BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
MYRTLE, W.Va. — Racing enthusiasts across Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky will long celebrate the date Oct. 22. Perseverance and a commitment not to throw in the towel marked the opening day of a mountaintop IHRA-sanctioned dragstrip that had been in the planning stages for a decade on reclaimed mine property in Myrtle, W.Va.
The soft opening of Almost Heaven Motorsports Park at Twin Branch Road on Route 119 garnered a crowd of approximately 3,000, with 250 competitors challenging for bragging rights.
The regular season for the state-of-the-art strip will run from April until October 2023. However, Tom Wilson, the facility’s operator, realized the need to prove the opening after years of struggle and disappointment delayed it and created doubt in residents’ minds.
“Mingo and Logan counties waited a long time to see the dragstrip become a reality, and we felt it was important to open before bad weather and give everyone a chance to check us out,” said Wilson. “This park will bring in revenue for the county and will provide those who enjoy racing, as well as those that love being spectators to the sport, the opportunity to do that close to home without having to drive for hours.”
Plans within the next year include an ATV dragstrip on nearby grounds, which will be a huge draw for riders who visit the area to enjoy the Hatfield and McCoy Trail System.
“Although we called the event on Oct. 22 a ‘soft opening,’ with the size crowd we had and the number of competitors being what they were, it has exceeded everyone’s expectations,” remarked Wilson. “We start racing for money next week, so I think we will draw even more to the park.”
Leasha Johnson, executive director of Mingo County Redevelopment Authority, knew it would take getting all the state agencies on board to support and work together to open the park.
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Highways and Gov. Jim Justice led the charge in May to get the access road released from DEP’s mining permit jurisdiction. The state footed the $2 million cost to bring the road up to standard and included it in the state maintenance plan.
“Finally, it seems that the stars have aligned, and we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, four coal companies have mined the Twin Branch site in the last 10 years. With the takeover of Coal-Mac earlier this year, things began to fall into place.
Almost Heaven features a 1/8-mile drag strip with a full 660 feet of concrete, 1,390 feet of shutdown area and another 200 feet of sand trap.
The facility may squeeze in a few more races this year. Beginning April 2023, racing action will be each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, running through the start of the school season, then Saturday and Sunday.
So far, 58 races are on the schedule for 2023, with 15 being IHRA-sanctioned events.