Troopers Try To Put Brakes On Street Racing

Six people were arrested this weekend when troopers put the brakes on a race along Tippett Road, a dead-end state road a few miles west of Interstate 95 in Halifax County, authorities said.

The illegal races are usually prearranged and involve souped-up engines and special fuels to generate speeds of more than 100 mph.

"Before, we were finding big performance vehicles. Here, we found not only Cadillacs, we have a Durango," said 1st Sgt. Keith Stone, of the Highway Patrol.

Troopers seized two late-model Cadillacs, a Nissan Maxima, a Nissan Pathfinder and a motorcycle.

The Highway Patrol is concentrating its crackdown on drag racing in Halifax and Nash counties, which have miles of lonely stretches of road that make them ideal for street racing, authorities said.

Last week, four Halifax County men were arrested after troopers broke up a drag race on N.C. Highway 561 at the Halifax-Nash county line. Authorities seized a Ford Mustang GT and a Honda Civic in that case.

Heavy skid marks cover the pavement where the races start, and spectators line the ditches along the road. Authorities have found empty beer and liquor bottles, drug paraphernalia and even weapons in the ditches.

"I think it's a receipe for disaster," Stone said. "When you have betting and criminal activity, it can lead to death."

A drag race along All-American Freeway in Fayetteville late Sunday, for example, injured three people after one driver lost control of his car, authorities said.