St. Thomas Raceway Park

The St. Thomas Raceway Park is a drag racing course that is utilized both by the professional drivers of NHRA North Central Division in addition to the local amateur competitors; which spans a distance of 0.250 miles (0.402 km).

St. Thomas Raceway Park
Events = NHRA North Central Division Drag racing
LocationSparta, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates42°42′06.08″N 81°06′00.93″W
Broke ground1962 (as St. Thomas Dragway)
Opened1962 (closed in 2009 and reopened in 2010)
Length0.402 km (0.250 mi)
Turns0
Race lap record296.57 miles per hour (477.28 km/h) (Jim Epler, Jim Epler, 2018)

Summary

General information

There is a whole variety of racing events from early April to mid November (usually on a Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday afternoon). It is located near Sparta (Elgin County), Ontario, Canada and is a reasonable driving distance from the larger town of St. Thomas.[1] During the season, there is a possibility for night racing in addition to daytime racing.[1] Hours of operation are considered to be six hours long for all events while time trials generally take place 30–60 minutes after the gates open.[1] Racers on this raceway park tend to be locals who live within 100 miles (160 km) of the track in places like Tillsonburg, London, St. Thomas, Woodstock, and Windsor. The St. Thomas Raceway Park is owned by Jay & Michelle Morse.[2]

All cars must pass inspection by the in-house inspectors.[3] If a car doesn't pass inspection, it doesn't get to race that day.[3] Since the raceway is technically private property, racers who lose their cool will be ejected from the facility.[3] DOT-approved helmets are required for the races and all articles must be removed from the trunk of the vehicle.[3] All decisions (about inspection, class assignment, and qualification) are final and the staff has absolute authority.[3] Burnouts are only permitted in the specially designated "burnout box."[3]

Speed records

The fastest speed ever achieved at St. Thomas Raceway Park was done by Jim Epler on July 2, 2000.[4] He drove a Nitro Funny Car at a speed of 296.57 miles per hour (477.28 km/h).[4] Lou Perriera did the second fastest track record while driving a jet dragster at 292.19 miles per hour (470.23 km/h) on August 28, 2004[4]

References
  1. "General information". St. Thomas Raceway Park. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  2. "Ownership/staff information". St. Thomas Raceway Park. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  3. "Racing information for Mustang Day". St. Thomas Raceway Park. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  4. "Track records". Internet Archive (St. Thomas Dragway's old web site). 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
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