During the New England Dragway 50th Anniversary celebration, stalwarts like (L-R) Don Roberts, Jack Doyle, Gil Corraine, and Dave Riley were honored.

With tales of yore, Dragway announcers past and present entertained the crowd for hours during the anniversary celebration on Saturday, Sept. 10. In September of 1966 the drag strip known as New England Dragway opened its gates and the adventure that is drag racing began for the New England region. Oh, the stories this track could tell if the asphalt could talk!

Most of that original black top is gone, as the track today is a modern premier racing facility with concrete now in place where the front engine dragsters once pounded the pavement. However, the original return road is still intact at NED. That was once the “Hot Start” road where the front engine dragsters of Don “The Snake” Prudhome, Shirley Muldowney, TV Tommy Ivo and even Big Daddy Don Garlits once roamed. Their cars were push started down that road to the starting line where the tire smoking, thundering burnouts took center stage.

The famous Bruce Larson “USA-1” Camaro was a huge hit with the crowd at the 50th anniversary. Many of the fans from the early days of New England Dragway remember this car.

Yes, if that same nitromethane and oil soaked pavement could talk, ah, the tales it could tell. The Boston Strangler Funny car, Bruce Larson’s USA 1 Camaro, The Custom Body F/C, Jungle Jim Liberman and Jungle Pam, they all entertained the New England faithful. Oh the dragsters too! The King & Marshall Car, Tommy Ivo’s digger, the Jade Grenade, the list can go on for days of the cars and history that is part and parcel to the make-up of New England Dragway. Five decades worth of drag racing history resides within the cardboard boxes that are part of the records of track operations dating back to 1966.

The track has changed sanction affiliations many times as the business of drag racing evolved with the sport. The AHRA, the IHRA, and of course the NHRA all had a hand in shaping the track we now know today as New England Dragway.

In 2013, with millions of dollars of renovations and decades of development, the New England Dragway facility for the first time became home to the NHRA big show known in 2016 as the Mello Yello drag racing series. While there was more than one 32-car Funny Car spectacular in the 1970s, it was not until the modern era that the NHRA big show actually came to NED.

June 21, 2013, when the NHRA New England Nationals brought John Force and the entire NHRA big show to the track was the apogee of success for the staff and fans. The track has had many a success to its credit and the show that was the 50th anniversary was but one more jewel to add to its crown.

For the start of the 50th event, threating skies with thundershowers in the region kept some fans at home and caused a few hours of rain delays during the event, but the racers, staff and fans soldiered on. The main event kicked off promptly at 6 p.m. with everyone standing and singing the National Anthem as they always do. Not one fan remained seated during the performance.