Dragway stays 'hot' even when it gets cold

Vehicles warm their tires up in the burn-out area at the dragway so the tires will grab the pavement better during the quarter-mile run. MAYFIELD TWP — Lapeer International Dragway is known as the "home of the hot ones." This time of year, the wheels are still smoking even as temperatures outside drop into the wintry zone.

The dragway finishes up its 2009 season at the end of this month. “This was our 43rd season we’ve run,” says dragway owner Ed Vakula.

Ed and his brother started the venture in 1966, opening the track in 1968. Ed now owns the dragway with his wife, Juli. They operate it along with their son, Matthew, and other crew members.

The dragway has a pair of paved strips about 4,000 feet long stretched across 180 acres of property. Cars are electronically timed from the moment they start when they get the green light until they cross the eighth- or quarter-mile mark. There’s a half-mile shutdown area at the end.

Mitchell Schlieker, a Kettering University graduate student from Fremont, Neb., took home the trophy from Saturday's Kettering competition. He drove his '85 Camaro. “A lot of people think it’s just a bunch of kids,” says Vakula. He says that actually most people with good drag cars are 50-80 years old. Some may invest $50,000 or more in their cars.

“It’s just what they like to do,” says Vakula. “They like cars and they like to race.”

Safety is the order of the day at the dragstrip. Vehicles are checked to make sure they are in compliance with safety requirements, which include roll bars and shoulder harnesses.

The dragway suffered its only fatality in the first year it opened. A top-fuel dragster broke a fuel line while it was going down the track at 180 mph. The fuel obscured the driver’s vision, and the vehicle wound up tumbling 600 ft. Vakula notes that cars are a lot safer now than they were 30-40 years ago.

Ed Vakula and his brother opened Lapeer International Dragway in 1968. Ed and wife, Juli, own and operate the dragway with help from son, Matthew, and other crew members. People race at the dragway in several different ways during the season. “Test and tune” is for a driver who wants to see what his vehicle can do. Others compete for a trophy. A third group competes for cash.

Last Saturday, with temperatures hovering in the 40s and a strong wind blowing, cars lined up for test and tune. Everyone was there for the fun of it.

Crew member Ryan Hartsuck braved the frigid weather to stage vehicles for the competition. He stood out on the track showing drivers where and how to line up.

A group of about 25 students from Kettering University in Flint showed up with their rides to participate in eliminations and vie for a trophy.

About 25 students from Kettering University came to the dragway Saturday to have fun and compete against each other. Several students gathered around as Spencer Caudle, from Baton Rouge, La., wrenched under the hood of his 1953 Chevy. Kettering student Ryan David of Walled Lake brought his Dodge Neon. He said the group comes to the dragway about two times each year, "mainly for fun."

"It's a juggle," David said of managing school and keeping a hot car.

The chilly weather didn't daunt fellow student Spencer Caudle, even though he hails from a much warmer climate in Baton Rouge, La. He brought his 1953 Chevy truck to the strip, and stood in the cold as he tweaked things under the hood.

Mitchell Schlieker, a Kettering graduate student from Fremont, Neb., won Saturday's Kettering trophy. The 25-year-old mechanical engineering student was driving his 1985 Chevy Camaro. He paid $900 for it when he was in high school.

Greg Kimball from Flint brought his '88 S-10 to the dragway. "It's got a home-garage paint job," he laughs. The car has a factory cam and exhaust, Vortech heads, and a stroked 305 engine.

It wasn't all Kettering students that came to test out their vehicles last weekend. Greg Kimball of Flint brought his '88 S-10. Whatever Kimball had under the hood of the yellow pickup definitely did the trick.

With his friend, Tony Lamb, behind the wheel, the pickup made quite a display in the burn-out area. When the truck got the green light, the truck reared up in the air as it accelerated.

"That whole truck bends when he takes off. Boy, that thing moves!" said one spectator.

When the strip closes for the winter at the end of November, fans will just have to wait until next March or April to hear those engines rev again. The track must be dry to open.

Lapeer International Dragway is located at 2691 Roods Lake Rd. The dragway number is 810-664- 4772. Weather permitting, the dragway will be open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for test and tune.