NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Two major facility improvements are under way at Atlanta Dragway, Georgia’s House of Speed. The venerable NHRA-owned dragstrip, which sits just northeast of downtown Atlanta in Commerce, Ga., serves as host of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15, round seven of the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

The facility recently received the first of the pair of major upgrades, the installation of a new concrete launch pad on the dragstrip. The second facility improvement, the construction of a pair of state-of-the-art Daktronics scoreboards in the track’s shutdown area, is scheduled to be completed in April, just before the national event.

A large crew of paving specialists installed the new concrete in both lanes near the starting line to help the 10,000-horsepower race cars that compete in the Mello Yello Series gain better traction during their powerful side-by-side races. Approximately 225 feet of concrete was poured and smoothed in each lane.

The tall Daktronics green scoreboards, which will be positioned on each side of the track just past the finish line, will feature the latest LED technology to provide high-performing digital displays that will flash the amazingly quick elapsed times and jaw-dropping speeds produced by NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars. Those machines cover the race distance in less than four seconds at speeds that routinely exceed 320 mph.

“These improvements will ensure that Atlanta Dragway will maintain its reputation for producing some of the quickest and fastest performances in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series,” said Mike Savage, Atlanta Dragway general manager. “The new concrete launch pad will help race teams get the most out of their tune-ups as they initiate their runs and provide some thrilling racing action for the fans. The new modern scoreboards will help race teams and spectators keep track of all of the incredible performance numbers during each race weekend.”

For tickets to the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, call NHRA’s Ticket Sales Center at 800-884-NHRA, or purchase your tickets online at http://www.nhra.com/tickets.