Drag Racing Events Kick Off In Riverhead Saturday: 'I'm Ecstatic'

Riverhead NY

21 August, 2021

12:37 AM

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RIVERHEAD, NY — After years of imploring the Riverhead Town board to bring motorsports to the area, enthusiasts will see a new day dawn Saturday as engines rev up for a series of drag racing events. Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said an opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting for the community drag racing event will be held Saturday at 10:15 a.m. at Enterprise Park at Calverton. The event will include local Riverhead youth singing the National Anthem and a military salute, with elected officials in attendance, she said. Races begin at 11 a.m., Aguiar said. In June, the Riverhead Town board voted 4 to 0 to approve the "Race Track, Not Street" series, presented by Peter Scalzo, which takes place on four weekends in August, with both daytime and nighttime races planned. Those "Hot Track" dates are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Aug. 28 from 4 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., Aug. 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sept. 4 from 4 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.; Sept. 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sept. 11 from 4 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. and Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next, the Scrambul Runway Challenge Drag Racing Event, presented by Scrambul Inc., takes place on Sept. 25 and Sept. from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the dates were changed from the initially pitched June 19 and June 20 due to concerns over nesting birds at EPCAL. Rain dates for the event are Oct. 2 and 3. Donna Nicosia of the "Long Island Needs a Drag Strip" group was thrilled to see drag racing brought to Riverhead. "I'm ecstatic," she said. "My son is a race car driver, and so is my husband. To finally be able to race where we live is such a pleasure." Up until now, Nicosia and her family were spending exorbitant sums on money, gas, tolls, and hotels to travel for hours to events in areas such as upstate New York, Virginia, and Maryland, she said. "To have it back on Long Island is a great thing," she said, lauding Aguiar for her efforts. "She's the one we have to thank," Nicosia said. "This administration is finally listening." "Drag racing is a fun and exhilarating, family-friendly spectator sport with a huge following by all age groups," Aguiar said in an earlier interview with Patch. "The events planned by Race Track, Not Street and the drag racing series by Scrambul will offer members of our community a safe and legal opportunity to race their vehicles, or spend an exciting day viewing the races from the sidelines with friends and family. Often, these types of events have the potential to generate income for Riverhead, and provide employment opportunities for our residents and businesses." Aguiar has said she might even participate in one of the races. She added: "I am confident the racing competitions planned for this summer will be safe and enjoyable. There has been considerable support from the community to hold these events, and I have been assured, Riverhead residents will have registration priority." Riverhead Town Councilwoman Catherine Kent abstained from the votes "because the board never received all pertinent information," she said. "I am not against having some racing events but I wanted to know that the events were carefully planned out with all safeguards in place." For years, drag racing advocates have rallied for a facility EPCAL; many say until such a destination is built on the East End, scores of motorsport enthusiasts are forced to leave the area and travel long distances to participate. Consequently, some say, communities with motorsports facilities receive a much-welcomed economic infusion from those who travel to the area to attend events. Marty Johnson III, founder and CEO of the Long Island Motorsports Association, who has long lobbied for a drag racing strip at EPCAL, has said for years that he would like to see a drag strip and a road course at EPCAL similar to what once existed in Bridgehampton and Westhampton. On the flip side, some detractors have said over the years that they worry about noise, crowds, and environmental impacts of drag racing in the community.