Prince George, B.C. – The smoke show, the smell of burning rubber, the thunder of the engines, the speed, all key elements that make a   dragstrip a must for those who love cars and love racing.

The Prince George dragstrip remains open, and is now operated by a non profit club, the Northern Interior Timed Racing Organization ‘NITRO’ for short. Each and every member of that club is passionate about racing and about making sure the Prince George dragstrip remains operational.

The strip, located off Chief Lake Road, is a place where   that urge to hit the gas, can be done in an environment that   is meant for just that kind of action, rather than putting   your foot to the floor in a street race where there are added dangers.

Brian Barby is the President of NITRO, and committed to the success of the strip. This weekend,   if the weather cooperates, could be one of the biggest yet for the new operators. The first of two All Out drag races will take place this weekend starting with a Friday Night Street Legal event.

Then on Saturday, it’s time trials, and eliminations.

“We’ve made some major improvements to the track” says Barby, improving the timing system so sensors run along the full length of the strip, and 15 days of grinding the 700 foot launch pad to allow for better traction.

Barby says he fully expects there will be more than 70 cars in the weekend event “I have friends coming from Ft. St. John, Houston and Terrace, so it will be tight to get the time trials done in time, but it will be a great event.”   Barby is hoping Mother Nature will cooperate, as a rain soaked track is not conducive to racing , but they have the right equipment to dry off the track to keep things going in a safe manner.

It is only through events like this, that the strip will be able to continue, “If we lose this, we (Prince George) will never get another one” says Barby.