Beaver Springs Dragway is legendary for having many action-packed events throughout the year, and 2024 is no exception as the central Pennsylvania quarter-mile facility has a great roster of events to celebrate its 53rd year of operation.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #189, the Women of Power Issue, in July/August of 2024.]
The track typically opens in April each year with a host of test-and-tune sessions and swap meets throughout the month. May ushers in a variety of events such as 5.50/6.50 index racing, along with a Volkswagen race and swap meet. The first scheduled WDRA bracket points race happens in May as well, along with the Ford Power event, which marks its fourth running at Beaver Springs. The Southern Bracket Racing Association (SBRA) also visits in May for their first of 10 events scheduled at Beaver Springs this year.
Among the most celebrated events any given season is the Memorial Holiday Classic, which packs the stands with fans, along with huge fields of race cars over the course of an extended four-day weekend held May 24-27. Things get kicked off on Friday night with the Al Hanna Jet Car shows, featuring multiple runs by the “Eastern Raider” and “First Strike” Jet Funny Cars. Tons of other great attractions are enjoyed on Friday evening as well, including WFO, Insane 8, Wicked Bike and test-and-tune sessions that go late into the night. The popular Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racing Association (MANDRA) is among the featured attractions on Saturday, with a diverse lineup of race cars from yesteryear. MANDRA is a touring series that routinely gets booked in at tracks across the Northeast on special race weekends.
Another hugely-popular organization that’s always present at Beaver Springs on Memorial Day weekend is the Pro Stick organization, which entirely consists of manually-shifted race cars that launch hard and entertain fans with side-by-side drag racing reminiscent of days gone by. The Pro Stick group dates back to 1996, holding their first event at 75/80 Dragway in Maryland. The club was an instant hit and has grown tremendously over the years, most recently featuring 55 cars in round one at Beaver Springs.
Another great series that’s celebrating its 25th year of operation in 2024 is the North East Timing Organization (NETO), which is yet another great complement to Beaver Springs’ Memorial Holiday weekend. NETO competes on the full quarter mile and features two classes: Nostalgia and Comp. Vehicles within this organization are from 1979 and older, and features a diverse lineup of cars ranging from front-engine dragsters, Funny Cars, Altereds, gassers, Super Stockers, and Stockers. NETO joined Pro Stick and MANDRA as featured attractions on both Saturday and Sunday at Beaver Springs on this action-packed weekend.
The racing continued right on into Monday, with SBRA bracket racing and a host of other attractions. Nearly a carbon copy of this same lineup can be enjoyed later in the year at Beaver Springs, with the four-day Labor Day weekend event held August 30 through September 2.
After the fantastic Memorial Weekend came to a close, Beaver Springs switched gears the following week with the Surplus City & Butch Gummo 6th annual Mopar or No Car Race, along with the WDRA points race #4. SBRA bracket racing closes out a very busy month of June.
Early July features the Street Rods Nostalgia Nationals, NETO, East Coast Gassers, and MANDRA. July closes with the WDRA points race #8.
August 10 will be a busy Saturday at Beaver Springs, with Pack the Track and heads-up racing, along with a WDRA points race and a four-car Funny Car show.
Another favorite event happens after Labor Day weekend with the FE Race and Reunion on September 5-7. September closes out with another great event with a nostalgia slant, which includes the Jalopy Race, East Coast Gassers, NETO, Rat Rods, and Nostalgia Fixation.
October kicks off with the Beaver Blast Jr. Dragster event and Unlimited Cycle Day including ATVs and Teen Championship Racer. The track is closed from October 14-19 with the six-day running of the SBRA season finale at Maryland’s Mason Dixon Dragway. Beaver Springs is back in action the following weekend with the Halloween Ghost and Goblins race, with the final Houdini race of 2024.
The annual awards banquet is slated for November 4, which closes out the season. Beaver Springs Dragway continues to offer many different classes of competition for all skill levels and age groups. To learn more, you may visit BeaverSprings.com.
This story was originally published on August 7, 2024.
The post Diverse Lineup Highlights Beaver Springs Dragway’s 2024 Season Plans first appeared on Drag Illustrated.