There’s no doubt that the north shore of Lake Superior provides some of the most spectacular scenery and great outdoors that Mother Nature can provide, But in the middle of all this nature there’s a surprise: an annual supercharged car racing event! Terrace Bay is host to one of the biggest motorsports events in Northern Ontario: Dragfest! Presented by Superior Classics Car Club, the event has established an excellent reputation for serious drag racing, coupled with equally serious camaraderie. If your interests include high-octane entertainment you will surely enjoy this event.
Terrace Bay Dragfest takes place only one weekend of the year, the August long weekend. All action is at the Terrace Bay Airport just a few miles east of the Township of Terrace Bay. Parking is free, admission is affordable. There is also limited on-site camping, and more campground facilities close to Terrace Bay.
How Does the Dragfest Work?
If you’re new to the world of drag racing, here’s how it works: two cars (or motorcycles) line up on a strip of asphalt, and on the signal, race each other to the finish line a quarter mile away. The first to finish wins! Sounds simple, right? Well, like many things in life it has been made more complicated, at least for the competitors. For example, at Dragfest there are three competition classes, based on vehicle performance. To make the event more open to various cars, within each class slower cars are given a head-start over the faster cars. And so, ideally, the two cars will arrive at the finish line at exactly the same moment… which, of course, never happens.
Prior to the start you will see many of the vehicles prepare their tires by spinning them fiercely in the “burnout box”. This generates much tire smoke, and it certainly keeps the black flies at bay. Then, on the signal from the starter, they proceed towards the starting line. The starting area is controlled by a set of count-down lights, called a “Christmas Tree”. The top lights measure how close to the starting line you are; cross the line and you are disqualified. When both cars are lined up the Christmas tree counts down to the green “Go!” light, with the countdowns offset by the slower car head-start mentioned earlier. Then off they go, as fast as possible, to the finish line a quarter mile away.
The cars then slow and return to the pits via a return road running parallel to the airport runway. There, each participant gets a printed slip (“time slip”) showing detailed times for their run, timed to one-thousandth of a second. Based on the details on the time slip the competitor may adjust the vehicle or their driving style. And the winner continues to race, the loser does not!
Dragfest takes place over three days, only once per year on the August long weekend. On Friday and Saturday almost all of the racing is spent on practicing, or “Test ‘n Tune”. Nevertheless, the racing is as intense as ever, but the “losers” get to continue racing. On Sunday, however, eliminations take place until there is only one outright winner in each class. Trophies and cash prizes are presented at the end of the day, and most racers gather to applaud the accomplishments of the winners.
It’s Not Just for Racers
Dragfest is one of the biggest motorsports events between the prairies and Southern Ontario. Typically, there are about 200 competitors and, over the weekend, several thousand spectators. One of the things that makes it unique is that the pits are open to the spectators; if you want to see what the car owners have done to their cars to make them go fast, a friendly conversation is just a “Hello” away. Unless their race is coming up; then everything turns serious!
Of course, when the racing is taking place, you will want to be in the grandstands immediately adjacent to the starting line to see the action. From there you can also see the state-of-the-art electronic scoreboard that displays the racing times and speeds.
To put things in perspective, a typical family car would cover the quarter mile in about 18 seconds and finish at about 80 mph. In contrast, most cars at Dragfest take about 12 seconds, and finish at about 130 mph, and the very fast ones may take only 7 seconds at nearly 200 mph! Rapid Transit indeed!
On top of the “normal” racing there is always a “special attraction”. In 2025, (and expected in 2026) it was a jet-engined drag car, named “Sonic Assassin”. With flames 50 feet or more behind the car, and an ear-piercing roar it raced towards its near 200 mph finishing speed. Lots of “Wows!” from the crowd.
Food stands, offering a variety of dishes from the usual burgers and fries to less usual fare, like poutine, Lake Superior fish tacos, and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches are part of the scene. No need to starve!
Photo Credit: Richard Main
History of the Terrace Bay Dragfest
A little history: The race is presented by Superior Classics Car Club which was formed almost 30 years ago by Terrace Bay and Schreiber car enthusiasts, mostly muscle car enthusiasts. It wasn’t long before someone suggested that it would be good to “get our hands on the airport and see what our cars can do!” And amazingly, the planets aligned, and after a great deal of hard work, Dragfest was born.
In the early years the airport was still a functioning airport, which suspended operation for only a few days to allow the club to set up the barriers and bleachers and myriad of other things to allow the race to happen. And after the racing, take it all down again. It was exhausting.
Photo Credit: Rob Danielewski
After several years the racing became more important than the airplanes, and the airport was shut down as a functioning airport. This allowed the club to make the facilities permanent, which further enhanced the racing. An important factor in all of this development was the principle of community and sponsor involvement; even an enthusiastic car club could not have succeeded by itself. And over the years organizations and businesses have become part of the fabric of the event. That involvement shows through in the event itself; you will feel it as you walk about and talk to the drivers and pit crews.
Throughout its development the members of Superior Classics Car Club have been adamant that the profits from the race weekend must be returned to regional organizations that benefit the communities. That translates to organizations like Women’s Shelters, Food Banks, Hospitals, Fire Departments, and Animal Shelters. Every year, in the fall when the activities have slowed, club members meet the groups that benefit and make formal donations. To date, those donations have translated to over $500,000 dollars in donations! It is a heartwarming time.
Superior Classics Car Club Volunteers
In the early years it was unusual to see women actively involved in the driving. However, that has changed, and now many women compete. In fact, in 2025 a woman very nearly won the top racing class in the whole event. If you get bitten by the racing bug and your car is safe, we can accommodate that too. See the website www.dragfest.ca for necessary details and contacts; they will help facilitate your journey into the exciting world of racing.