City Moves Ahead
With Dragstrip Plans

By Gary M. Pinkston First published in the Record Gazette, Sept., 2000. AA/Fuel Altereds are the stars of the twice-a-year Banning Drags       BANNING - The Banning Redevelopment Agency last night approved entering into negotiations With the All American Racing company to build and operate a year-round drag-racing facility here. All American is the same company that produced this spring's successful racing event at the Banning Municipal Airport. The company's second event there, "Stagecoach to Hotrods," is planned for October.       All American proposes building a 1/8 mile racing facility on 60 acres of land directly south of the airport. With sanctioning of events by the IHRA (International Hot Rod Association) All American says it could attract one national professional meet each year while providing a year-round venue for local and Southern California amateur racers.       Beaumont Junior Dragsters Alex and Lora Berret of Team Too Cool can hardly wait for the new track to open. The annual professional race would bring thousands of visitors into the Pass for several days each year. The proposed two or three event per week amateur racing schedule would provide the area's youth an entertainment and activity known to be a positive influence. Participation in the sport gives them something constructive to do with their time, provides an opportunity for them to interact with local public safety personnel, to learn lessons about automotive safety and to gain valuable job skills in the automotive industry. Drag racing is also very often a family affair with fathers providing the experience and teaching sons and daughters the tricks of the trade.       Drag racing doesn't just keep kids off the streets on race day. Building and maintaining a race car is a time consuming endeavor requiring many hours of preparation before each competition. A racer is always working on his or her car trying to get that extra mile-an-hour and split-second elapsed time out of it.       This race facility has the potential to become a significant asset to our community but lets be clear on just what we're talking about. An 1/8 mile drag strip is not the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IHRA is not the same as the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). Names like "Big Daddy" John Garlits, Don "The Snake" Prudhome, Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowny and John "Brute" Force were not made on the kind of facility All American is proposing.       Comparing an eighth-mile track with IHRA sanctioning to a quarter-mile track with NHRA sanctioning is like comparing arena football to the NFL. Huge National events like the NHRA Winter Nationals held at the Pomona Fairgrounds each year draw three-day crowds of 100,000 people. A national IHRA event at a facility like the one proposed for Banning would draw maybe ten-thousand. An eighth-mile track is just not the kind facility on which national championships are decided and the IHRA is not the top sanctioning body in the sport.       This is not a negative comparison, however. Nor it is it any reason to not pursue this new facility with vigor. The Pass could not support an influx of tourists of the magnitude a NHRA national event would draw or even find it desirable. The scale of a weekend-warrior invasion produced by an IHRA event, however, would most certainly be welcomed by area merchants. But far more importantly, the positive impact such a facility could have on the young people of the Pass Area is an opportunity that should not be missed.       The facility would have grandstand seating on both sides of the track with a total capacity of 10,000, a professional grade racing surface and timing instruments and would include a paved pit area and facilities for vendors. The facility would be named "Drag City." More information on All American and Drag City can be found on the company's website at: http://www.drag-city.com

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