The
people's choice in Livingston County... and beyond!
|
|
|
|
|
The
people's choice in Livingston County... and beyond!
|
||
|
|
||
Please note: More complete information about this and related subjects
can be found in our new Western New York
Travel Guide. You may wish to change your bookmarks to:
Precision is everything in drag racing. The starting gun of a swim meet
or the green flag in formula racing are stone-age compared with drag racing's
electronic Christmas tree starting lights. Some of the most intense seconds
in drag racing are spent watching those vicious little lights blink, one-by-one,
from the top red "angel," steadily down through the yellow tree
lights to the lowest bulb, the GREEN LIGHT!
Tension is high for spectators on the edge of their seats and for drivers
inching forward at the starting line. It takes a human being four-tenths
of a second to convert a visual stimulus to a motor response. Depending
on where a driver's feet, hands and head are, a race can be won or lost
simply watching the lights change to green.
ESPN will cover the Empire National Drag Races, live, at New York International
Raceway Park in Leicester, Livingston County, June 28-30.
From the grandstands, growing crowds can experience a pair of racers-from
"street" machines to specially-built dragsters generating thousands
of horsepower-as they tear away from the starting line to complete the standing
quarter mile. The race is over in seconds and you bask in a few seconds
of dead silence as two more contenders stage at the Christmas Tree.
This fast-moving, heat-to-heat pace is one of the big draws of drag racing
especially for families with young children.
In addition to being the only dragstrip in New York state with nationally
televised events, NYIRP runs a solid 80-race season making it attractive
for local drag racers (amateurs on up to regional point winners) to compete
against their peers.
Saturday nights draw up to 200 racers. "All Grounds" passes give
spectators access to the pits from the time the gates open at 2 p.m., through
the time trials and the actual races, which begin at 7 p.m. and last "until."
Grudge racing, on Wednesday nights, is NYIRP's initiation process for amateurs,
and Fridays nights are time trials where racers compete for points and trophies.
Junior Dragsters, ages 8-16, don't take a back seat to their oldsters at
NYIRP; they have their own specifications and drag racing point series,
called the 660 Club.
NYIRP's already-sizzling season is spiced with periodic exhibition races
featuring supercharged, nitro-methane burning machines that can wind out
to 200 mph+ before they pop their parachutes at the quarter-mile mark.
If you're a car or motorcycle racer who wants to have fun and make friends
while working your way up through the ranks, or if you want to leave your
mini-van in the parking lot and treat the family to a fast-moving Saturday
night, fasten your seat belt and aim for the New York International Raceway
Park.
If you go: New York International Raceway Park, Leicester. Adults, $10;
kids 6-12, $4; ages 5 and under, free. Raceway Park Info Line, 716-382-3030.
Rich Gardner of Rochester actually prefers getting around on foot.
According to
WebCounter you are the
person to answer the Clarion Call
©2000 Clarion Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This site designed by Clarion Communications.