Though it had rained early in the morning, it stopped in plenty of time for things to dry out, while the overcast sky kept temperatures nice and cool. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Cleves, OH – The Summit Racing Midwest Drags is officially upon us, as close to 200 drag cars and trucks (and SUVs!) rumbled into the venerable Edgewater Sports Park just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio to begin a weeklong drag racing road trip.

Click here to see the Summit Racing Midwest Drags full event schedule.

A group of gearheads made the trek from Long Island, NY to be here. In fact, the owner of this Challenger told us this is his seventh time at the Midwest Drags. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

If you’re new to all of this, the Summit Racing Midwest Drags is five days (well, four plus a test day) of racing at a series of local race tracks. Once you’re done at one track, you pack up, and head to the next one.

Oh, and you have to drive your car there.

Many competitors pull custom trailers behind their vehicles, allowing them to carry along some tools, tires, and fuel jugs. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Yup, your car has to be street legal and it has to make it to each track under its own power. That means it should have a precise mix of performance, reliability, and comfort.

…And maybe a trailer hitch, since you’re also able to bring a small trailer to haul an extra set of tires, some tools, and other essentials.

In short, the Summit Racing Midwest Drags is the perfect gearhead adventure.

With plenty of different classes in the mix, the racing gets real interesting. Where else would you see a Geo Tracker alongside an El Camino? You can read about the classes and rulesets for the event here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

The racing is friendly, the atmosphere is fun, and even a broken part or tuning setback is often met with a smile and plenty of help from the other competitors.

In between runs, racers can make adjustments, repairs, and ready their cars for the drive ahead. Everyone is friendly and folks eagerly chip in to help others in need—particularly if it’s a legit Shelby GLHS running 9s. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Oh, and the “Midwest” part only refers to the event location, and we talked to attendees from all over the country, as far west as Utah and far east as New York.

This slick second-gen Camaro is driven by a young man who hails from Holland, Michigan. He’s making his first Midwest Drags event and we caught him doing a minor timing adjustment between runs. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

With the first venue in the books after tonight, the racers will drive to the US 41 Dragstrip in Morocco, Indiana before heading north to Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio before circling back to Edgewater for a final day of racing and revelry.

It was the first time on the track for this newly-minted Monte, and the owners were doing some chassis adjustments to mitigate tire slippage. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

If any of those stops are near you, check the schedule link above and stop by the races this week.

And if you want a better glimpse of what you’ll find there, check out the photo gallery below:

Camaro vs. Mustang, Part 1. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

We spoke with some guys from Utah about their 2JZ-powered Toyota 4Runner. Suffice it to say, this thing rips. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Some of the trailers were as awesome as the cars (trars?) that pulled ’em. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Case in point, this “Taco Time” trailer and its matching Ford Fairmont sedan that hails from Oklahoma. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
We spoke with the owner of this second-gen Camaro quickly as he got ready to stage. He had just gotten the engine swapped in a few days prior and was still fiddling with the EFI tuning—but that didn’t stop him from driving from New York to be at this event! (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Any time we can spot a bona fide GMC Typhoon, we’re happy. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Camaro vs. Mustang, Part 2. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
These folks made the relatively short trek down from Summit Racing’s stomping grounds outside Akron, Ohio. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
In addition to the vehicles themselves, the powerplants ranged from classic old-school supercharging… (Image/OnAllCylinders)
…To modern, turbocharged goodness. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
The C2 Sting Ray-inspired Stinger Hood caught our eye on this Chevelle. It made its way here thanks to a nice couple from Wyoming. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Some folks had fully enclosed trailers, undoubtedly packed with critical tools and repair parts. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
While some racers only brought the essentials. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Camaro vs. Mustang, Part 3. (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Our hats are off to the staff at Edgewater Sports Park, as the event ran smoothly all day long. Now, it’s on to Indiana and US 41 Dragstrip. Hope to see you there. (Image/OnAllCylinders)

Keywords
Midwest Drags, Summit Racing
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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.