As anyone with any knowledge of the history of drag racing knows, our great sport – at least in its organized form – was virtually born on the west coast in the early 1950’s. But by the late 50’s, the phenomenon had swept across the country and in 1959, what is described as the birth of east coast drag racing took place in Montgomery, New York. There, a local airport was being used to hold quarter mile acceleration races. Hot rodders in the area were reveling in the fact they they too could take part in what was happening all over the country.

For more information on the history of Dover Dragstrip, log on to www.doverdragstrip.com.

Images courtesy: Doverdragstrip.com

One weekend, a man named Mark Mastriani and members of the Danbury Modifiers car club joined a fella’ named named Chet Anderson to hit the drags. Anderson was enamored with what he saw, and the very next day was out looking for a parcel of land to build a legitimate drag strip. He tracked down and purchased 144 acres of farmland in Wingdale, New York and entered a partnership with Joe Archiere to help clear and develop the land.

The Dover Dragstrip opened its gates on May 14, 1961 with the help of the Danbury Modifiers, who played the role of crew and inspectors. Interestingly, the night before the track opened, James “Grover” Grove slept in his ’59 Pontiac at the gate to the first person in, thus becoming the tracks first paying customer. And he still has the ticket.

The track was sanctioned by the NHRA for just one season, due mostly to a large drop off the left side of the shut down area and inadequate guardrails that didn’t meet the NHRA’s insurance standards. Nevertheless, Dover Dragstrip became the place to be for racers across several nearby states. The facility had a relatively short lifespan, opening in ’61 and meeting its demise in 1976. But in those 15 years, Dover Dragstrip forged some great history and left behind a trail of memories that racers from the era will never forget.

The track was sanctioned by the NHRA for just one season, due mostly to a alrge drop off the left side of the shut down area and inadequate guardrails that didn’t meet the NHRA’s insurance standards. Nevertheless, Dover Dragstrip became the place to be for racers across several nearby states. The facility had a relatively short lifespan, opening in ’61 and meeting its demise in 1976. But in those 15 years, Dover Dragstrip forged some great history and left behind a trail of memories that racers from the era will never forget.