By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

While not as well known as ¼-mile drag racing, 1/8-mile races have their own appeal, said Bob Williamson of the Hillsboro car club.

Most of the vehicles used are not the racecars sometimes seen on ¼-mile tracks.

Using road-worthy every day vehicles adds another level of challenge, but driving the cars to events comes with a tradeoff, Williamson said.

“It’s tough if you have to go very far,” he said. “Fuel is expensive, every part of it is. That makes it hard to go places.”

His 1974 Plymouth Roadrunner is still getting maintenance, but Williamson said the exclusion of a drag race from Herington’s annual car show was a loss for local fans.

The tracks are safer for drivers, Williamson said.

“You don’t have to have as long a track or shut-down area because cars aren’t going as fast,” he said.

As a niche distance, many races are without the technology advantages of ¼-mile drag races, Williamson said.

“There aren’t any timers or win-lights that come on,” he said. “It’s far enough away that, unless there’s a big difference, you and the other guy are the only ones to know who won.”