A day at the drag races
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EVANSTON — A good crowd was on hand, both in terms of spectators and participants at Hypoxia Dragway this past Saturday, June 16. Brian Woodward of Hypoxia told the Herald that the official competitor’s count had not been finalized but figured about 45 vehicles took part in racing on Saturday.
“From 11 a.m. when we open to 3:30 p.m., it’s open lanes for everyone,” Woodward said.
“You’ll ordinarily race against whoever you happen to be lined up against when you get to the staging lanes,” he added.
That means you may see cars running against trucks and trucks alongside modified snow-machines and everything in between, as an-yone who pays an entry fee is eligible to determine what their vehicle is capable of on the eighth-mile dragstrip, located on the site of the original Evanston airport, north of Evanston off of Highway 89.
The bracket races are where points are scored and placing is earned.
“Bracket races are the great equalizer,” Woodward explained.
Competitors will use shoe polish to write on their vehicle how fast they believe their vehicle will cover the dragstrip, so if one vehicle has a time of eight-seconds and the vehicle next to them posted a time of seven-seconds, the first vehicle will receive a jump-start of of one second, controlled by the electronic timers.
“We then randomize the racers, so they don’t know who they’ll be up against in the bracket races. And if you run quicker than what you wrote on your vehicle, you will be disqualified. That is how we prevent sandbagging. Ultimately, you want run exactly the time you wrote down,” Woodward added.
The costs are $30 for each driver, $10 for all spectators, including pit crew and concessions are available on site. Spectators are welcomed to bring lawn chairs and awnings for shade. Hypoxia Dragway will next be in action on July 14, followed by Aug. 25 and Sept. 22, and a more in-depth story will appear in a future issue of the Herald.
For more information, Woodward can be reached at (307) 679-1191. More information can be obtained on the nation’s highest track, at 6,600 feet above sea level by visiting their Facebook page.
