NHRA member track spotlight

National Dragster, Apr 25, 2003

Track manager

Wally Duperon

Address

32670 Dyke Road Mission, BC V2V 4J5 Canada

Phone

(604) 826-6315

Fax

(604) 820-1244

Website

www.missionraceway.com

Classes

Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Snowmobile, Hot Rod, Super Shifters, Door Slammers, High School, Jr. Dragster, and Canadian Pro Street Association

Weekly schedule

Mission Raceway hosts racing events on select Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between March and October

Special events

* Lordco B.C. Nationals (Division 6 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event), May 24

* Pro Trucker B.C. Big Rig Weekend, June 7-8

* Jr. Dragster Nationals, July 5

* The Variety Club Car Club Weekend, July 12-13

* Lucas Oil Canadian National Open, July 19-20

* RE/MAX Langley Loafers Old Time Drags, Aug. 2-3

* Division 6 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, Aug. 21-24

* National DRAGSTER Challenge, Sept 21

* NHRA King of the Track/Muffler Tech Fall Jacket Meet, Oct 11-12

Track history

Since the track opened in 1992, Mission Raceway has been a mecca for premier drag racing action in NHRA's Northwest Division. The track's sea-level elevation, great customer service, and competitive racing action have made the facility a favorite for racers and fans. In recognition of its efforts, Mission Raceway was named Division 6s Most Improved Track in 1993 and Track of the Year in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997.

Mission Raceway is operated by the B.C. Custom Car Association (BCCCA), a club that has a racing history as rich and extensive as that of NHRA. Both organizations were formed in 1951. BCCCA hosted its first drag race in 1952 at Abbotsford Airport and continued to hold regular events there until the facility was taken over by the Royal Canadian Air Force five years later. Fortunately, every dollar from the club's races, car shows, and other events had been saved, and the money was used to purchase property for a permanent dragstrip in Mission in 1959. The original Mission Raceway opened six years later.

A year after becoming an NHRA member track in 1966, the track held its first NHRA World Championship Series race. Through the years, national records were set and reset at the event, including records in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

In 1978, a proposal to develop an industrial park on the track site led to the relocation of the facility and the beginning of several years of negotiations with the city of Mission over funding that was promised to the club. The dispute was finally settled in the Supreme Court of B.C., and Mission Raceway opened its new drag racing facilities on March 14, 1992.

Since reopening, the track has hosted National Open races since 1993 and divisional events since 1994 and has regained its prominence as one of the premier tracks in Division 6. The track is home to seven of the 12 representatives to the NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championships over the last three years, an indication of how talented and competitive racing is at Mission Raceway.

Track tidbits

* quarter-mile

* 300-foot concrete launch pad

* 60-foot-wide track

* extra-long shutdown area

* Compulink timing equipment

* paved return roads

* water access in pits

* showers

* 1.2-mile road course and one-mile motocross track