Friday, December 21, 2007

Dragway 42 announced today that for 2008 racers will once again be offered the chance to compete for a national championship in the delay box and no delay box categories by racing locally in the Summit SuperSeries and track points program that will be contested on Sunday afternoons at "Northern Ohio's Place To Race For More Than 50 Years"... Dragway 42.

"It has been our pleasure to be a part of the Summit SuperSeries since its inception and we feel that the program is the strongest in all of drag racing when it comes to what it offers to local competitors," stated track co-owner Toby Ehrmantraut. "With the cost of travel increasing every year, the opportunity for racers to criss-cross the country in pursuit of a national championship is out of most racer's budgets. Fortunately, the Summit SuperSeries allows Dragway 42 racers to stay at their home track for all but two events in pursuit of a world title."

In 2007 Dragway 42 reintroduced the Sunday points program for the first time in nearly a decade as part of a split point season schedule. "The Sunday points events were very well received so we have made the decision that all of our 2008 point races will be run on Sundays," added Dragway 42's other co-owner, Jack Ehrmantraut.

For 2008 Dragway 42 will continue its tradition of scheduled events during 10 months of the year. The first event of the 51st Anniversary Season will kick off on New Year's Day with the 9th Annual Hangover Nationals. On track competition will continue with weekend programs beginning in March, then moving to a schedule of weeknight and weekend racing that gets into full swing in April.

The preliminary schedule for the 2008 season at Dragway 42 is highlighted with nearly 30 consecutive weeks where racers will have the opportunity to compete in 3 consecutive days of on-track activities while only making a single round round trip to the track as Dragway 42 offers full weekends of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday competition and free overnight camping for racers and spectators each weekend from April through October.

"We recognize that racers have choices to make when it comes to their personal racing schedules so we wanted to provide competitors with Dragway 42's general 2008 season information as early as possible. Hopefully this will assist them as they make their racing plans for the upcoming season," concluded Ehrmantraut.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

For the second time in less than a week a legend from the 50 year history of Dragway 42 has passed away.


Akron Beacon Journal

Akron native and international drag racing icon Art Arfons died Monday at age 81.

Mr. Arfons, famous for building cars called "Green Monsters" with his brother, Walt, was a three-time world land-speed record holder.

He also held the Unlimited Drag Racing Record and was a champion tractor puller.

"They built everything themselves," Mr. Arfons' nephew, Walter Arfons, said. "They were sort of self-made guys. They didn't buy anything. They were just notorious for that around Ohio."

"He liked to live life dangerously."

The brothers began drag racing at a track near the Rubber Bowl, but soon moved on to bigger stages and became stars in the mid-1950s.

Art went on to race his "Green Monsters" at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. It was there he broke the world record three times in the mid-1960s. He engaged in some famous battles with Craig Breedlove, and the world record passed between the rivals six times in two years. Mr. Arfons was clocked at 576.553 mph the last time he held the record.

"He was just a remarkable man," said Tom Melody, a retired Beacon Journal sports editor and writer. "I think it's really, really strange that Evel Knievel and Arfons are going in virtually the same week. They had some similarities. Arfons did some things that were as fearless as anything Knievel did."

Mr. Arfons, who served in the Navy during World War II, was also known for his contribution to the development of two important safety devices that have since been made mandatory for drag racers: the overhead roll cage and the parachute.

He was inducted into the Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America, International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, National Tractor Puller Association Hall of Fame and the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.

At age 13, in 1939, he raced in Akron's All-American Soap Box Derby.

"He was a good person," Melody said. "He certainly was a person this town could be proud of."

Mr. Arfons leaves his wife of 60 years, June; son, Tim; daughter, Dusty Spraggins; brother, Walt, and sister, Lou Wolfe.

Friends may call from from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Kucko-Anthony-Kertesz Funeral Home, 1990 S. Main St., where services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday.


The video linked in the Evel Knievel story below features Art Arfon's making a 200+ mph exhibition run in his turbine powered front engine dragster during the Memorial Day Weekend, 1974 event at Dragway 42.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Robert Craig Knievel Jr., better known to the world as Evel Knievel died today at the age of 69.

Immortalized in the Smithsonian Institution as "America's Legendary Daredevil", Knievel made his final United States appearance prior to the failed Snake River Canyon jump by performing an exhibition that included a jump over 10 Mack trucks as part of the "Appreciation Days" event at Dragway 42 over the Memorial Day Weekend in 1974.

Earlier that same day Evel Knievel drove the pace car at the Indy 500, then he was flown by helicopter to his Dragway 42 appearance.

Image of Evel Knievel's jump at Dragway 42 provided courtesy of the Associated Press

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Click the video player below to view Super 8 movies shot at the events at Dragway 42 over the Memorial Day Weekend in 1974. The footage includes Art Arfon's 200+ MPH, turbine powered front engine dragster; E.J. Potter's V-8 powered motorcycle; and the master showmanship of Evel Knievel.

Tuesday, November 28, 2007

About this time last year a former Ohio resident named Roscoe offered some vintage 1971 film footage from Dragway 42 to us. Over 15,000 people have watched that first video and many have asked "when will you post more"?

That "when" is now thanks to longtime Dragway 42 racer and A/Stock class champion Don Dahl. Below you will find a nearly 5 minute long production made up of footage from 1967 and 1968 racing action at Dragway 42.


Track historians will tell you that those were key years in the over 50 year history of Dragway 42. In 1967 the track moved away from NHRA and NASCAR (yes, we said NASCAR) sanctioning and became affiliated with the United Drag Racing Association.

On July 1 and 2, 1967 the U.D.R.A "Two" Two Day Summer Championships christened the world's only double drag strip. Yes, a narrow but complete second drag strip separated by a center guardrail was operated on the area in front of the current Dragway 42 timing tower.

In addition to lots and lots of stock class action you will see Wild Bill Schrewsberry in the original L.A. Dart wheelstander making two runs (plus running off the edge of the track) on July 16, 1967. You will also see Fast Eddie Schartman in his Air Lift Rattler sponsored Mercury Cyclone funny car in two exhibition runs including a match race against a top fuel dragster.

We hope you enjoy the video. Thanks go out again to Don Dahl for making this original film footage available for us to share with you.

Does anyone else have old memorabilia, movies, photos, etc. that you would like to share with the rest of the virtual Dragway 42 family? If so, please contact us through the links on the left side of the webpage.