Capitol Raceway — Local services in Crofton

Both good and bad....

The Good: Only dragstrip within a 30 minute drive of the Baltimore metro area. For the most part, friendly. Has a variety of events and plenty of TNT events. $40 for TNT. Not bad, considering other dragstrips in the state are typically $60. Tech inspection is simple and never been a hassle. They have 2 turnaround points giving you plenty of time/space to get off the track safely and head back to the timeslip booth. Concessions with restrooms nearby make it convenient for participants/spectators.

The Bad: the track prep could be better, to include the water box area. My times are generally 1/2 second slower at this track. Almost always spin off the line. It's that first 100 feet that usually make or break a 1/4 mile run. On busier days they let people congregate around the water box perhaps a little too closely to the cars doing burnouts- potential safety issue.

General observations: They often run TNT, motorcycles, JR Dragsters, Pro Mods all within the same session, causing a bit of continuity/confusion with what's going on for the drivers. I''ve also seen them mix up regular tree with pro tree, in-between cars, so going up through the staging lanes, you'll have no idea what you're going to get. That usually doesn't happen though, so perhaps that was a one-off.

Because of it's location, this place still has A LOT...

LOL @ the guy who "recently" moves next to a racetrack that's been around for decades and complains about the noise. Capitol is an institution & you're not, buddy.

That said, it is a little rough around the edges. The clientele can feel a little shady. But it is (now) DC's only local racetrack. MIR is a little far if you live north of the city, and Cecil is equally as far if you live in the DC suburbs.

75/80 has finally closed down after about 50 years, so Capitol is all we've got. I'll cherish it until it gets closed down by dolts who move next to it and complain about the noise (seriously - this one still boggles my mind - it's like moving next to an airport and then complaining about it). People will continue to race - whether there's a racetrack around for them to do it...

Cannot find any information about Capital Raceway. I heard rumors that they are repaving the track surface. Also heard property has been sold to developers. So what’s going on?? Would love to see it reopened for racers and vans. Extending the shut down area would be a plus and maybe bring back some good events. But to attract big events the track must also have big purses for these events and that takes $$$$. I miss Capital Raceway and would love to see it reopened. I would gladly dish out a few more bucks to see some great events. For example a great Pro-Mod meet. Don’t close Capital a lot of people miss this...