HOLT — The roar of engines and the squeal of tires on concrete is back at the Emerald Coast Dragway on Garner Landing Road just west of Holt.
First opened in 1998, the drag strip went through several owners before it closed in 2011. New owners Ozzy Moya and Robert Brown purchased the track last year and have made significant renovations, including a resurfaced track, new concrete guardrails, a new timing system and scoreboard.
Weather permitting, the track is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays for racers to test their mettle, and metal, on the 1/8-mile strip.
"With the Super Pro Class cars, it's not uncommon to see one running over 200 mph for 1/8th mile," General Manager Jim Knight said. "They're probably running close to 100 mph in the first 100 feet."
Super Pro Class cars are heavily modified sport engines of 500 to 650 cubic inches. They burn up the track on 15-inch wide racing tires, called slicks.
However, Emerald Coast Dragway is not just for big-block behemoths from Detroit. Racing categories also include street-legal cars, motorcycles and a junior dragster division for ages 6-17.
"I'm just here to have fun," automotive writer Lucas McGlamery said recently as he stood near his 1991 Honda CRX, waiting for his turn to race. McGlamery rebuilt the car's engine and added a turbocharger that yields 237 horsepower from the 1.6-liter engine.
"The best time I've been able to put down is 9.6 (seconds) at 79 mph," McGlamery said. "The car has not blown up, so it's going pretty good."
The dragstrip will continue to be open Sundays for owners to fine-tune their cars and driving skills. The first National Hot Rod Association points races start Saturday, Feb. 4.
Visit www.raceecd.com for more information on upcoming events or check Emerald Coast Dragway's Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Roar returns to Emerald Coast Dragway