Atlanta Dragway on Road to Return with IHRA Behind It
When NHRA closed Atlanta Dragway in Commerce GA in 2021, there was plenty of sadness to go around. A favorite of racers, the dragstrip wasn’t getting all the love it needed from NHRA. As a result, Banks County has been quiet after 46 years of loud engines and economic advantages from the visiting racers and fans.
Now it looks like the circuit will be reopening, as the county’s Board of Commissioners could side with the people that have been working to restore the facility. At a February 10 meeting, many of the speakers – of all ages – voiced support for a conditional use permit so that the 318-acre facility could return to its original use as an operating dragstrip; the vote was unanimous in favor of restoring the track to its previous glory.
There is a single condition attached to the approval and that is to start all competition after 12PM on Sundays, thereby allowing a local church to hold services in relative silence. The track, should it return to its original use, will have to align with modern zoning standards, but that doesn’t appear to be any kind of issue. With a county population of close to 21,000, the fact that around 300 people came to the Banks County Planning Commission meeting to ask for this approval is a great sign for the return of straight-line racing to northern Georgia.
The track, should it gain full approval for resurrection, will be part of the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) family. Among those that spoke with the Commission were Scott “Woody” Woodruff, IHRA’s chief operating officer: “I’m here from the IHRA and just really wanted to say we’re encouraged about the property possibly being rezoned for future use, to help bring back the racetrack and safety to the area,” he said. “Obviously there’s a lot of passion in this room; we intend to do good things if good things happen!”
Most of the public speakers discussed the economic values of reopening Atlanta Dragway, talking about the ripple effect of having a large gathering in Banks County. It would fill hotels, restaurants and return shopping to the corridor that abuts I-75.
There’s also the aspect of usage outside motorsports, as a swap meet operator who came to the Commission meeting noted: “I put on the Northeast Georgia Swap Meet 12 times a year at the Atlanta Dragway,” Brad Ocock said. “My swap meet brought about 25,000 people annually. The Southern Nationals,” he noted, “brought between 30,000 and 50,09090 annually.” Ocock spoke to NMCA events, Bracket finals and reminded that the local economy thrived with these races.
While the Commission approved the recommendation, the final decision belonged to Banks County’s Board of Commissioners, which met on Tuesday, February 10th and approved the recommendation. Now the job of reopening rests with the IHRA and its operators.