Dear Editor: Make no mistake about it, in my opinion, vehicles that race on drag strips are designed and built to do two things: they make an incredible amount of noise and they go extraordinarily fast. Pertaining to drag racing, speed and noise go hand in hand. You do not have one without the other. Regardless of how many noise engineers are consulted and no matter how you spin it, drag strips are built in wide-open spaces and the noise from the vehicles adversely affects the quality of life for people for miles around. The noise level from these drag strips cannot be contained, and the length of the track has nothing to do with the noise level itself. The loudest of the noise is before the race actually takes place during what is called "the burnout" and then at the beginning of the actual race itself. Shifting gears, I suggest people take a few moments to talk to the people out in the western part of Newton County and see how they feel about the noise from just a few guns occasionally being shot at the South River Gun Club, which is actually small potatoes compared to a drag strip. They have been fighting the noise for years. Once this drag strip is built there is no turning back.

Benson Dial

Social Circle