HOLT — Drag racing fans will have to hold out a few more weeks before the roar of powerful engines and aroma of burning rubber wafts over the Okaloosa-Santa Rosa County line, the Emerald Coast Dragway’s owners said.
“We’ve had a big delay on the timing system,” Bob Brown, one of the drag strip’s partners, said. “It threw a monkey wrench into the works. Without the timing system, the rest isn’t going to matter.”
Meanwhile, he said, repairs to vandalized facilities at the track west of Holt are nearly complete and other equipment is being installed.
“The starting boxes are done, the tower windows are in, everything’s ready to paint,” Brown said. “All the new lighting is just about all up. It’s moving right along.”
Brown said the partners are now taking applications from residents interested in working at the strip.
Because the track initially will only be open three nights a week, most of the jobs will be part-time, he said, which is perfect for people who want some extra income.
“Every position is open,” Brown said. “Everything from grounds maintenance up to help with track safety and fire workers, all tower help, food service, ticket takers, parking people, everything.”
Applications are being accepted on the group’s Facebook page, he said.
Brown said he appreciated local drag racing fans’ patience as he and his partner, Ozzy Moya, work to rehabilitate the track, which sat disused for several years, and bring it up to and beyond current safety standards.
“We’re working as fast and as hard as we can,” Brown said. “We want to see it open, too!”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holt dragstrip opening delayed