Associated Press - August 6, 2009 11:44 AM ET

ELY, Nev. (AP) - White Pine County commissioners are worried that a Nevada Department of Transportation plan to install rumble strips on State Route 318 will ruin the twice-yearly Silver State Classic Challenge speed race.

State officials say the grooves keep distracted and drowsy motorists in their lanes.

But the commission is asking N-DOT to reconsider.

Ely Mayor Jon Hickman says the grooves could endanger race drivers hitting speeds of 200-plus mph on 90 miles of closed roadway between Lund and Hiko. He calls the race an economic benefit for his city, 240 miles north of Las Vegas.

The race started in 1988. Racers Chuck Shafer and Gary Bockman won a Guinness Book of World Records listing for the highest speed on a public highway: 207.7801 mph in May 2000.

Information from: Ely Times, http://www.elynews.com

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