Thunder Valley Dragstrip
Auto World Pro Racing Dragstrip
In the search for an extra race track for our winter race season. Thought I would try something out of the normal for me. All the years of racing slot cars and I had never done any drag racing. Glad I did, It's a BLAST!!! Here is how I built my Thunder Valley Dragstrip. It was very important that I make this removable, being it sets on top of my Model Railroad. There is three sections. Two of them being 7' 6" long and the dead end extenstion being 40" long. This makes it very portable!
Keeping It Strait
Using a strait edge I was able to keep the track in a strait line for smooth performance.
Adding Width To The Track
I used HO scale model railroad cork roadbed the full length of the dragstrip to make the strip look wider then it is.
Removable Track Section's
The start and finish line tracks are battery operated. That makes it very important that those track sections are removable so you can replace batteries.
Run Off / Dead Track
The dead track section starts at the end of the finish line track. This entire section of track is removable for battery replacement.
Run Off Trap
The cars carry alot of speed by the time they get to the finish line. Most cars will stop rolling before they get to the end of the dead track section. For those cars that don't you need to stop them. I have used short guardrails, a metal frame with lady's stockings as a catch net. Don't Laugh, it works well!
Thunder Valley Dragstrip
The dragstrip is 13' 2" from starting line to the finish line. With 40" of dead track. The length of the dragstrip is not that important. what is important is that you give this style of racing a chance. It has proved to be a nice addition to my slot car passion!