New England Dragway South at Norwood Arena
Nothing leftNothing left No longer racing, and nothing of the track remains.
- Built in a speedway parking lot
- Hosted an AHRA Grand American divisional points race on May 24, 1968
- Raced
- 1966-69
- State
- Massachusetts
- What's left
- The site was redeveloped and nothing of the strip remains.
- First race
- August 12, 1966
- Track
- 1/10 mile, then 1/8 mile from 1967
- Location
- Parking lot of Norwood Arena, Route 1, south Norwood
- People
- Carl Merrill, racing director (1966)
- Sanction
- AHRA
- Elevation
- 53 ft (16 m)
- Coordinates
- 42.17135, -71.19234
A tenth-mile drag strip was built for $35,000 in the parking lot of Norwood Arena, a quarter-mile stock car oval on Route 1 in south Norwood. It opened Friday night, August 12, 1966, with Carl Merrill as racing director, and raced every Friday, at first for street machines only. Motorcycle drags on Wednesday nights started in October 1966. After that first season the track spent $200,000 to lengthen the strip to an eighth mile, reopening Friday, July 21, 1967.
Two racers ran off the end and over the embankment, which showed the shutdown was too short. Before the 1968 season it went from under 900 feet to 1,500 feet, which meant moving the staging area back 300 feet, rebuilding it, and buying land at the far end. An AHRA Grand American divisional points race ran there on May 24, 1968. Noise complaints sank the track, likely helped along by a few jet dragster exhibitions.
More in Massachusetts
- Closed No longer racing, but some of the track is still there. Beverly Municipal Airport 1954
- Closed No longer racing, but some of the track is still there. New Bedford Municipal Airport 1957
- Closed No longer racing, but some of the track is still there. Orange Airport 1954-61, 1963-65
- Closed No longer racing, but some of the track is still there. Pittsfield Municipal Airport 1957