Grand Valley Drag Strip (Moab)

Jaycee-sponsored teen drag races had been set for May 23, 1964, but were called off when it looked like Moab could get NHRA sanction. The first NHRA-sanctioned race was held on October 10, 1965, on the runway of the old abandoned Moab airport (also called Grand County or Spanish Valley), eight miles south of town, which had a single paved 5,200-foot runway running northwest-southeast. The Grand Valley Racing Association ran it. There were 42 entries from Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and 500 spectators, and the Stephens & Grimsley A/D from Grand Junction won top eliminator with a 10.88. The second race was Sunday, November 14, 1965, with 75-cent admission, $3 entry and skydiving between time trials and eliminations. In 1966 races ran on the second Sunday of each month from May through October. The last race of 1967 drew a big crowd to see racers like Jack Keller, whose C/fuel dragster ran 10.15 at 123.28 MPH. A big race on June 9, 1968, was to feature Mike and Bob Stanford’s Cougar funny car from Salt Lake against the Doak Brothers from California, but the Doak car had engine trouble and couldn’t run. Dean Hofhdinf’s “Tijuana Taxi” funny car went 174 MPH. The first night races were held on Saturday, June 7, 1969. The strip got a new surface for the 1976 season and was NHRA sanctioned in 1979.