Summit Motorsports Park, formerly Norwalk Raceway Park and Norwalk Dragway, is a

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

facility located at 1300 State Route 18 near Norwalk,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. It has been a

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

(NHRA) sanctioned facility since 2007 and annually hosts the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals an NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Event and the Cavalcade of Stars, an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Regional Event. As well as the national events, the facility holds regular local competition throughout the season. Norwalk Dragway opened to the public in 1963 but lay dormant for much of the first ten years of its existence. Goodyear briefly used the track for tire testing up to 1973 when the track was sold to a joint venture between Wayne Sergeant and Bill Bader. Sergeant pulled out of the deal the following year and Bader continued as the sole owner. The track was reopened on April 28, 1974. In 1981, Norwalk hosted the

International Hot Rod Association The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is the second-largest drag racing sanctioning body in North America after the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The Carrier Era 1971-1987 The IHRA was formed in November 1970 by businessman Larr ...

(IHRA) World Nationals for the first time. It continued to host this event up to the 2006 season and had become the IHRA's flagship drag racing facility by this time. In 2007, Ohio-based automotive parts company Summit Racing Equipment purchased the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

to the facility. The Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals, held at

National Trail Raceway National Trail Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip located between Hebron, Ohio, Hebron and Kirkersville, Ohio, Kirkersville, Ohio, Ohio, USA, off of U.S. Route 40 in Ohio, U.S. Route 40. The race track is located about 30 minutes east of Columb ...

in Hebron, Ohio between 1972 and 2006, found its new home at Summit Motorsports Park in 2007. In preparation for the facility's NHRA debut, millions of dollars were spent in upgrades and renovations. In 2008, the last NHRA national event to run the nitromethane classes to 1320' was held here. Since this race, nitromethane classes have only been contested to 1000' to allow for more braking distance at national events. In 2020, track owner Bill Bader initially refused to shut down the track as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. However, the track was eventually shuttered for the entire 2020 season, with plans to reopen in 2021.

References

External links

Summit Motorsports Park official website
NHRA Division 3 drag racing venues Motorsport venues in Ohio Buildings and structures in Huron County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Huron County, Ohio 1963 establishments in Ohio Sports venues completed in 1963 {{HuronCountyOH-geo-stub