Page 3 - Wayne Dispatch Pages

closed permanently. General Motors, Ford Motor Com-
Some feared that it was the end pany, and Chrysler Stellantis North
for Milan Dragway—and that may America) as well as those in the au-
have been the case, if not for Bullock tonomous driving car business also
and his good friend of over 20 years, rent the track to test their vehicles.
Perry Merlo, who has a background “Motor Trend, the magazine,
in concrete and asphalt contracting. comes out here quite often to con-
Merlo, 63, has since become Bul- duct testing for their articles,” adds
lock’s business partner. Bullock about the dragway which
Bullock and Merlo purchased counts VP Racing Fuels, Liberty
Milan Dragway in January 2022 Gears, and Wayne Westland Federal
after discovering that the dragway Credit Union among its sponsors.
had been closed. The buy was a no-
brainer for Bullock, who had been a A Family-Friendly
fan of race cars—and Milan Drag- Destination
way—since he was young.
Says Bullock, “Now, I get to be at Bullock vividly recalls the glory
the dragway every day and see the days of Milan Dragway, back in 2005
when the likes of 33,000 frequented
best of the best—the engineering and
the people’s imaginations on how the dragway. And while the track has
not seen those numbers of late, Bul-
they can put these cars together and
go faster.” lock continues to set his sights high.
It’s something that, for Bullock, The cost of admission at Milan
doesn’t get old. “It never stops,” he Dragway varies depending on the
adds. “No matter how fast you can event, but tickets range from $20 to
$35. “Almost all spectator events are
get your race car to go, there’s some-
thing you can do to make it go $20,” says Bullock.
faster.” And Bullock maintains that
there’s something for everyone—of
all ages—at Milan Dragway.
Welcome to The A newly installed playscape
New Milan Dragway awaits wee patrons, and the dragway
Located 35 miles west of Detroit, also boasts fully stocked conces-
Milan Dragway is the only National sions and an on-site store.
Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanc- Additionally, the dragway is just
tioned dragway in the State of Michi- the place for aspiring racers to get in
gan. on the action.
“We tried to open April 1. Perry Milan Dragway is showcasing the
and I are new, so we’re learning as skills of junior racers—some as
we go,” says Bullock. “We wanted to young as six years old—who even
open as soon as we could.” wear helmets and fire suits. The
Photos by Angela Chunovich While Michigan’s inconsistent dragway’s novice track champion
weather challenged the duo’s first at- just turned 7, in fact, in May.
By Courtney Conover a boat, a motorcycle.” tempt at opening this year, the drag- Another opportunity for youth
There are no pretenses or putting Pair that mentality with a drag- way’s current season is now officially and adolescents to race involves one
on airs when it comes to Harold Bul- way that has played an integral part underway and will run through Octo- of the dragway’s largest sponsors,
lock, 56, of Wayne. in the Midwest drag racing scene for ber 31. The dragway is open every Washtenaw Community College. For-
Bullock unabashedly describes decades, and you’ve got the makings week from Wednesday through Sun- merly the High School Nationals, the
himself as just a regular blue-collar of a beautiful new beginning. “Now, I get to be at the dragway every day and
guy who has spent most of his life Approximately 40 miles south of
working as a mechanic. He’s been Bullock’s home in Wayne sits Milan see the best of the best—the engineering and
married to his wife, Liz, for over 10 Dragway, a quarter-mile track that
years, is the father of one daughter, opened in 1964 on repurposed farm- the people’s imaginations on how they can
and has also embraced the role of land in the City of Milan. But as dig-
grandparent to his four grandchil- ital drag racing magazine Dragzine, put these cars together and go faster.”
dren. reported in April 2021, the future of
But to know Bullock is also to the facility was in doubt after the Harold Bullock
know what truly makes him tick. track made a public statement con-
Or, perhaps, here’s a better way firming that it wouldn’t open as day. It’s also available for rental on Washtenaw Community College
of putting it: What revs him up. scheduled for the 2021 season. The Mondays and Tuesdays for racers— (WCC) Battle of the Schools now in-
“The only reason I get up in the news came on the heels of the 2020 or groups of racers—who are tuning vites college students as well as high
morning is to burn fuel,” Bullock season, which had already been their cars. school students to hone their skills
says emphatically. “That’s all I do. dealt a serious blow because of the “So, we’re really open seven days and demonstrate their acquired ex-
That’s all I’ve done since I was a little pandemic. Dragways from coast to a week,” says Bullock. pertise on the dragway.
kid. Everything I’ve ever dealt with coast struggled to survive, some did- The "Big Three" (America's three
has had to have a motor in it—a car, n’t open for the year, and others largest motor vehicle manufacturers, See MILAN, page 4
The Wayne Dispatch · June 2023 · 3