Drag racing draws crowd to Claresholm airport

By Rob Vogt
It was war down at the Claresholm Industrial Airport this past weekend.
The Street Wheelers Car Club of Lethbridge hosted “Race Warz”, a one-eighth mile drag race on Saturday, Sept. 7, attracting about 100 racers and an estimated crowd in excess of 500 people.
Dean Parker is the treasurer of the Street Wheelers, and said the short answer for having the event is simple.
“We like to have fun with our cars,” he said with a smile.
Over the years, the Street Wheelers have done airport drag racing around Southern Alberta.
“We like to do it in different communities,” he said. “We thought we’d give it a chance here.”
The club was drawn to the Claresholm airport because of its layout.
The facility offers a return road. The race ran from east to west, taking a turn right to return to the pit.
So, once racers were done, they turned off, and the next pair got ready.
At other venues, the race has to be stopped for the racers to clear, before the next pair can go.
Some of the other airports the Street Wheelers have utilized include facilities at Fort Macleod, Vauxhall, and Warner.
The club also did not allow standing burnouts, as cars had to be rolling, and they regularly went out and swept the runway.
The Street Wheelers Car Club was formed in 1976, based in Lethbridge, and has about 30 core members plus a host of volunteers who help with various events.
Their biggest event is Street Machine Weekend, the second weekend in July in Lethbridge.
They also run two additional events each season.
One is a drag race at Medicine Hat.
The other is an airport drag race.
The Claresholm airport drag race already had 370 through the gates by 11:30 a.m. for the event that ran all afternoon, and attendance was expected to hit about 500.
Parker said a big part of the Street Wheelers’ events is donating back into the community that welcomes them, especially with local community support and attendance by the local fire department.
“We find ways to give back,” he said.
It was also noted there are economic spin-offs from having an event such as the drag race.
A study commissioned by the Street Wheelers showed that, over the three days of the Street Machine Weekend, about $700,000 in economic spin-offs was generated.
It is not an exact comparison, but these events do bring a benefit to the community.