WINNEMUCCA — After months of meetings and compromises, the Northern Nevada Racing Association got the go-ahead from the City Council to once again host the Good Times Street Drags held in conjunction with Fifties Fever.  The council voted unanimously on Tuesday (Feb. 16) to approve the street closures necessary for the drags.

Although a long-time local tradition, the street drags became the subject of controversy after a driver crashed into a utility pole at the 2009 event.  Business owners AB and Rosalyn Beck, who own the building where the crash occurred, expressed safety concerns to the council. 

As a compromise, the NNRA agreed to put concrete barriers the entire length of the street, and the liability issues were examined and deemed appropriately addressed.

Although the Becks would have preferred the concrete barriers not be put into place until after 5 p.m. on the day of the event, to lesson the amount of traffic and time businesses were blocked by semis and workers putting the barriers into place, that didn’t fly with council members.

“Their event is Friday evening --  that’s not even being reasonable,” Councilman Paige Brooks pointed out.   

Speaking to safety issue the NNRA was Joel Murphy who outlined some of the precautions taken by the organization to ensure – as much as is possible – the safety of the drivers and spectators.  For example, some of the bigger cars don’t race but merely make a pass.  Murphy commented, “Those are the cars people want to see, so it’s a happy medium.”

The group has made safety a priority to ensure the continued success of the event.

Steve Dolphin, vice-president of the NNRA, told SPJ the drags have changed over the years as the cars have become more powerful.  He said the original drags the group hosted were intended to be nostalgic and at that time the average participating car had about 400-500 horsepower with the elite at 600-horsepower engines.

Times have changed. Now there are participating cars with 1500-horsepower capabilities.  In the future, he said, the group may have to establish a ceiling as the cars get bigger and faster.

While there has been some talk of moving the drags out to the race track, there is considerable support from business owners in the Potato Rd./Trader’s Way area to keep the drags in town.  It was noted that most of the events hosted by the community are organized for downtown – including the parades. 

The Good Times Street Drags are one of the few events, along with the 44-Tournament, held on that end of town.