Thunder in the Valleys – The Numidia Dragway

THUNDER
T
ucked away in Columbia County is a
scenic spot that echoes thunder throughout
the valley. Numidia Dragway is a quartermile drag strip sanctioned by the National
Hot Rod Association. Each week, spectators
and participants alike can come and get
their speed fix, whether it is on Friday night
when Numidia holds its street-legal drags, or
on Saturdays and Sundays when 200 mph
racing takes place.
I came for the weekend to experience
everything the drag strip had to offer.
The first thing I noticed was the hundreds of
trailers, race cars, drivers and their families.
Parking is no problem and they let you park
right in the pits!
I walked to the top of the grandstand and
was taken in by the view. The track is on over
100 acres in the middle of the farm country of
Columbia County. You can see for miles and
everywhere you look it’s a beautiful site.
racing I saw that weekend. Anything from
nostalgic dragsters from the 50’s and 60’s
to supped-up heavy duty Ford F-250’s with
every bell and whistle you could think of.
They have a great Friday night program
where anyone can come down with their car,
motorcycle or ATV and race down the track
and go fast without getting in trouble with the
law . . . maybe next visit I will see just how
fast our minivan will go!
Watching the junior street class races totally
blew my mind. This class of races are for
drivers ages 13-16. They run one-eighth of
a mile as opposed to the full quarter-mile
and cannot go down the strip in under nine
seconds or faster than 75 mph. They do
not race for points or a championship
either, but there are trophies
awarded to the top finishers as
well as cash. I was just
in the Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
amazed at watching the kids compete. I bet
over half of them can drive better then my
wife!
it’s moving about 1.5 football fields per
second. WOW is all I can say. It is definitely
a must see.
Now, I have to say all the racing I watched
was spectacular . . . BUT, my absolute
favorite part of the weekend was seeing
the jet engine car. Called the “Cannon
Ball Express,” this car was from a 1951
McDonnell F2H U.S. Navy “Banshee” Korean
War Fighter and had a Westinghouse J34-34
engine and a 6,500 lb. Thrust Afterburner.
The car uses over 26 gallons of diesel fuel
per run. That’s approximately 105 gallons to
the mile! It averaged just under 300 mph.
Just to put it in perspective . . . at 270 MPH
There is also more to Numidia Dragway than
just drag racing though. Special races and
car shows take place throughout the year as
well as fireworks on the 4th of July.
I was surprised to see how family orientated
the track and grounds were. There was a
playground where the kids could have fun on
a swing set or play in the sandbox. With a
souvenir stand and a concession stand that
serves great food, an entire day can be spent
at the track in comfort.
To sum it up. . . the racing is fast;
the scenery is gorgeous; food
is excellent; and the blue
birch beer is cold!
Numidia
Dragway
:
10 Drags
trip Roa
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Numidia,
PA 17858
I was blown away at the shear variety of
570.799.50
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ragway.n
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Article By Bob DiMino & Bob
Rush. Photo by Bob Rush.
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1.800.847.4810
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