Skyview: Drag racer rests on Fox Lake rooftop

I don't see drag racers too often, let alone ones that have been mounted on the roof of a building, so I did a double-take when I saw just that while driving on U.S. 12 in Fox Lake recently.

Though I do know someone who rebuilds engines for drag racers, I don't recall the last time I've seen one, and I have never seen one rolling. As a casual observer of auto racing, I've seen stock cars and Indy cars in action, but never a dragster.

This example rests on the roof of the now-closed Studio Hotrods Smokehouse. A Daily Herald story published in 2017 stated that the restaurant was to replace a troubled motel, and the building was rebuilt, complete with a glass area below the dragster in which classic cars were displayed in stacked fashion.

The restaurant's closure was announced on its Facebook page on April Fools’ Day three years ago. Currently, a lighted sign displays an invitation to visit Studio Hotrods in nearby Richmond, Illinois.

To me, this drag racer is one of those quirky things that I see when driving to assignments. It may be removed eventually and, in that case, hopefully the photo will help document its one-time place in Fox Lake history.