Louisa Drag Strip

ClosedClosed No longer racing, but some of the track is still there.

Raced
1959-65
State
Virginia
What's left
You can still spot it in aerial photos, or broken pieces of the track surface remain.
On the site today
Remnants of the strip still visible
Track
1/5 mile
Location
North of Highway 22, about half a mile west of the Virginia Vermiculite mine, west of Louisa
Elevation
421 ft (128 m)
Coordinates
38.06568, -78.16386

This short strip raced a fifth of a mile and left only a tenth of a mile to stop. On November 20, 1960, Harry Southworth of Richmond was racing when his flywheel exploded. Flying debris hurt six people, four badly enough to be hospitalized, and his car only stopped when it hit the fence at the end of the strip. Well-known racers there included “Wasted” Willie Glass and “Pee Wee” Wallace. Remnants of the strip can still be seen north of Highway 22, about half a mile west of the Virginia Vermiculite mine, west of Louisa.

Video

8mm video footage of Louisa Drag Strip, April 26, 1964, 4 minutes, no sound Watch on YouTube

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