Everyone came out to Cecil...
Everyone came out to Cecil County Dragway for racing, but by mid-afternoon, all that could be done was line up all the trucks to show at least how many came out for the drags.
For the fourth year, the national Dakota R/T Club held its major event that drew members and their trucks from around the country and Canada. Taking place late last year, some members flew in from California and others drove from Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Texas, and Florida. However, the bulk of the trucks were from the Eastern Seaboard.
Late summer on Maryland's coast made for a very pleasant weekend in itself, but combine that with a long three-day weekend and many interesting vehicles, and it makes for a really good time. Thursday started the event, with early registration at the Hampton Inn, the host hotel and where most members stayed. The overflow settled at nearby hotels.
Friday began early with members giving their trucks a meticulous cleaning before driving to Waterfront Park in Northeast, Maryland, where the show 'n' shine was to be held on a big grass field on the upper portion of Chesapeake Bay. That evening, some truck owners went to Cecil County Dragway to test and tune for a little advantage for the Saturday afternoon and evening drag racing program. The club rented the race track for the day, just for members. Early arrivals were busy getting their trucks ready, and some even got in a run before some black clouds opened and nearly flooded the place. While waiting for the weather to pass, officials kept watching their radar and advised that a larger cell was coming, so they closed the track. The evening finished with everyone hanging out at the Hampton Inn.
Members were up bright and early Sunday morning to try their trucks out on an Autocross course. The day was nice, and the racers enjoyed the challenge of running the cone course. The event awards were presented later, then everyone headed home with the pleasure of having had a good weekend with the exception of those who looked forward to a day full of hard drag racing. If you are a Dodge Dakota R/T owner and would like to belong to a national club, contact the Dakota R/T Club at P.O. Box 534, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742, or online at dakotartclub@dakotartclub.com.