Four tracks owned by racing businessman Ozzy Moya, have joined the NHRA Member Track Network and all the facilities will be part of Division 2. Orlando Speed World Dragway in Orlando, Fla., Lakeland Drag Strip in Lakeland, Fla., South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil, Ga., and Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Fla., will join the Southeast division.

Orlando Speed World Dragway and The Lakeland Dragstrip are proud to announce their return the NHRA family.  As two of the oldest continuously operating dragstrips in the state of Florida, the return will reignite a 50 year partnership for both facilities with the NHRA.

Orlando Speed World Dragway opened as Central Florida Dragway in February of 1966 and the Lakeland Dragstrip opened for business in April of 1970. Over their 50 years of existence, both tracks have seen some of the greatest racers in drag racing and have etched their history in the minds, hearts and communities in which they were born. They have seen world records, the triumphs and tribulations that are a part of racing, and created a new genre of street legal racing that has stormed the world.  Generation after generation have come to watch, race and witness the awesome spectacle that is NHRA Drag Racing.

Emerald Coast Dragway is located 15 minutes west of Crestview, FL, and 35 minutes north of Ft. Walton Beach and Destin. The facility closed in November of 2011 and was purchased by Ozzy Moya and Bob Brown in 2016. The track is well known as a family friendly facility and has a loyal following of competitors. The track has been resurfaced, concrete guard walls installed, new lighting and PA system, new timing system, scoreboards and refurbishment of the popular electric plug-ins for the pits.  Also the control tower has been rebuilt and modernized. A full schedule will be announced soon.

South Georgia Motorsports Park, a 350 acre facility, located north of Valdosta, Georgia, has long featured a full schedule of events for area racers. The multipurpose facility features a quarter-mile drag strip and a half-mile dirt oval. The track has played host to countless events including NHRA division meets, NHRA bracket finals, major drag radial events, SCCA road course events, multiple big money bracket races and car shows. The track is the home of NHRA Division 2 Summit Racing Series final champions five years in a row from 2009-2013.

“The sister tracks of the Lakeland Dragstrip and Orlando Speed World Dragway are happy to be back in the NHRA family as well as Emerald Coast Dragway and South Georgia Motorsports Park,” Moya said. “The past 50 years of history are only a gateway to the next 50 years of fulfilling the dreams that Wally Parks started and that every racer who has followed since have shared. It is good to be home again.”

“We happily welcome these four tracks into the NHRA Member Track Network,” said Rich Schaefer, Division 2 Director. “The passion and determination that Ozzy and his group brings to the NHRA and his family of tracks is second to none. We are excited to work with them going forward.”

As an NHRA-sanctioned track, the facility will be eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Jr. Street and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA.  Additionally, the track has the opportunity to host NHRA’s specialty events including the National DRAGSTER Challenge, NHRA Summit King of the Track, and NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge, where racers compete for the coveted Wally trophy.

NHRA’s Division 2, the Southeast Division, features tracks from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Division 2 facilities host NHRA-sanctioned competitions throughout the year along with countless other events for the heartiest of drag racing competitors and fans. For more information including schedules, point standings and more, go to the Division 2 website: www.nhradiv2.com.

Words courtesy NHRA