DRAG RACING: ‘Bristol Dragway’ for Fans of All Ages

By Allen Gregory
Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: May 21, 2008

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Bristol Dragway is one of the most historic facilities in motorsports.

Since the opening event in 1965, all the top stars and their cars have competed at the ear-popping track dubbed Thunder Valley.

David McGee knows the colorful story, and he’s eager to share it.  The longtime Bristol-based racing official, journalist, announcer and historian recently compiled a 200-page book titled “Bristol Dragway.”

Published last year by Arcadia Publishing, McGee’s work takes readers on a fast photographic journey through the track’s trend-setting early years, along with its central role in the success of the rival International Hot Rod Association and the multi-million rebirth after current owner Bruton Smith took over in 1996.

“When we began working on the [Bristol Motor Speedway] book back in 2005, it was quickly apparent that there also needed to be a dragway book,” McGee said. “Thunder Valley has such great history and has played such a significant role in the evolution of the sport of drag racing.”

McGee spent countless hours culling together many classic and even rare black-and-white photos.

“The book took about a year to complete,” McGee said. “About six months were devoted to looking for the right images to tell the story.

“I probably reviewed about 10,000 photos from a number of sources before selecting the 200 that made the book. A lot of time was also spent researching and verifying information and identifying participants.”

From Don Garlits, Bob Glidden and Connie Kalitta to John Force and Greg Anderson, McGee also provides readers with plenty of facts, figures and anecdotes on the icons of drag racing.

“Though the book is primarily photographs, I tried to include enough information in the photo cutlines to help readers both understand what is going on in the picture, but what larger significance that person, car or event may have had,” McGee said.

Many drag racing competitors and fans speak of Thunder Valley in reverential tones. For some in the motorsports community, Bristol Dragway is valued just as much as Bristol Motor Speedway.

Carved into a mountainside in 1965, the orginal version of Thunder Valley was billed as the “most modern” drag strip in the world, with its four-story timing tower with accommodations for VIPS, officials and the news media, expansive paved pit area and state-of-the-art racing surface. The original track also sported massive concrete grandstands that put fans right on top of the action.

“There are only a few drag strips that can be known by just one name — Lions, Indy, Englishtown and Bristol,” McGee said. “Mention those four and nearly any drag racing fan in the world can tell you a story related to each.

“There were many times when drivers used a win at Bristol as a springboard to a championship or their showing at Bristol represented a career highlight.”
McGee said the response to his work was “overwhelmingly positive.”

“Thunder Valley doesn’t attract the volume of fans the speedway does, but it still has a national and international following among race fans,” McGee said.

And though some fans and observers feel that the business and civic leaders fail to recognize the national impact of Thunder Valley, McGee feels drag racing remains a vital part of the community.

“In its early years, major drag racing events [in Bristol] attracted larger crowds than the NASCAR races at the oval track,” McGee said.

... “I don’t think local folks take [drag racing] for granted but we’ve all gotten used to the massive onslaught of people around the NASCAR races, so large drag races are still notably less people.”

Over the past eight years, the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals have attracted crowds in the 40,000 range at Bristol Dragway. Though those attendance figures pale to the sellout throngs of over 160,000 for Sprint Cup events at BMS, McGee feels that professional drag racing continues to evolve and improve its efforts to package and market itself.

“The old IHRA races used to drag on for hours, but NHRA has done a good job refining its show,” McGee said. “There is so much competition for the entertainment dollar and so many demands on people’s time, the sport needs to be condensed.

... “Remember too, the NASCAR races here draw fans from all 50 states and 12 foreign countries. I don’t know the latest demographics, but I suspect the vast majority of the [drag racing] fans live within a 300- or 400-mile radius. When the [Bristol] race ever has a clear, dry weather forecast and three rain-free days, I bet the fan turnout will be amazing.”