Funny cars and street racers will burn up a new strip of pavement coming to the Central Alberta Raceways at Rimbey this summer.
Dale Barr, promotions and events co-ordinator for the track, said on Monday that the gravel base is now down, thanks to a donation from Ponoka County, for a new drag strip that will be 20 metres longer than the one at Castrol Raceway, near Edmonton.
That doesn’t necessarily mean there will never be another sanctioned street drag on Rimbey’s Main Street, said Barr.
However, the plan is to divert drag racing to the track, which started hosting its first motorsport events in 2005 — the same year that the first street drags were run down Main Street.
While plans to build a paved oval have not yet borne fruit, the committee is moving ahead with construction of its new drag strip.
Its opening date will swing on how well the weather co-operates with the construction crews, said Barr.
His group, a subcommittee of the Rimbey Kinsmen, is now taking bids for a company to lay the pavement.
The committee is also looking for a title sponsor to help with construction and operating costs, he said.
Income from the various events at Central Alberta Raceways is used to support community projects through the Rimbey Kinsmen, so donations and sponsorships are eligible for tax receipts, said Barr.
Events will run through the spring and summer, with help from about 200 volunteers, he said.
This year’s season opens on May 13 with a mud bog, pitting stock and modified units against a specially-prepared ditch filled with thick, black goop.
Schedules, sponsorship information and other details are available online at caraceways.ca.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com