All-New $10 Million Dragway 42 Set For Summer Re-Opening

As harsh of a reality as it is, these aren’t exactly financially-indulgent times that our sport is in. That’s not to say that the sky is falling, but track owners, promoters, racers, and even fans are simply acting with increasing caution with their expenditures. And so when a race track owner takes a leap of faith and invests heavily in a state-of-the-art upgrade to his facility in what can only be described as a calculated gamble and at a time when many would question his sanity, it’s certainly front page news.

But that’s just what Elyria, Ohio businessman Ron Matcham has done with the famed Dragway 42, and his vision is becoming ever-closer to reality.

Matcham purchased the Dragway 42 and the surrounding land in 2013 with a grand vision of constructing a truly world class racing venue and entertainment complex. The existing drag strip and all of it structures were taken down, and in came the heavy equipment to literally build a brand new quarter-mile drag racing facility from the ground-up. According to sources, the initial plan was to spend around $1 million upgrading the facility, but the bill has since soared to some $10 million.

Of course, the entire investment hinges on whether or not the fans and the racers support the track. And Matcham has given them every reason to do so. The 265-acre, IHRA-sanctioned strip will feature a racing surface with 800-feet of concrete that, when combined with the shutdown area, will stretch 4,000-feet. There are over 400 individual drains along the strip to remove rainwater, and the guardrails are higher and double the thickness of what is considered standard. A backup of every double-gauge wire needed for the timing system and scoreboards was laid to ensure a fail-safe is always in place. Over $100,000 was spent to extend the shutdown area over a protected body of water to allow for safe stopping distance. Multiple retention ponds were dug around the property to stop flooding. More than 3,000 seats were purchased from the Daytona International Speedway and will be situated along the amphitheater-style hills that line the strip. More than 6,000 bleacher seats in all, combined with the hillside seating, will make for a total capacity of over 22,000.

No stone, it seems, has been left unturned.

Dragway 42 — and more specifically, it’s owner — are certainly a rare breed in these more frugal times, when the number of drag strips closing down outnumber those being built umpteen-to-one. And when plans hardly make it beyond the drawing board for environmental, economic, or financial reasons. Nevermind the biggest hurdle of all — combative neighbors.

The all-new Dragway 42 is slated to open its gates, weather permitting, in July, with its first major event, the IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series, scheduled for September 11-13. With the Summit Motorsports Parks’ move to NHRA sanctioning years ago, the Dragway 42 will now serve as a home track of sorts for the IHRA, as West Salem is mere 30 minutes south of their Norwalk offices.