KOHLER—Already well known to Haldimand and the drag racing community, Bruce A. Mehlenbacher (posthumously), Bruce F. Mehlenbacher, and Neale Armstrong have been inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame. On November 30, 2023, family, friends, fans, and peers joined the inductees at Shelly’s Family Dining and Catering to celebrate the honour.
Visitors were treated to tube steaks (hot dogs) – a drag strip favourite – and cake, with local dignitaries out to honour the men.
“Growing up in Cayuga of course, Sundays were always a busy day; you always made sure to get your shopping done early especially on long weekends, but the economic driver of the facility provided employment for young people in town, and a great facility to have in the area,” said Councillor John Metcalfe. He noted that in his travels throughout Canada and the US, people regularly say they remember Cayuga for the drag strip. “It’s a well-known facility thanks to you Bruce and Neale, who’s still out there sliding down the track…. Keep up the good work.”
The seventh annual Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame Inductees Gala took place at Lamborghini Montreal in Kirkland, Quebec on November 4, where 16 nominees were inducted to celebrate their contributions to drag racing.
Drag racing in the Mehlenbacher family began in 1948, when L. Bruce Mehlenbacher bought the 157.7 hectare plot at the edge of Kohler to add to the family’s farm. At that time there was still a landing strip from the Second World War. Racing began in 1954, and it later became a full-fledged drag racing facility.
It would take other names: the Kohler Dragway, Super Boss Dragway, and Cayuga 1320 Dragway, and the track became National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned, becoming one of Canada’s most popular drag racing hot spots.
The Mehlenbacher family – L. Bruce, Bruce A., Joan, Bruce F., Holly, Barbara, Bill, Andrew, Julie and Kelly – was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1998.
The Mehlenbacher family era of Dragway Park ended in 1984 and the drag strip, now known today as Toronto Motorsports Park, still draws thousands from all over North America throughout the racing season.
