TRIP BACK IN TIME

It could just as easily be 1975 instead of 2005 as Troy Martin takes off in his recreation of the famous Chi-Town Hustler at Southeastern Dragway, near Dallas, GA.

Words and photos by Ian Tocher
8/18/05

For the first time in 30-odd years, the unmistakable thunder of nitro-fueled horsepower reverberated across the lush Georgia countryside Aug. 6, when Southeastern Dragway (SED) hosted its rain-delayed 50th anniversary celebration. A full slate of fuel floppers, front-engined dragsters, alcohol-burning altereds, and even a nostalgia jet Funny Car helped those with a little imagination to be transported back to when match racing reigned supreme and there was no end in sight for the fun.

Now, sadly, the noble old facility, originally known as Red’s Dragstrip when it opened in the proverbial “middle of nowhere” in 1955, appears on the verge of succumbing to the relentless advance of urban sprawl. Track operator Gene Fuller says no deal has yet been reached with the property’s owners, but offers have been tendered and a large plot of land directly behind the track’s staging lanes and burnout box has already been sold to a housing development contractor.

For the time being, though, Fuller stresses it’s business as usual at the eighth-mile strip, located no more than 40 miles from downtown Atlanta, and he’s hoping to host another big blowout Oct. 15, in addition to his weekly bracket events. “We’re going to bring back the Funny Cars, bring back the whole race,” he says. “It won’t be a 50th anniversary deal, but it’ll be a big race. I believe if we can get a date when the weather don’t kill us, we’ve got a good thing going here.”

For how much longer, though, was clearly the question on everyone’s minds.