In the golden age of this fine sport, drag strips were abundant and successful. And for those who lived through that era, barely tall enough to see over the fence and cutting their teeth on the quarter mile from the day they received a drivers license, the memories of those facilities will forever be etched in their hearts. Over time, neighborhoods and business encroached on these special landmarks and far more succumbed to progress than those that survived. One of those didn’t make it was Michigan’s Onondaga Dragway.

Fore more information on the facility, visit Winter Wonderland and Onondaga Dragway.

Now it is nothing more than a stretch of weed-riddled pavement between a corn field and a horse pasture.  This facility that opened in July of 1961 carries a rich history, with the likes of Garlits, Lahaie, Muldowney, Kalitta, Beswick, and others gracing the racing surface over the years. Fans reveled in the Top Fuelers, Funny Cars, Super Stockers, and everything below and between. However, a poor economy shuddered the gates in 1978, seemingly bringing an end to the fabled track. But by 1985, plans were already in the works to reopen dormant site, but despite the great efforts of the supporters, the locals won out. Historically, these old abandoned race tracks are never reopened, and certainly aren’t rebuilt.

But now, 25 years after the latest attempt to bring the strip back to life, a group has successfully broken the mold, receiving approval to begin construction of the new Onondaga Dragway after years of lobbying and heated contests with local residents. New owner Ray Comer applied for a special permit to build the new strip in early 2010, and received clearance from the Onondaga Township board of trustee’s approved the plan on July 22nd. Comer and his team of supporters have wasted little time in getting the ball rolling to beat the harsh winter weather, with the the starting line and guardrails already beginning to take shape. Our sport doesn’t hold a very good track record when vehemently opposed by a group of whining locals, but in at least this one case, the persistence of a few spelled victory.