(Photos by Greg Rourke) – A friend of mine at home recently asked me what the attraction to visiting new drag strips was because at the end of the day, they were all just a pair of lanes headed off toward the horizon in a perfectly straight line. The guy obviously doesn’t understand that every track, big or small, has a personality that is interesting tpo experience. Greg Rourke decided to hustle over to Havana last weekend and spend a couple days at Central Illinois Dragway, a fine little eighth mile facility in the Land of Lincoln.
Greg reports that it was love at first wheelstand and he’s kicking himself for taking so long to get out to see the place. This is an action gallery from a test and tune session early in the weekend. We’re going to follow up with the race action tomorrow so we figured that we’d go in order so you could see the stuff in the same sequence Greg saw it. During this test and tune there was everything from diesel trucks to some familiar machines that you have seen competing at the Byron Dragway World Power Wheelstanding Championships before. The Nova in the lead photo is one such example of a rough and ready Byron competitor.
This is a fantastic gallery that’ll show you cars and a track you may have never seen before. We hadn’t ever laid eyes on CID so this one was a treat for us to gawk at as well. Having spent our weekend in the vast expanse known at Heartland Park Topeka, this little track looks like it would really hit the spot right about now!
button” text=”CLICK HERE TO SEE WHEELS UP ACTION FROM CENTRAL ILLINOIS DRAGWAY”]
LOVE THE BANGSHIFT. BUT…PHOTOS OF DRAG CARS DOING BURNOUTS. A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY.
Great stuff as usual, Greg.
Love the variety….
Thanks for your coverage of CID. My grandfather, W. D. Frye, built this racetrack in the late 1960s, and owned it until his death in 1991. I still live on his farm just a mile down the road. Just before the current owner, Frank Hutto of Coloroado, purchased the track a few years ago, the track’s future was very questionable. He has done an amazing amount of work rehabilitating the track, grounds and equipment. I love to hear the roar of the cars, and am thankful for Franks involvement in CID. Again, thank you for your article, and come back to see us any time!!
Willie Larson
Very spectator friendly little track with wild cactus growing in Illinois.
Hot tip stay away from the hamburgers.
I grew up watching my dad and our neighbor bracket race a warmed over vette at CID. My first pass ever was down the right lane there in 1999. Lots of good memories. Kudos to the new owner for keeping a local track open and turning it into a top notch facility.