What are some interesting facts about Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania?

Maple Grove Raceway features a quarter-mile racetrack and is a venue for NHRA Drag Racing, while also hosting many other car-based events. These include nostalgia events, jet-powered vehicle showcases, Street Bike races and Street Legal Grudge races.

The Raceway began as a midget car short track called Brecknock Speedway, which was bought by Alfred Stauffer in 1940. In 1962, Stauffer opened the Maple Grove Drag-O-Way, a fifth-mile-long drag strip. The track was leased by racer Bob Eveland in 1964 in order to join the NHRA divisional program and was expanded for quarter-mile racing.

The Raceway experienced two high-profile fatalities during the 1970s. Top Fuel driver Bob Edwards died in 1977 during the semi-finals of the Dutch Classic, while another racer, Paul "Dodger" Glenn, died from injuries inflicted during a Funny Car accident at a Winston WCS meet in 1978.

Maple Grove Raceway first hosted NHRA Nationals in 1985. A $1 million expansion was finished in 1989, which added a VIP hospitality tower, grandstands and a track lighting system, as well as a Compulink timing and scoring system. Also in 1989, racers Joe Amato and Shirley Muldowney became the first racers to complete a side-by-side four-second Top Fuel Dragster run.

In 2009, the track was extended to 4,075 feet, which placed it among the 10 longest tracks in the nation.