In 1949, the runway became a private civil airport, known as Sweetwater Dam Airport; it was also called Paradise Mesa Airstrip. The airport was named after the nearby Sweetwater Dam that makes Sweetwater Reservoir; it closed in 1951 and the runway became home to the Paradise Mesa Drag strip. Early drag racing clubs including the Bean Bandits had begun to use the airfield for unsanctioned, outlaw drag racing in 1949 with racers recounting that the airfield was still operational at the time.[1] As the sport's popularity grew, the Carlsbad, California's Oilers Club, with the support of the city and local police converted the airfield into a drag strip to provide an alternative to dangerous street racing. The first official meet was held on March 11, 1951. At its peak, 25 clubs were using the strip. The drag strip closed in 1959.[2]
Houses were built on the site, now called Paradise Hills; no trace of the runway can be found today. Today, part of the site is also Daniel Boone Elementary School.[3][4]
