Flashback Friday: The NHRA Plays In The Swamp

Many race tracks have come and gone from the NHRA fold over the decades for a variety of reasons, and many newer followers to the sport may not be aware that a track in their area once hosted the greats; national television and all. One of the last tracks to host an NHRA national event that is no longer on the schedule resides down in the Louisiana bayou on the outskirts of the capitol city of Baton Rouge. Beginning with the 1977 season and carrying though to 1990, State Capitol Dragway was a regular stop on the NHRA Winston Drag Racing series tour, hosting the annual NHRA Cajun Nationals where the likes of Garlits, Muldowney, Glidden, Force, McCullough, and others waged battle under the swampy humid conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86AozNvF_3w

Following the conclusion of the final Cajun Nationals in 1990, with defaulted loans on the property putting its future at stake, the NHRA actually bought the track on the courthouse steps to preserve it as a dragstrip. It was at that point however, that the sanctioning body learned of its many faults, including the lack of a sewer system, a tower and suites built atop an interstate gas pipeline, and the fact that the shutdown area was in fact owned and leased by a neighbor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhzyBsLQ3Pk

The track was eventually sold and resurfaced on a national scale in 2010 under IHRA sanction when it hosted the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam to a packed house of rabid racing fans clamoring to see nitro back in cajun country. Among the videos shared here, a slew of classic Diamond P footage from the Cajun Nationals during the 1980’s exists on YouTube for those wishing to view a little more of the NHRA’s past. And yes, in the second clip, those really are officials on horseback rushing to the scene of the Ed McCullough and John Collins Funny Car crash.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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