HOW “THE NIGHT
THE LIGHTS WENT
OUT IN GEORGIA”
BECAME THE
SUPER BOWL OF
SMALL-TIRE RACING
By JO S H H AC H AT
I
n the eyes of many in the mid-2000s, drag
radial racing had the potential to become a
breakout segment of the sport. There were
heavy-hitters involved when it came to drivers,
the cars were wild and unpredictable, and it
presented an exciting style of racing that could
potentially draw the attention of fans.
But they weren’t showcased like a star class,
relegated to grass pits at tracks and treated
like afterthoughts on the race menu. By then,
Donald Long had enough and his “Radial Cars
to The Front” mantra – with Long’s added
flavorful language, of course – was born. Drag radial had
found its voice, and how it was viewed in the sport was
about to change forever.
“I had never attended a drag radial race, but when I went
to his first one, I thought right then and there it was on the
verge of something special,” drag racing photographer John
Fore III says.
For those who predicted a quick fall for “The Night the
Lights Went Out in Georgia” and Long’s bombastic style,
well, they have been sorely mistaken. Celebrating its 10th
rendition in 2019, Lights Out is now stronger than ever.
More than 70 cars entered in the race’s top class, Radial
vs. the World, this February, as Alex Laughlin became the
seventh different winner of the $50,000-to-win event. It
has become the Super Bowl of radial racing with a style all
its own, catering to a massive fanbase that is passionate
about its radial racing.
This is the story of how radial racing grabbed the spotlight
and how Lights Out turned into one of the biggest races in
the sport thanks to a determined promoter, a colorful col-
lection of drivers and some of the craziest on-track action
drag racing had ever seen.
>>>
92 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 142