NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Four tracks owned by racing businessman Ozzy Moya have joined the NHRA Member Track Network and will be part of Division 2. Orlando Speed World Dragway in Orlando, Fla., Lakeland Drag Strip in Lakeland, Fla., South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil, Ga., and Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Fla., will join the Southeast Division. 

Orlando Speed World Dragway and Lakeland Drag Strip are proud to announce their return to the NHRA family, which will reignite a 50-year partnership for both facilities -- two of the oldest continuously operating dragstrips in Florida -- with the NHRA.

Orlando Speed World Dragway opened as Central Florida Dragway in February 1966, and Lakeland Drag Strip opened for business in April 1970. Both tracks have hosted some of the greatest racers in drag racing and have etched their history in the minds, hearts, and communities in which they were born. They have been the sites of world records and the triumphs and tribulations that are a part of racing, and they have created a new genre of street legal racing that has stormed the world. Generation after generation has come to watch, race, and witness the awesome spectacle that is NHRA Drag Racing.

Emerald Coast Dragway is 15 minutes west of Crestview, Fla., and 35 minutes north of Fort Walton Beach and Destin. The facility closed in November 2011 and was purchased by Moya and Bob Brown in 2016. The track, well-known as a family-friendly facility with a loyal following of competitors, has been resurfaced; had concrete guardwalls installed; and has new lighting, PA system, timing system, and scoreboards and refurbished electric plug-ins for the pits. Also, the control tower has been rebuilt and modernized. A full schedule will be announced soon.

South Georgia Motorsports Park, a 350-acre facility north of Valdosta, Ga., has long featured a full schedule of events for area racers. The multipurpose facility features a quarter-mile dragstrip and a half-mile dirt oval. The track has played host to countless events, including NHRA division meets, NHRA bracket finals, major drag radial events, SCCA road-course events, multiple big-money bracket races, and car shows. The track is the home of the Division 2 NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals champions for five years in a row, from 2009 to 2013.

“The sister tracks of the Lakeland Dragstrip and Orlando Speed World Dragway are happy to be back in the NHRA family as well as Emerald Coast Dragway and South Georgia Motorsports Park,” Moya said. “The past 50 years of history are only a gateway to the next 50 years of fulfilling the dreams that Wally Parks started and that every racer who has followed since have shared. It is good to be home again.”

“We happily welcome these four tracks into the NHRA Member Track Network,” said Rich Schaefer, Division 2 director. “The passion and determination that Ozzy and his group bring to the NHRA and his family of tracks is second to none. We are excited to work with them going forward.”  

As NHRA-sanctioned tracks, the facilities will be eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Jr. Street, and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. Additionally, the track has the opportunity to host NHRA’s specialty events, including the NHRA National Dragster Challenge, NHRA Summit King of the Track, and NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge, where racers compete for the coveted Wally.

NHRA’s Division 2, the Southeast Division, features tracks from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico. Division 2 facilities host NHRA-sanctioned competitions throughout the year along with countless other events for the heartiest of drag racing competitors and fans. For more information, including schedules, points standings, and more, go to the Division 2 website, NHRADiv2.com.