Roughly 100 racers made their way to Tucson鈥檚 far east side Saturday night for Tucson Dragway鈥檚 first 鈥淭ake it to the Track鈥 night, an initiative that encourages street racers to compete in a controlled, safe environment.
The 鈥済rudge races鈥 took place at the top end of the track, dubbed 鈥淏eyond 1320.鈥 The stretch is meant to simulate a real street race, with asphalt, flashlight starts and water burnouts.
Saturday鈥檚 event drew mostly new faces, according to track manager Matt DeYoung, along with representatives from the Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff鈥檚 Department, Rural Metro Fire, Corona de Tucson Fire District and AMR Ambulance.
Part of the goal of the program is to 鈥減ut faces to the badges鈥 and help racers realize that first responders are more than just the flashing blue and red lights, DeYoung said.
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Before it even launched, 鈥淭ake it to the Track鈥 had already gained the support of local business owners and law enforcement, especially in light of a recent uptick in illegal street racing.
One sponsor is encouraging racers to post 鈥渃all-outs鈥 on the Tucson Dragway website and challenge their friends and competitors to race.
For those who call-out, Larry H. Miller Dodge Ram will pay half of the racer鈥檚 $40 track pass. The race鈥檚 winner will get a free racer track pass for the next Wednesday or Friday night event.
鈥淲hat can you go to in town and pay $20 to go do? That鈥檚 4 hours of running down the drag strip,鈥 DeYoung said.
Dragway officials have been talking to street racers for some time now. Racers told them they often spend hours driving around town looking for places and people to race.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what really made us really think, 鈥楬ey, we need to do this,鈥欌 DeYoung said. 鈥淏ut the question was, how do we make this something they鈥檙e going to want to be involved with? And that was our thought, if we do a call-outs page, there鈥檚 an incentive.鈥
It was an easy sell for Larry H. Miller general manager Stacy Barnett, who has been a racer his entire life.
鈥淚 love racing. And I have raced on the streets before,鈥 Barnett said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 52 now and I鈥檓 a little older, so I shouldn鈥檛 be doing that anyway.鈥
Law enforcement officers, many of them gearheads, were on hand for Saturday鈥檚 drag races. They clocked the racers using their radar guns.
Barnett knows first-hand how dangerous street racing can be. He has lost friends to street-racing crashes.
The dragway is safer by comparison.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a safety crew there, it鈥檚 on a regular street and there鈥檚 a flashlight start just like you鈥檙e on the street,鈥 Barnett said. 鈥淚f you go off the road, you hit a little barrier. It鈥檚 not like you go off the road and hit a tree or another car.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to ruin your life racing and injuring someone, especially an innocent bystander,鈥 Barnett said.
Saturday night鈥檚 鈥淭ake it to the Track鈥 event saw TPD officers delivering those flashlight starts, with sheriff鈥檚 deputies standing by to clock speeds on their radar guns.
鈥淚t was nice to see the racers and law enforcement all together,鈥 DeYoung said.
鈥淭he racers enjoyed knowing that the officers were there to just support, and had no other intentions.鈥
Most of the first responders that showed up are gearheads themselves, DeYoung said, and the dragway already has a sizable law enforcement following.
鈥淭hese are really just guys that like cars and racing, too,鈥 DeYoung said.
The next Take it to the Track event is scheduled for March 19. Details can be found on the Tucson Dragway鈥檚 website.
