Worried About Illegal Racing Near Great Falls? You Aren't Alone

Drag racing. Full on, full out fury on the track. Nothing compares to hearing 1,000 horsepower or more cranking up at the line to do a burn out. Hearing the motor and transmission screaming in time with each other waiting for the light to turn green and unleash a deafening sound that can only be described as earth shaking. It can make a heart skip each and every time.

But what about away from the track? It's where I have to draw the line, especially when it comes to street or highway racing. It's also becoming more prevalent again with today's technology in vehicles.

The Lore Of Your Buddy's Brother's Cousin's Charger Don't Compare

Stories abound of classic muscle being unstoppable. It may have been true in that era, but today's cars are immensely more powerful and capable when it comes to racing aspects. Horsepower numbers are doubled or tripled in some cases. It's common to see 4-600 horsepower cars or trucks on our streets and highways. While those same cars may be safer than previous versions, it doesn't mean the drivers have kept up with that technology.

Take It to the Track Before Someone Gets Hurt, Or Worse, Killed

In a recent post on the website NextDoor, user Kate Widhalm posted a video of two cars roll racing on US 87, east of Great Falls. The video shows the cars lining up, then suddenly accelerating at high speeds. The area that is featured is a much-used roadway for not only incoming traffic to our city, but also with several access points for homeowners. It will only take one instance of someone pulling out, not realizing that two sports cars could be hurling towards them unseen to create havoc.

Look, I am all for racing. I love it. Yes, I have broken the laws as a younger man with a hot truck. But I also realized that it wasn't the safest option to finding out just how slow a pickup with a small block could be. Your best option is to take it to the track. It's the safest, and it's also legal.

Time to kick the tires and light the fires, legally. You can always check out the Lewiston Raceway with legal street drags coming in August, or head to Billings and the Big Sky Speedway for race action.