Ft. Wainwright/Racing Lions Drag Strip (Fairbanks)

The Midnight Sun Drag Race Association held the first organized drag race in interior Alaska on the fort’s south runway on Sunday, July 4, 1971, with permission from the fort commander, Brig. Gen. Charles M. Hall. Three thousand people watched 120 entries, about half of them from bleachers put up for the day. Racing used NHRA class rules on a quarter-mile section of runway with a mile of shutdown. Winners shared $1,000 in prize money plus trophies, and Darrel L. Coker of Anchorage took top eliminator in his ‘55 Chevy. A second race planned for August 29 was canceled because the fort wasn’t available. Races followed on Saturday, July 15, 1972, and Saturday, July 14, 1973. Admission was free, with donations accepted, and racers’ entry fees covered the costs. In at least 2009 and 2010, the Lions Club sponsored an annual drag race on the fort runway.