Indoor dragstrip

Posted By: Scamp451

Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 01:25 AM

A good friend of mine always thought it would be cool to build an indoor dragstip. I am sure it would be expensive, but I have seen tractor pulls in a hockey areana that seated less than 6000 people (boy was it loud!).

Lots of ventilation, lots of sound deadening, but it could be climate controled, the smoke around the burnout area could be drawn out from the bottom like a spray booth, the track could have cooling/heating elements underneath to keep it at a constant temp, no wind, mo precipitation or moisture, and year round racing! If it were my design, I would start with 1/8 mile and would have to limit it to certain cars (no top fuelers, or funny cars or anything crazy like that).

Sure is fun to dream about, and I am sure alot of others have thought of this, some have maybe even done it? Not that I know of, but would be neat to hear some stories if it were.

Posted By: hemi-itis

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 01:29 AM

It's not an original idea,,,,,,,,but if you build it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,THEY WILL COME!!!

Posted By: Crizila

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 01:31 AM

Amphatheatre in Chicago in the early 60's. Ran 1/8 mile drags in doors for a couple of years. Between the pillar post supports and short shut down area, too scary for me.

Posted By: Scamp451

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 01:52 AM

Quote:

Amphatheatre in Chicago in the early 60's. Ran 1/8 mile drags in doors for a couple of years. Between the pillar post supports and short shut down area, too scary for me.

That makes 2 of us!

I would think one of those US steel buildings might work well. Basically a big long pole barn of sorts. Like an indoor soccer complex but much, much longer.

If it was climate controlled, it would be the best test facility for cars because many of the conditions would stay pretty much constant. I guess barometric pressure is the most obvious variable?

I know Duster Dave is a mechanical designer so I am sure he has some ideas.

Posted By: CRE2004

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:04 AM

A guy fairly local to me was talking about doing something similar with two side by side chassis dynos and some computer program to replicate a drag race

Posted By: Coronet-R/T-Rag

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:15 AM

Man, it seems like Detroit would be full of long empty buildings that would be perfect. You know, where they used to build cars!

Posted By: Quicksilver440

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:15 AM

Quote:

A guy fairly local to me was talking about doing something similar with two side by side chassis dynos and some computer program to replicate a drag race

Someone makes and sells a chassis dyno unit that does that....my brother showed me the webste when he was looking to buy a dyno.

Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:17 AM

what if the shut down was outside? meaning you could drag the 1/8 and maybe 200-300 ft inside and finish the slow down outside??? the complex wouldn't have to be as big.

Posted By: Runner

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:19 AM

Quote:

Quote:

A guy fairly local to me was talking about doing something similar with two side by side chassis dynos and some computer program to replicate a drag race

Someone makes and sells a chassis dyno unit that does that....my brother showed me the webste when he was looking to buy a dyno.

doesnt sound very exciting to me.

Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:39 AM

Quote:

what if the shut down was outside? meaning you could drag the 1/8 and maybe 200-300 ft inside and finish the slow down outside??? the complex wouldn't have to be as big.

LOL... you ever tried to slow a car down even on a
damp track ... it gets real scary.... just put the
shut down are in a long canvas tent... nothing fancy
but it cant get wet... specially if your talking a
place thats cold or gets snow

Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:44 AM

Quote:

Quote:

what if the shut down was outside? meaning you could drag the 1/8 and maybe 200-300 ft inside and finish the slow down outside??? the complex wouldn't have to be as big.

LOL... you ever tried to slow a car down even on a
damp track ... it gets real scary.... just put the
shut down are in a long canvas tent... nothing fancy
but it cant get wet... specially if your talking a
place thats cold or gets snow

sure I can live w/ that. but hey wasn't somebody on here the other day drag racing on ice???

Posted By: rowin4

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 02:45 AM

Maybe that's where the old saying RUNNING IT OUT THE BACK DOOR came from.

Posted By: whiskeyrunner

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 03:23 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

what if the shut down was outside? meaning you could drag the 1/8 and maybe 200-300 ft inside and finish the slow down outside??? the complex wouldn't have to be as big.

LOL... you ever tried to slow a car down even on a
damp track ... it gets real scary.... just put the
shut down are in a long canvas tent... nothing fancy
but it cant get wet... specially if your talking a
place thats cold or gets snow

sure I can live w/ that. but hey wasn't somebody on here the other day drag racing on ice???

yea with studded tires

Posted By: KillerBee

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 03:25 AM

Those were the days

Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 03:37 AM

Quote:

Those were the days

I seen pics of that some time back.... I'll pass, those
pillars look pretty close

Posted By: mprrlz

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 03:50 AM

Indoor dragstrip would be cool, I agree with the above comment about the shut down area being outside, you would have to pit everyone outside so why not have the shut down area going out of the building. The building would keep the 1/8 or 1/4 mile away from the rain, only thing you would have to do then is dry the shutdown area..

What I think is even a better idea, would be to make a cover that extends from one guardrail to the other during rain or even when track is not in use. You could do it just over the racing surface or make it the entire length of the track just before the turn offs. I wouldn't think it would be hard to design, just the $$$ to design and for the tracks to purchase it..

Either way would cost $$$ and right now not sure anyone has the $$$ to do it.

Cory

Posted By: KillerBee

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 03:51 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Those were the days

I seen pics of that some time back.... I'll pass, those
pillars look pretty close

I've been to some dragstrips were you stand behind a guardrail that's VERY close to the cars at the starting line.
If I had a 9 second car that left real hard and out of control I would agree, but what are these heavy street/strip cars running back in the early 60's?
Probably not too many cars were wheelstanding and hitting the guardrails back then.

Posted By: Dart1031

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 04:25 AM

In that photo, there's a gaurd rail along the bottom of the pillars so you wouldn't hit them.

Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 04:31 AM

Quote:

In that photo, there's a gaurd rail along the bottom of the pillars so you wouldn't hit them.

True... I've raced on some narrow tracks but I didnt
like them either.... Mid Mich is one... its like
racing down my drive way

Posted By: Bad340fish

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 12:35 PM

Here in Tulsa OK they run Midgets(the roundy round cars not...) in side our Expo center. The whole event is inside, track, pits, everything. I think they had something like 200 cars this year or at least close. There was 3 teams from Australia that came to run the "chili bowl".

This building could maybe support an 1/8 track indoors. Its a clear span building so no supports in the middle. You could run the track down the middle and pits on both sides and down on the lower level(where the track is for the chili bowl). IIRC they had 3 rows of pits this year. Just like your IHRA or NHRA event there was 24" enclosed trailers and 53 foot stackers with 5 cars in them...all inside.

The cost for a building like this would be huge but maybe an indoor event could be done once or twice a year. The floor is just like a concrete pad

.
Best pic of the pits I could find.

This was the 24th year for the chili bowl. For the most part its a week long event with racing tuesday thru saturday.

Posted By: Crizila

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 01:12 PM

Quote:

Those were the days

That is an Amphatheatre pic. Wasn't there the day he ran, but it's a pretty famous car ( locally ). From what I can remember, I think part of the shut down arera was outside. Not sure on that. They did run midgets in doors there also on a 1/8 mile paved oval. I was 10 - 11 years old when my Dad would take me. Can still remember the fuel / casteroil smells and the smoke would hang thick in the air.

Posted By: bwdst6

Re: Indoor dragstrip - 02/03/10 01:13 PM

Oh, just find a long @ss tunnel to race in! Here...

This one is 15.2 miles long!