Judge Orders Slone Onondaga Dragway to Close in Michigan – Can the Track Bounce Back to Continue The Latest Chapter in 65 Years of Legacy?
Getting its start in July of 1961, Onondaga Dragway has played host to everything from Top Fuel dragsters, jets cars, and even no-prep and swap meets.
But the track named for the city it’s located in, about 20 miles south of Lansing, Michigan, has also faced closures and some hard times, the most recent blow coming from a court order ordering the track’s closure.
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After operating for eighteen years from its opening date, the track closed due to a variety of factors in 1978. Although there were several attempts to re-open it, the track wouldn’t open to the general public again until 2013.
Ray Comer and Dan Pranshka were behind the efforts, and faced a group of local residents that strongly opposed the track’s re-opening from 2010 to 2012. Not only did Comer and Pranshka have to face the resident pushback, but also were tasked with a massive amount of work effort that led to the track getting a complete rebuild.
Although the track re-opened in 2013, and garnered International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) sanctioning within two years, keeping the track open would prove to be a challenging task. In the decade between 2010 and 2019, the track opened and closed four times.
The last time in that decade would be March 2019, and Pranshka had passed from cancer. Comer had come to the decision to not continue the battle to keep the track open, thus the future of Onondaga Dragway was uncertain.
After a little over two years, Onondaga Dragway was purchased in 2021 by Woody Sloan, who also owned a track in the central Illinois area. In an effort to appease the neighbors and keep the noise down, Sloan added a six-foot-tall soil berm, and got the track re-opened as Sloan Onondaga Dragway.
Despite successfully hosting everything from Great Lakes Gassers, to the ‘Detroit Hood TV’ brand of no-prep racing, the track remained a “nuisance because of the amount of noise and vibrations it generates” per a story from a local new channel, WLNS.
That story references the track’s latest opposition, coming from Onondaga Township resident Rebecca Lindsey in the form of a court case. That case was settled yesterday, when Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina ordered Sloan Onondaga Dragway to cease operations immediately.
Woody Sloan addressed the closure and the future of Sloan Onondaga Dragway in a Facebook post Thursday night, May 1st:
“Attention all supporters of Sloan Onondaga Dragway. I regretfully have to inform you that today Judge Rosemarie E. Aquilina ruled in favor of Rebecca Lindsey, the neighbor across the street from the Dragway, and Mark Cooper. They won the battle today, but they haven't won the war. As long as I am able, I will continue this fight until the bitter ends. I cannot believe that people can be so entitled and selfish, but I will continue to fight to keep the track open for as it takes. The track has been there for 65 years and been supported and enjoyed by many of the residents of Onondaga as well as many others. I know I was an outsider, but I have made many friends there and have many memories that I will never forget. I want to thank all the racers and spectators who have visited the track over the last few years. I know that you all feel the same way I do. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that something good will come out of this. It has been really stressful both mentally and physically at my age to run the track. Many of you know me well and know that this isn't the end for me, just another of the many battles I have faced over the years. I want to thank the Onondaga Township for their continuous support and standing behind me these last few years. With the townships’ approval I plan on having the racers and supporters of the dragstrip for a reunion at the dragstrip this summer. The date is TBD and there will be no racing unless we can prevail against these 2 neighbors before then. It is NOT a fundraiser or protest just my way of thanking you all for all your support. There will be no charge. I want to thank everyone again. This is not the end; we will be back.”
Can Sloan Onondaga Dragway fight off this latest setback, or will the track sit unused for years yet again until the residents and track owner find middle ground?
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sloan Onondaga Dragway and Ron Gross.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com