We knew this day was coming and it has finally happened, Countyline Dragway is now closed after providing South Florida a venue to drift at for over 6 years. The track posted the following on their Facebook page yesterday announcing the news:
Countyline Dragway was primarily known for it's 1/8 mile dragstrip when it opened it's doors in 2007. At the time only Moroso (Now known as Palm Beach International Raceway) featured a dragstrip in the tri-county area. Considering the distance that was needed to travel to Moroso, many opted to race on the streets. Thus it was a major news event when word got out that a dragstrip was set to open in South Florida. Some frowned upon the 1/8 mile, but that didn't deter the thousands that came out to the inaugural event to witness what the new venue had to offer. Countyline Dragway proved to be a success and local drag racers now had a place to call home.
No one considered Countyline to be a drift venue until Tim Murphy ( @hachi ) came along. Asking members of this site for their feedback, Tim set out to contact the track owners to organize a meeting. Many doubted him as he was relatively unknown to everyone but he put their doubts to rest when he announced he needed drivers for a track test. Giacomo Gaviola ( @The Redline 03 ) and Erick Mahle ( @rwdrift ) answered the call as they utilized the Skidpad to demonstrate what was possible:
With the track owners content on what they saw, they got together with Tim to setup the first drift event at Countyline Dragway and the rest was history.
Countyline may not have been the best venue for drifting, but overall it provided a fun layout for everyone. Rookies used it to start their careers, veterans used it to advance their skills, and pros used it as a testing ground. Attracting all those drivers allowed spectators to witness some of the best drifting they have ever seen. From the most spectacular crashes to the most memorable tandems, Countyline delivered the entertainment. And thankfully some of the most talented photographers and videographers were there to capture it all.
None of it would have been possible if it weren't for all the staff who volunteered their time to make it happen. It's no easy task to get up early in the morning to setup the track, run the event, and clean up afterwards. Nor is it easy to endure the extreme conditions the weather placed on everyone. But they dealt with it for the love of the sport.
Everyone who made Countyline what it is today should be proud of themselves. It wasn't the best track out there but we made the best out of it and had fun in the process. The support from everyone in the drift community has prompted the track owner Tony to announce a new venue featuring a drift track. It's a testament to how important it is to support your local tracks because without doing so, I doubt he would've been so motivated to build a track for us. As the saying goes, "when one door closes, another one opens" and we should all look forward to what the new venue has to offer.
Thank you Countyline Dragway and everyone involved for all the memories.
Countyline Dragway was primarily known for it's 1/8 mile dragstrip when it opened it's doors in 2007. At the time only Moroso (Now known as Palm Beach International Raceway) featured a dragstrip in the tri-county area. Considering the distance that was needed to travel to Moroso, many opted to race on the streets. Thus it was a major news event when word got out that a dragstrip was set to open in South Florida. Some frowned upon the 1/8 mile, but that didn't deter the thousands that came out to the inaugural event to witness what the new venue had to offer. Countyline Dragway proved to be a success and local drag racers now had a place to call home.
No one considered Countyline to be a drift venue until Tim Murphy ( @hachi ) came along. Asking members of this site for their feedback, Tim set out to contact the track owners to organize a meeting. Many doubted him as he was relatively unknown to everyone but he put their doubts to rest when he announced he needed drivers for a track test. Giacomo Gaviola ( @The Redline 03 ) and Erick Mahle ( @rwdrift ) answered the call as they utilized the Skidpad to demonstrate what was possible:
With the track owners content on what they saw, they got together with Tim to setup the first drift event at Countyline Dragway and the rest was history.
Countyline may not have been the best venue for drifting, but overall it provided a fun layout for everyone. Rookies used it to start their careers, veterans used it to advance their skills, and pros used it as a testing ground. Attracting all those drivers allowed spectators to witness some of the best drifting they have ever seen. From the most spectacular crashes to the most memorable tandems, Countyline delivered the entertainment. And thankfully some of the most talented photographers and videographers were there to capture it all.
None of it would have been possible if it weren't for all the staff who volunteered their time to make it happen. It's no easy task to get up early in the morning to setup the track, run the event, and clean up afterwards. Nor is it easy to endure the extreme conditions the weather placed on everyone. But they dealt with it for the love of the sport.
Everyone who made Countyline what it is today should be proud of themselves. It wasn't the best track out there but we made the best out of it and had fun in the process. The support from everyone in the drift community has prompted the track owner Tony to announce a new venue featuring a drift track. It's a testament to how important it is to support your local tracks because without doing so, I doubt he would've been so motivated to build a track for us. As the saying goes, "when one door closes, another one opens" and we should all look forward to what the new venue has to offer.
Thank you Countyline Dragway and everyone involved for all the memories.
Countyline Dragway
(2007 - 2014)
(2007 - 2014)
