2/12/2008

Numidia to be Focus of TV Drag Race Show

   2006 was a turnaround season for Numidia Dragway. That’s when New York and northeast Pennsylvania businessman and avid drag racer Bob DiMino took over the 40+ year ¼-mile drag strip.
   Thanks to DiMino and his family he was able to breathe new life into the track which came very close to not opening the previous season.
   The DiMino’s have done a tremendous job of bringing the facility to the forefront of drag strips that play host to local racers and their efforts have not gone unnoticed by the powers of the sport as they will be featured on national cable television later this year.
   Plans are underway to spotlight the DiMino’s and Numidia on the ION Network as part of that channels Inside Drag Racing program. Inside Drag Racing is a weekly show catering to drag racing and hot rod enthusiasts. The show is hosted by Bob Frey, announcer, commentator, writer, and historian for the NHRA who will visit the track on Sunday, April 6 for the taping.
   “NHRA realizes that the local tracks are really the key to their success. The national events are great but for years it’s been the Numidia’s, the Atco’s, those little tiny tracks that keep the association alive and give the guys a chance to race their bracket cars,” said Frey.
   “In an effort to try and promote those tracks, for the past five years I’ve gone to ten tracks a year during the course of the season and shoot features on the tracks and their racers because we realize those guys pay their dues by running their weekly thing.
   “A lot of tracks also can’t handle a national or even a divisional event because of the limitations and the size. So NHRA wants to acknowledge these guys by giving them a feature on TV. So I’ll be going to Numidia to shoot two pieces that will air on the ION Network.”
   Numidia is sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and is listed under Division-1 which encompasses the northeast region of the country and parts of Canada. There are seven NHRA divisions across the U.S. and Canada.
   One segment of the show will be on the DiMino’s and the track while another will focus on a few of the drivers who have yet to be named.
   “It may not be the same as having a national event at the track but it’s always a nice thing to be able to get some added exposure. It becomes a focal point for the tracks we visit during the course of the year,” said Frey.
   “It’s nice for me to be there too because I get to meet a lot of the guys that I only read about in the National Dragster.”
    DiMino runs a school bus business in New Your City. He maintains the same type of operation in the Lake Wallenpaupack school district along with a towing and auto service operation in Hawley.
   They have continually made improvements since taking over the track which includes all new rest rooms and concession stands, grooming of the grounds, up-to-date starting equipment and a new timing system. Numidia also boosts a well-maintained web site which all shows that the DiMino’s meant business when they assumed their role of ownership.
   “They (NHRA) really do recognize the efforts that the DiMino’s are doing at Numidia. It’s been a big cost thing for those guys in what they’ve done. They put new walls in and other safety things in order to get some of the big sanctioned events. Plus there is insurance that is very important,” said Frey.
   “So they (DiMino’s) have really been on top of all that. I was at the Division-1 banquet a few weeks ago and was talking to Bob Lang the division director and he had nothing but good things to say about the family and what they’ve done over there.”
   The 2008 season gets rolling on Friday night, April 4 with the popular Street Legal Drags. Two days later the first of the Summit Series point races gets underway. Racing will then continue each weekend through the middle of October.
   “It’s good to see whether it’s a Bruton Smith building the track in Charlotte or the DiMino’s coming into Numidia and putting the time back into the local track, it’s all good for the sport,” said Frey.