 A Pontiac Can Am at the 2007 Pontiac Nationals, held at the park | |
| Location | Norwalk, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1963 |
| Former names | Norwalk Raceway Park |
| Major events | NHRA |
| Website | www |
| Surface | Concrete |
| Length | 1/4 mile miles |
Summit Motorsports Park, formerly Norwalk Raceway Park and Norwalk Dragway, is a drag racing facility located at 1300 State Route 18 near Norwalk, Ohio. It has been a National Hot Rod Association (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.[1]
In 1981, Norwalk hosted the International Hot Rod Association (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 to the facility. The Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals, held at National Trail Raceway 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.[2] However, the track was eventually shuttered for the entire 2020 season, with plans to reopen in 2021.[3][4][5]
- ^ "2018 NHRA Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "'We are starving': Summit Motorsports Park says they're opening for the 2020 season no matter what". wkyc.com. 2020-04-16. Archived from the original on 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "Summit Motorsports Park cancels entire 2020 season". sanduskyregister.com. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Summit Motorsports Park Not Opening In 2020". Dragzine. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "Summit Motorsports Park cancels 2020 season". norwalkreflector.com. Retrieved 27 June 2020.