Oroville Drag Strip

The Oroville Clutchers ran NHRA-sanctioned races on a taxiway at the city airport on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. The Army Air Force had leased the airport from Oroville during the war. The first race was on July 24, 1955, with a top speed of 102.227 mph. Pete Marongiu chaired the event and managed the strip. In late August 1961 the Dunn & Dunn dragster from Eureka ran 10.23 seconds at 129 mph, and on September 9, 1962 trophies went to class winners. In the early 1960s the strip was called Oro Dam Drag Strip. By 1963, when the Ophir Coachmen car club took over running the races, it was known as Ophir Coachmen Drag Strip. On September 8, 1963, the Greenwood & Kendall B/FD set a track record at 10.41 and 144.6 mph. The Coachmen ran races through at least 1967. Later newspaper coverage is spotty, sometimes just a brief note such as a race on Sunday, July 11, 1976, and an event called the Earthquake Nationals in August 1976. Insurance closed the strip when the city demanded that Oro Dam Drag Racers, Inc. carry at least $10 million in coverage, more than the racers could afford.