PHOTOGRAPHS BY VAN ABERNETHY |
Coastal Plains Dragway kicks off its 59th season in 2026, with the steadfast leadership of the Humphrey family at the helm for most of the track’ s existence – 53 years to be exact. Built in 1967, this Jacksonville, North Carolina, facility was originally called Hwy 258 Drag Strip and featured a split-lane configuration with a dirt section that separated the lanes for the entire quarter mile. The original owners experienced some setbacks related to the track’ s safety early on, and so in 1972, Troy Humphrey and several business partners bought the track with a goal of making it both successful as well as safer. It was then the name was changed to Coastal Plains Dragway, and roughly six years later, Humphrey was the sole owner of the dragstrip.
Troy’ s son, Ronnie, has been a part of the track
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since day one, and he’ s heavily involved in every aspect of running the track, from managing, announcing, and everything in between.“ I turned 66 this year, and I’ ve been walking these grounds since I was 10 years old,” Humphrey says.
The mild coastal climate offers the opportunity for year-round operation, including weekend bracket events in early January. Additionally, some of the most celebrated events are contested during the winter, including the Valentine’ s Day Classic, which was held on February 14.
By March, a full schedule of events was on tap, including the Braxton Promotions No- Prep“ Just Send It” event, slated for March 6-7. March also ushered in a brand-new season of IHRA-sanctioned bracket racing, with the season kickoff contested during the March 28-29 weekend, which began a 10-race points season
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that includes Top ET, Modified, Motorcycle, and Jr. Dragster. The Classic Gear Jammers group was also in attendance that same weekend as an added bonus.
Braxton Promotions returned in April with radial prep 252 list racing, and also McKenzie Promotions was scheduled to hold various events, along with bracket points racing mid-month. Nearly every weekend in May and June has scheduled events ranging from bracket points to grudge events. The fan-favorite Night of Fire is a featured attraction in July.
Friday night test-and-tune is also a popular weekly attraction, with members of our armed forces making up many of those in attendance. Jacksonville is also home to Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base, and some of our nation’ s finest protectors of freedom get their racing fix right
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May / June 2026 |
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