is one of the neatest “ghost tracks” to visit because the surface is still there, the tiny square foundation of the tower is there, and it’s just a neat spot in the middle of the desert.
One more bonus here, you’ll be listening to the great Jon Lundberg in the background calling the action!
