Sturgis Municipal Airport

The Sturgis Kiwanis Club sponsored drag races on the 5,000-foot concrete runway at the Union County airport. A.T.A.A. officials timed the races and every class winner got a trophy. The first race ran Sunday, October 2, 1955. At least three more followed in 1956, on July 1, August 5 and September 2, and the Kiwanis held another on August 4, 1957. On March 30, 1958, 240 racers ran in front of 3,000 spectators, and Larry Crawford had top speed of the meet at 102.3 mph in his ‘33 Ford pickup.

By 1959 races were set for the first Sunday of each month, the Road Knights car club ran them, and Bill Roberts of Nashville held the track record at 133 mph. NHRA sanctioned races there on August 6, August 27, September 17, October 1 and October 15, 1961. In 1963 races ran on the first and third Sundays, and NHRA sanctioned racing at Sturgis Dragway in 1973. The U.S. Army built the airport in 1941 for pilot training. It’s now a public-use airport two miles east of Sturgis.