Not long after a group of local drag racers formed the not-for-profit group NITRO (Northern Interior Timed Racing Organization) and took over as operators of Rolling Mix Concrete Raceway, they received a cheque for $5,000 to help get the organization up and running.
It came from a donor in Fort St. John, who just wanted to make sure the north central interior's quarter-mile mecca continues to thrive at Northland Dodge Motorsports Park.
"We have a great following of guys from the north who are supportive of our track and a lot of us go up there to support their track and they're just a great bunch of guys," said NITRO president Brian Barby. "We get a total of 10 cars from out west - Terrace, Houston and Smithers - but our biggest contingency of support comes from Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Grande Prairie and Beaverlodge. They love coming here and that's why we're doing what we're doing to keep the track open. If you lose a playground like this, you'll never get it back."
Car counts this season for the first two Friday night street legal race meets grew from 43 the first night in June to 54 last week and racing fans are also buying into the drag scene with crowds of more than 300 both nights. Those numbers are sure to climb this weekend when NITRO hosts its first All-Out Race Weekend, starting tonight at 6 p.m.
"I'm hoping for about 60 cars, we have a good contingency of cars coming from Fort St. John and we may be overwhelmed," said Barby.
NITRO and its six-member board took over management of the track in April from facility owner Brent Marshall. The facility has undergone $1.5 million in upgrades to the track, washrooms and timing systems since Marshall bought the track in 2012.
This year, additional down-track sensors have been installed, which give out split times at 60- 330-, 660-, 1,000- and 1,320-foot intervals, part of the $30,000 invested in track improvements this year.
The concrete surface that makes up the first 770 feet of the drag strip has been mechanically polished with a tool brought in from Indiana to smooth out irregularities left when the concrete was poured two years ago.
"The bridge deck finish wasn't really tailored to a drag strip - those who were doing it at the time thought a coarser finish would help hold the rubber better but it doesn't allow you to get it down into the nooks and crannies that make it smooth," said Barby. "This will allow us to do that."
Volunteer workers Steve Way, Bruce Backx, Mike Weinhardt and John Vlcheck spent 15 days working on the track repairs. The freshly-ground track proved slippery for the Friday night street legal racers last week and the club has been using tire drag equipment to leave a thin film of rubber.
NITRO director Darrin Meroniuk says the track grinding was a necessity for anyone who races a high-horsepower vehicle.
"Half the reason we've done the grinding of the track is there are a lot of really quick cars in Fort St. John and it's important that Prince George have them," said Meroniuk. "The more cars we can get, the better show we can put on for the spectators.
"Our facility is actually liked very well by almost every person who comes here and runs it. We've got very good washing facilities and washrooms and grass for our track pits instead of dirt. It's a very clean motorsports facility."
Rolling Mix Raceway is an outlaw track, not sanctioned by either the National Hot Rod Association or International Hot Rod Association. Barby says the club will consider that option during the off-season and determine whether it's worth it to spend the money to put Prince George back on a points series race calendar.
Friday night street legal racing will continue every weekend for the rest of the season except on long weekends. Car owners of any vehicle licenced to operate on the street are welcome to test their racing skills in elapsed time bracket racing in which slower cars are given a head-start down the track while faster cars have to wait. Drivers try to get to the finish line as close as possible to their fastest time without breaking out of the bracket (instant disqualification) by covering the quarter-mile faster than the car's posted dial-in time.
NITRO offers several classes in its Friday meets, including electronic box assisted, no box, sportsman, bike/sled and junior dragster. This year, there's a new class - teen championship, which is open to drivers aged 13-17 who get to race a street car as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian who sits in the passenger seat while they race. Teen class cars must be no quicker than 10 seconds in the first eighth-mile.
"This class is a great way to bring families together," said Barby. "The kid is going to be bugging dad to bring them to the drag strip and mom will want to come out to watch the kid run the car. As long as it's done in a safe environment and that's what we're trying to provide.
"Guys race on the track and not on the street."
