Most people love a good mystery. For race fans, we rarely get any real world mysteries, other than the odd missing race car that is found many years later. It seems that there has been a bit of an urban legend circulating in the NASCAR world over the past few years regarding an underground testing facility. Somewhere. Right. Paging Doctor Evil.

Last night I came across an incredible story by Sam Collins of Racecar Engineering Magazine on Speedtv.com that brings the story closer to reality.

In the 1890’s, a tunnel was carved through a Pennsylvania hill in an aborted attempt to run trains through rather than over the peak. The tunnels remained unused until 1940 when it was reconfigured to become part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It remained in use for vehicle traffic until 1964 when plans for another adjoining tunnel were deemed too expensive. The Laurel Hill Tunnel and others like it have remained dormant to this day. Or have they?

Collins has done some digging and it looks like the racers have moved in. Chip Ganassi Racing transporters have been seen parked outside the tunnel which now has adjacent buildings that look very much like race shops. Other clues include an exterior run off road complete with a big tire barrier made up of used racing slicks and used fuel drums that once contained Sunoco Supreme racing fuel.

Local hikers report hearing the sound of racing engines at full song from on top of Laurel Hill. While NASCAR, Ganassi and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission aren’t talking, it is clear that some sort of real road testing is going on. The Collins article goes in to some of the technical possibilities, but for me it’s cool enough to know that somewhere in the Pennsylvania hills some guys are running around underground in race cars! Just try to imagine the sound in that mile long gopher hole!

These photos were from explorer Ross Sieber who has all sorts of photos here.