Street Warriorz brings ‘Fast and Furious’ experience to Tucson Dragway

Illegal street races can result in injuries, expensive fines, and jail terms. However, Chris Harris, President and Creator of Street Warriorz, gives street racers the chance to experience the culture without legal and safety complications.

Street Warriorz hosts track races where drivers can test their cars and driving skills against others in an experience similar to the “Fast and Furious” movie series.

“I just want to give people a chance to get off the street and get out on the track,” Harris said. “You will have the opportunity to get off the streets, avoid jail time, and avoid killing anyone or yourself.”

Street Warriorz, based in Palm Beach County, Florida, held its first Arizona event on the Tucson Dragway on Friday.

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Troy Palmer and Cody Cartier, two friends who live in Tucson, attended because of their love of the street racing scene.

“It’s a lot like ‘The Fast and the Furious’ because when you hear Street Warriorz it’s like Race Wars from the first movie when they’re in the desert,” Palmer said. “We’re out in the desert and watch how things race with each other that you normally don’t see.”

Illegal street races have increased across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Phoenix Police received more than 1,000 emergency calls, made more than 160 arrests and investigated a handful of road racing-related deaths.

Friday races including drag and roll starts. Drag racing is a race between two or more cars over a short distance from a complete standstill. Roll racing is similar to drag racing, but the racers use the drag strip to start the race. Roller races typically start at 20, 40, or 55 mph.

In addition to the racing action, fans can see how every racing driver has converted his car for races.

“I like the mix between using engine power and aerodynamics,” said Cartier. “But the most impressive thing is people who do something from scratch, bring it here, and do it really well. I have a lot of respect and my jaw drops. “

Quinn Wright, who saw “2 Fast 2 Furious,” the second film in the series, as a child, started his car on the Tucson Dragway four years ago.

Layne Berry, on the other hand, made his Street Warriorz debut on Friday. Although unsure about the event upon arrival, he said his decision to come to Tucson Dragway was well worth it.

“I came here to hang out with my friends,” said Berry. “I’ve had a few other cars, but this is my first time with my car. It’s a cool experience. “

Although racing drivers do not win prizes, they do win bragging rights among other competitors.

“It’s exhilarating,” said Patrick Moore, Street Warriorz’s track operations manager. “You get a shiver through your body. But when you’re done, get that deep breath of fresh air. It is a good feeling.”

Despite the showers, Street Warriorz is much safer than illegal street racing. Drivers don’t have to deal with traffic – or law enforcement – and Street Warriorz takes every precaution to ensure safety.

“When you get to the drag strip, take your vehicle for a technical inspection and they’ll check your vehicle to make sure everything is safe for it to go down the track,” said Harris. “Not that many crashes happen at our events. If something happens, the responders are there immediately. “

In addition to exciting races, the Friday event featured show cars lined up in the parking lot to grab the attention of the spectators. While his friends were racing, Brandon Tagg from Tucson entered the auto show in his Volkswagen hatchback. Although he didn’t grow up in Arizona, Tagg showed his passion for the Grand Canyon State with a color design featuring a desert sunset.

“I wanted to do something with purple and black and I saw a Volkswagen bus with a painted license plate in Phoenix,” Tagg said. “I wanted to do something like that, so I put my own twist on it.”

After drawing a large crowd at its first event in Arizona, Street Warriorz hopes to expand into Tucson and eventually beyond.

“We want to try to expand the car culture to a community as a whole,” said Moore. “Our main goal is to get out of here where it’s safe to have fun and let racers prove they are better than the guy next to them.”

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