Bill Bader Jr. accepts award for Summit Motorsports Park from NHRA

Bill Bader Jr. (left), president of Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH, accepts the Track of the Year Award for the eigth time from NHRA’s North Central Division. (Image/SMP)

Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH was named Track of the Year by NHRA’s North Central Division over the weekend at annual Land of the Winners Awards Banquet.

It is the 18th time that Summit Motorsports Park has been given Track of the Year recognition by a major racing sanctioning body— eight times by NHRA, three times by the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA), and seven times by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).

“I’m incredibly humbled and always so appreciative of all of those who vote for us, and I love the men and women who work untiringly to exceed our guests’ expectations,” said SMP President Bill Bader Jr.

We spend a lot of time at SMP in Norwalk due to its relative close proximity to the OnAllCylinders’ office at Summit Racing in Tallmadge, OH. The facility and its people are first-class, and it’s always a pleasure to be at the track with them.

We sat down with Bader earlier this year to take a behind-the-scenes look at operating a major motorsports facility like SMP, and all that goes into preparing for major events on the racing calendar. You should check that out, and if you’ve never been, put Summit Motorsports Park on your automotive bucket list, because it’s a great place to take in, and participate in, a weekend of drag racing.