DIALED IN
but because of things like Facebook and our track
website, it’s so much easier these days to keep
our racers informed of any scheduling changes,
should a storm cause us to have to cancel the race
abruptly,” Trueblood says.
The track has been IHRA sanctioned for much
of its existence, although Trueblood decided to go
his own way in recent years, and says he’s happy
with the track’s current independent status. “Even
after going independent I was able to keep my
same insurance on the track, so that was cer-
tainly a plus.”
Trueblood has seen the drag racing landscape
steadily change over the years, particularly with
the declining participation of bracket racing, with
a noticeable shift toward grudge racing and 10.5
competition in this region. Nothing, however, has
surprised him more than the surging interest in
diesel drag racing, both in the department of
performance as well as participation. “From a per-
formance standpoint, we’ve got trucks that weigh
August 2018
nearly 7,000 pounds and can run in the 6-second
zone, with some slightly lighter trucks running
in the fives.” The interest continues to build in
this style of racing to the point that Northeast
Dragway now hosts a pair of diesel events each
year, both of which thoroughly pack the pits
and grandstands. “Those diesels are strong, too
– hardly ever do they break!” Trueblood smiles.
The track also hosts weekly test-and-tune ses-
sions, lots of grudge racing events, as well as eight
bracket point races that are scheduled for 2018.
Staying true to his tractor pulling roots, True-
blood also has plans to relocate a tractor pulling
facility he owns to the expanded grounds of the
drag strip. They recently broke ground on this
project, and are making significant progress. “We
hope to have the tractor pull facility up and run-
ning sometime this fall,” Trueblood says.
At 74 years of age, Trueblood is showing no
signs of slowing down. He’s also been in the
wrecker business since 1972, has owned and op-
erated various garages, and is constantly trying
to improve and grow his motorsports business.
When the drag strip first opened, he operated it
alongside his wife, Annette, and son Tony Curtis,
and years later the grandkids have also joined
in the operation of this family enterprise. While
some of the finest sportsman race cars can be
found in this area, the Trueblood family take great
pride in updating and improving this facility with
each passing year, much to the approval of those
who enjoying coming here.
DragIllustrated.com
| D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 53