Street Outlaws No-Prep Drag Race Uses Grass for Shutdown Area

Street Outlaws heads-up turns into off-roading excursion

We can’t think of a whole lot of drag races that include an off-road portion, but this side-by-side run at Speedy’s Newport Dragstrip does exactly that. During the event’s heads-up matchup between Street Outlaws personalities, the rustic drag strip demonstrated its minimal shutdown room. That sends Precious Cooper through the grass in the “Heifer” Nova after the heads-up win, as captured by drag-racing YouTuber Urban Hillbilly Videos.

Precious squared off with Street Outlaws regular Doc and his “Street Beast” Monte Carlo and came off with a clean run. Doc’s Monte Carlo struggles to find grip on the battered old runway, veering toward the Nova. Because she was running so hard for the win, Precious found not nearly enough room to slow after the finish line. That sent her off the end of the drag strip at a pretty healthy clip. But hey, a win is a win.

Speedy’s Newport Dragstrip remains one of the beacons of true “No Prep” racing. The Arkansas drag strip was carved from an unused runway about 90 minutes northwest of Memphis. With the pavement cracked, worn, and sprouting vegetation, finding any grip becomes paramount. That mimics conditions of most street races while taking place in a mostly controlled environment. We throw the word “mostly” in there because you’ll find no barriers or crowd marshaling.

It also looks like some developing-world drag strips, but people will always race anywhere they can. People pack the starting line and even stand at the top end of the racetrack. Nevertheless, these kinds of venues are important for drawing racers from the street and into a place with, at least ostensibly, emergency services.

The Memphis Street Outlaws crew, led by event organizer JJ DaBoss, hosted the “JJ DaBoss Arms Down” event just about 90 minutes from their hometown. You can spot JJ starting the races with old-school arm waves.