Racers Edge R/C Drag Racing recently hit the road for its initial race at ArtsQuest’s SteelStacks.

Racers revved up for the June event, billed as R/C Drag’s @ the Steel, beginning with practice, heat racing and eliminations. Racing ran from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Racers’ Edge organizer Brian Ferencin explained there are preheats – when all cars start together – qualifications and finals. A one-hour break between heats allows drivers to change tires with changing conditions, such as when the asphalt warms from the morning to the afternoon.

Cars are “driven” via a hand-held remote. When the car begins the race, the wheelie bar on the back puts the car up on its rear wheels, then the front wheels come down. The winner is determined by the timing system.

Ferencin has been into R/C since 1989 and has two cars of his own: a 1969 Camaro Street Eliminator car (faster class car) and 1968 Chevy Nova Street Stock car (slower class car).

The event drew racers from near and far.

“I’m just a big boy at heart. I love doing this,” said Mark Gradle of Montgomeryville. He said he started R/C drag racing during the COVID pandemic

“Its good social distancing,” he explained.

Gradle began with one car and now has 14. He said he saw Ferencin’s invite online and decided to participate. His wife Debra – who said she is his “pit crew” – assists her husband by making sure the cars’ batteries are charged and by cleaning tires and race bodies. She also held the remote for the start light during test and tune practices, during which racers can make adjustments on their drag cars’shocks and tires.

Mike Carchidi of Delaware County saw information on the event on Facebook and decided to participate.

“Saturday is the only day I have to do this, so I thought I’d take a ride,” Carchidi said of making the trip to Bethlehem.

Ferencin encouraged racers to bring their wives and kids.

“It’s fun for the whole family,” he said, noting that wives and kids could enjoy the activities going on at ArtsQuest and sample the eateries on Third Street if they wished during the races.

The club welcomes members ages 12 through adult. A minimal $10 fee per racer goes to support the club and the upkeep of the timing system, which will eventually need to be updated. In time, a purse and plaques will be awarded at the races. Every driver will have his or her own set of points.

Ferencin had planned to run races two Saturdays a month, but after only single day of racing at SteelStacks, ArtsQuest and Wind Creek officials weren’t sure if racing should continue, and if it did, where it should continue. Eventually, the race club and property owners came to an agreement and the races are continuing, but it’s been a long and winding road for Ferencin to find a venue to hold races for his drag racing club.

“It was a long, drawn out process due to insurance regulations and people not wanting racing in their neighborhood,” Ferencin said.

Last year, Ferencin hoped to secure a home for 2022 racing with the parking lot and other facilities at Dodson Street Ballfield in Fountain Hill; however, neighbors complained they didn’t want any type of drag racing in the ballpark so that plan fell through in May 2021.

Then in November, Ferencin secured a bigger venue for races, the Chrin Community Center in Palmer Township. The thought was to have two race locations the first year, running smaller races in Fountain Hill and larger ones at Chrin.

“Chrin Community Center just did not work out simply because of the cost of the rental space and the center’s staff members, who would have had to work during my event,” Ferencin said. “It was not feasible moneywise for me, so even though I had permission, I kindly backed out for those reasons.”

Ferencin had pre-approval from Salisbury Township, but its recreation board denied his request June 1.

“Residents in the area simply did not want the out of area racers in their neighborhood, and Salisbury Township was unwilling to open their onsite restrooms for the day of racing, and said I have no liability insurance as well.

“I asked ArtsQuest on a prayer,” he said. “I was prepared for a ‘no’ right away, but the person in charge of property listened to me. I showed him one of the cars and explained how it is powered, and he said yes.”

On a trial basis, Ferencin was given space in a back parking lot at SteelStacks, away from everything, so the racing would not hinder other events in any way. Ferencin knew the number of racers coming would be small, and the cars themselves make minimal noise. ArtsQuest asked for a small donation and he was happy to oblige. After bouncing around to various parking lot locations in the SteelStacks/Wind Creek complex, Racers Edge has a home in a lot owned by the Steelworkers Archive and leased to ArtsQuest.

While a racing site has been secured, the fall schedule is far less certain.

“I have to check with the New Jersey drag clubs to make sure they’re not racing,” Ferencin said. “I have to make sure those dates are open, otherwise I won’t get the racer turnout.

“I am planning a few big Halloween races in October,” he says. “I have to run my SteelStacks club races on open dates until I am off probation with the National No Prep Drag Race Commission.

“When I get my track venue certification from NPDRC, things will way better next year,” he said, “but these are the growing pains of a start-up drag club.”

Ferencin has been looking for volunteers to help on race day or come out and see what it’s all about.

For more information visit Ferencin’s Facebook page atfacebook.com/brian.ferencin.7.