Proposed Drag Racing Strip in Ulster County Has Residents Fighting

The drag strip would be located in Plattekill, New York.

If you're a fan of drag racing the news of a proposed drag strip opening up in Ulster County probably has you excited, as it should, but that excitement isn't being shared by all. The proposed drag strip will be located at 153 Freetown Road, in Plattekill, and once opened, looks to hold drag races Thursdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. through 10 p.m. each night.

Many residents from Plattekill are opposing the drag strip citing numerous reasons why. According to the website Stop the Drag Strip, the proposed drag strip will cause a normally peaceful town to become extremely loud when the races are taking place, "No more quiet nights by the campfire" is what the site claims. They also claim that it'll cause an increase in traffic, deforestation, property value depreciation, and pollution to federal wetlands.

The website also claims that the drag strip is an "outlaw" track and will not be a sanctioned NHRA track, meaning that nobody knows what rules or regulations will need to be followed by racers. They also claim that many other drag strips have been banned and removed because of the reasons mentioned. The opposition to the drag strip has started an online petition to "stop the track".

Supporters of the strip have also started an online petition to have the track open up. The petition sites many reasons as to why the strip is a good idea for the area including, "a dragstrip in this area brings something for citizens to do. Some jobs and other funding."

The town of Plattekill is hoping to make some decisions on the drag strip at the June town board meeting. Once a decision is made on the drag strip, we will update this article.