Racing event for tonight at Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip cancelled

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Tonight's Beat the HEAT racing event at Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip in Ringgold has been cancelled due to flooding, but the remaining events are scheduled to continue, according to Officer Nathan Hartwig of the Chattanooga Police Department.

Beat the HEAT is a not-for-profit organization in which active and retired law enforcement officers and firefighters work to educate the public about safe driving by using marked emergency drag vehicles, according to the organization's website. Officers involved in the program will use police cars to bring young people to drag strips so that they race legally and safely off the streets.

Events for the Beat the HEAT World Finals - an annual event where HEAT members meet in a different city to compete for the title of "Top Cop" - will continue in the Chattanooga area through Saturday.