Shouting over the roar of engines, Harold Bullock is his element.
“I’ve been a racer at heart my whole life,” he says. “The only reason I get up in the morning is to burn fuel.”
Along with business partner Perry Merlo, Bullock is the co-owner of Milan Dragway, the only official drag strip in the greater Detroit area. It’s also the only National Hot Rod Association-sanctioned track in Michigan, following the closure of the Detroit Dragway in Brownstown Township, which existed from 1959 to 1997. “If you’re my age, you remember Detroit Dragway at Sibley and Dix,” Merlo says. “‘Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!’” The former track is now an industrial site.
Up until recently, the fate of Milan Dragway was also uncertain. First opened in 1964, it changed hands in 1989 but had fallen on hard times in recent years. In 2021, it closed after its owners missed a loan payment to Les Gold (of reality TV show Hardcore Pawn fame), and went into receivership and put up for sale.
That’s when Bullock, who had been visiting the track since he was a child and started racing there as a teen in the ’80s, had a wild idea. Bullock had a heavy equipment repair company and worked as a contractor for Perry’s construction company, from which he had recently retired. He called up Perry under the guise of construction consultation.
“He says, ‘Come and look at this track,’” Merlo recalls. “At that point, I realized that he had more motive than that. He was looking for investors.”
The two teamed up and made an offer, and the deal closed in December 2021, reportedly close to $3 million. “You should never make business decisions out of passion,” Bullock admits. “Maybe we paid a little too much. But this place is priceless.”
Located at 10860 Plank Rd., Milan Twp., the sprawling 136-acre site reopened in 2022, drawing gearheads and spectators. Aside from repaving the track, Perry and Bullock have made other renovations, updating bathrooms and installing air conditioning and a bar in an old lounge area. “The ladies can come in here now and have a White Claw and relax,” Bullock says. “If the girls are happy, you get to stay longer.”
Depending on the day, the facilities are open to anyone from the public to come and drive for an entrance fee, including “Test and Tune” Wednesdays. All vehicles are inspected for proper safety equipment, and an ambulance and fire truck are also on hand. Drivers must sign a waiver.
Of course, there is a degree of danger. According to Merlo, there are typically a few accidents each month. On June 10, a 78-year-old man was killed when a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Funny Car driven by his grandson suddenly accelerated in reverse, which the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said appeared to be the result of a vehicle malfunction. (The crash is being investigated by the office as well as the National Hot Rod Association. When asked for comment, Milan Dragway ownership expressed condolences to the family.)
The hope is that a sanctioned facility will help keep drivers off the streets of Detroit, as police have cracked down on illegal racing in recent years. At Milan Dragway, there’s also a wide area where drivers come to show off and perform stunts. “Depends on what ethnic background you are,” Merlo says. “Black people call it ‘sliding.’ White people call it ‘drifting.’ Mexicans call it ‘burnouts.’”
The Milan Dragway also draws street racers to its highly competitive “grudge races,” where tens of thousands of dollars in prize money is doled out each month. “These races are decided two or three places past the decimal,” Bullock says. “They’re separated by one hundredth of a second.”
Merlo and Bullock say they’re at Milan Dragway seven days a week, joined by their supportive wives Pam and Liz. They say they’re continuing to overhaul the old facilities, and plan to add more events and races, especially with the track’s 60th anniversary next year.
“We’ve had our share of roadblocks,” Merlo admits. “But it’s just the greatest place. I mean, I can’t even express to you how much we absolutely love this place.”
Metro Times photographer Joe Maroon recently visited the dragway for the “Night of Fire,” where pyromaniac drivers of tricked-out vehicles make a show of blasting massive, crowd-pleasing fireballs. Here’s everything he saw.
More information is available at milandragway.com.
