Street racing in Detroit is apparently alive and well, so much so that the street racers themselves are asking for a drag strip. As is to be expected, no one is paying any attention to them.
In a piece published last week in the Detroit Free Press, writer Bill McGraw profiles an ex-street racer who talks alot about the history of the illegal activity on Detroit’s streets and also about the yearning that current street racers have for a dedicated strip to call their own and to take their potentially deadly activities off the streets.
We think his statement of building a strip for under $1 million may be short, but a bare bones place to race with minimal accountrements would not be a massive expense to a large city like Detroit. Saying that, we realize they are so strapped they can barley afford to keep the school system afloat, so a drag strip must be down the list.
More suprisingly, the racer who was interviewed thinks Milan is too far to drive to race. In addition to Milan, the area also has Mid-Michigan Motorplex, US 131, and Norwalk all in easy driving distance. That’s more regional dragstrips than many metro areas. So we’re thinking that no one should hold their breath for a new track in Detroit proper. Even so, it would be nice to see a return of racing right at the heart of the Motor City.
