Feeling the need for speed after that deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan? Then head to Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Ga., on Saturday for the Doug Foley Drag Racing Experience.
The traveling road show and school gives fans an opportunity to learn more about the sport in a safe and fun setting, said Tony Dinning, the organization’s corporate sales representative. The event is free for spectators, and some might get a chance to drive or ride in a dragster, depending upon availability.
He said the dragster experience is the perfect outlet for adrenaline and speed junkies.
“It’s just the thrill of motor sports, the adrenaline rush of feeling the G-forces of the cars,” he said. “It’s the equivalent of a fighter jet launching off an aircraft carrier. It’s got that kind of thrust. The 0-to-60 (mph ratio) is somewhere around the neighborhood of 4 seconds, and it goes 0-to-100 in about 6 seconds.”
Based in Mooresville, N.C., just outside Charlotte, the Doug Foley Drag Racing Experience tours all over the country and was recently in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Irwindale, Calif. Saturday marks its first stop at the Reynolds track.
Dinning said the outfit routinely stages special events for large companies, and corporate groups are expected at Silver Dollar Raceway. Rides could open up to the public around 11 a.m., with limited driving possibilities in the afternoon. But both programs involve significant cost.
“These cars are the fastest NHRA will allow us to go without going into licensing for a dragster program,” he said.
The 10-second, quarter-mile dragsters rolled out Saturday get up to about 130 mph. The top speed is 150 mph in the 9-second car.
Foley, who runs in the NHRA Full Throttle Series, drag racing’s top tier, headlines the Experience. A few years ago, he won a national event under the IHRA banner at Silver Dollar Raceway.
Dinning said other pro drivers from lower NHRA divisions are scheduled to appear Saturday. Local drag racers will bring their own rides for “test-and-tune” runs in the afternoon.
