Drag Racing at 2014 Hot August Nights
Locals will tell you that street racing was a big part of growing up in the Reno area back in the ’60s and ’70s. They say teenagers would go out on the Pyramid Highway which is now in the heart of Sparks, Nevada. At night nobody was on the highway back then. It is so flat you could see a police car coming for miles. They would line up along both sides of the highway with their car lights on and race the night way.
Here at the John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino and Hotel they have cleared the west parking lot and set up an 1/8-mile track with lanes, timers and a tree. It was a blast to watch. The party doesn’t get started here until 10 PM after the cruising is over in Sparks. Then from 10 PM until midnight they pack the place and registered car show participants run the track to see how they’ll do. But this year it was mostly ringers who showed up.
