Motorheads Performance
There is just so much to do and see here in South Central Texas. For auto enthusiasts, there are so many great places to go for a day of pure fun. And, for those in San Antonio and the surrounding area, we have a great one right in our own back yard. The San Antonio Raceway is right on the outskirts of San Antonio in Marion, Texas.
This Saturday, July 21st, the San Antonio Raceway will be holding the Summit Super Series Bracket Index. This quarter mile racing event is guaranteed to have some spectacular runs which will get the spectators on their feet. Gates open at at 5PM, with time trials starting at 6PM. Eliminations continue through to the final runs by 11PM. You'll see a variety of race cars including prostreet, top fuel, altereds and dragsters. One of the things that we love about attending events at San Antonio Raceway (SAR) is the great casual atmosphere. You can walk around the pits, talk to owners and racers, take a close look at the cars, and smell the nitrous! Although everyone takes their racing serious, it's a friendly competition where teams will actually help each other out. SAR attracts a great groups of racing enthusiasts who are friendly, and always willing to share a story or two with those interested.
Throughout the year, SAR holds several big events, which have included IHRA and NHRA National events, Clash of the Titans , Nostalgia Drag Cars, Street Light Challenge, Winter Brawl, Power Cruise, Nitro Jam, the Super Chevy Show (always a fantastic weekend of fun as it includes a great classic car show), and many more specialty events are held throughout the year and are definitely worth seeing. April 2012's Nitro Jam proved to be one of the biggest crowds in SAR history with staging lanes and bleachers filled to capacity and enthusiasts stacked four deep on the fence! This was a night of racing that featured just about every kind or race car that could be lined up for the drag strip.
On a more regular basis, San Antonio Raceway holds "Midnight Madness" events each month, where racing starts at 6PM and continues through midnight. This month, it'll be held on Saturday July 28th. You usually see a great variety of racing vehicles, and tremendous racing. There's really nothing like night racing!
For those that like watching non-professional racers, want to see the action more frequently, or like smaller crowds, try attending SAR's "Test & Tune" events every Wednesday and Friday thoughout the season 6-11PM and 6-midnight respectively. These are fun events where you can catch street cars competing for the best time in addition to casual racers and the pros all in one night. If you're a truck fan, every 2nd Friday of the month they hold bracket racing for gasoline and diesel trucks. Smokefest, Grudge Racing, Battle of the Brands, Import Night and Motorcycle Shootout are some of the other special racing events. If you're part of a car club or group that would like to have a place to race legally you can even contact SAR management for information about getting time for your group into a Test & Tune or with some limits, even a Friday or Saturday event!
How did San Antonio Raceway start? San Antonio Raceway has been owned and managed by Todd Zampese for well over 10 years. He built a great facility, and over the years was able to attract a lot of big name events, promoters and racers to San Antonio Raceway. In 2008 following a dispute with the IHRA which resulted in a break with the IHRA in 2009. IHRA issues were resolved and in 2010 Zampese leased out the raceway to Freddy Cruz, who took over management and daily operations. Since then, Cruz has expanded events and affiliations at the drag race facility, and apparently has big plans as he has added quality races to the lineup.
We look forward to future years of competive, fun racing at San Antonio Raceway. We hope you'll take the time to visit an event. For those not familiar with drag racing, Guy Algar will be writing on the different types of drag racing and how it all works in an upcoming Classic Car News article. Guy has been an avid drag racer since his youth, at one time participating in a team of regular racers. His shifting skills in drag racing led to a couple of trophies and a tempting offer to join a race team as a driver. Since founding his repair and upgrade shop he does not have the time to pursue regular racing anymore, but does look forward to a pass or two with his '55 Belair.
We hope to see you at the drag strip!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrea L. Algar is co-owner of a classic car performance and restoration design shop in Leesville, Texas. Motorheads Performance specializes in repairs, maintenance, performance upgrades and restorative work on cars and trucks from the 1920’s through 1970’s. Her husband Guy L. Algar is a Mechanical Engineer with over 25 years experience. He holds 5 ASE Certifications from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence and has been working on old cars and trucks for over 37 years. Together they share their passion for old cars and trucks with other enthusiasts from around the country.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrea L. Algar is co-owner of a classic car performance and restoration design shop in Leesville, Texas. Motorheads Performance specializes in repairs, maintenance, performance upgrades and restorative work on cars and trucks from the 1920’s through 1970’s. Her husband Guy L. Algar is a Mechanical Engineer with over 25 years experience. He holds 5 ASE Certifications from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence and has been working on old cars and trucks for over 37 years. Together they share their passion for old cars and trucks with other enthusiasts from around the country.
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