ALERT: No More Drag Racing At NJ's Raceway Park

steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
I know we have not had any meets down there in years, but we use to have a lot of fun there when we had a lot of NJ people on here. One day I think we had abut 10 Mark VIIIs there for TNT or brackets.


370_zps50f606f6.jpg

IMG_2121.jpg


No More Drag Racing At Raceway Park In Englishtown
Breaking: That means the fabled Summernationals, a beloved summertime drag racing event, will no longer be held at Raceway.
By Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff | Jan 17, 2018 1:36 pm ET | Updated Jan 17, 2018 6:45 pm ET

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — It's the end of a fabled Central Jersey institution: The iconic Raceway Park in Englishtown suddenly announced this week they will no longer be hosting drag racing. Calling it "a new era for Raceway," the Napp family, which owns the park, says they will no longer have drag racing there.

The 480-acre Raceway Park will remain open, however, and the Napp family promises most of the other events there will continue, including auto swap meets, car shows, motocross racing/practice, kart racing and drifting.

The grandstand and about half of the drag racing strip will be converted to an outdoor concert venue.

The news means the fabled Summernationals, a beloved summertime drag racing event, will no longer be held at Raceway. The National Hot Rod Association, which runs the Summernationals, seemed very disappointed in Raceway's decision:

"Yesterday Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., informed NHRA that it will no longer host any drag racing events at its facility, effective immediately. This includes the 49th annual NHRA Summernationals, scheduled to take place this June," the National Hot Rod Association said in a statement they released.


Raceway Park is about as close to Nascar-territory as New Jersey gets: It's technically located in Old Bridge Township, but the beautiful, rural farming country that surrounds the raceway looks more like the Deep South. Every year, thousands of people from across the tri-state area descend on Englishtown for the Summernationals and other car racing events.

The Napp family called it a "reorganization."

"Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, the Napp family-owned and -operated business, announced today a reorganization of the company's business operations," the company said in a statement on their website. "To achieve this goal, Raceway Park will no longer conduct quarter-mile or eighth- mile drag racing events effective immediately."

"It is with a great sadness that the Napp family is discontinuing drag racing, however the family looks forward to continuing to provide the best outdoor events in this new era of Raceway Park," they said. "The Napp family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude to the NHRA, and the many thousands of racers and fans, without whom would have never allowed Raceway Park to become the iconic and nationally recognized drag racing facility it has over the past five decades."
 

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
That's the highest frequency-of-use of the word "fabled" I've seen in a long time.

Too bad about the dragway. It seems they've decided there' more money to be made in a concert venue..

Which also means that this closure can't be due to noise complaints..
 

steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
Yup, about the money, can't blame the owners for going for what gets them the most profits.

They did have noise restrictions put in place after homes were built next the the track that had been there and operating for years. :rolleyes:
 

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
They did have noise restrictions put in place after homes were built next the the track that had been there and operating for years. :rolleyes:
They tried doing that with the local dinner train by me a few years back. The owners were quick to point out that the tracks had been put in about 100 years prior to the homes..

Of course since then they shut down the train and turned the right of way into a very nice bike trail. I wonder which was louder?
 

steve

With "LOD" Since 1997
Ah, the building of homes next to train tracks. Here next to the homes that are next to older operating tracks there are signs that say "No Horn" at the crossings, so if the signal fails you are screwed. This time of year they fail a lot with sub freezing temps, snow and road salt. But they typical fail in the on and gates down position.
 

billcu

Head Moderator
So sad.

I remember when they closed Detroit Dragway, just about 5 miles from my house. We used to sneak in, from a long walk in the woods over there, when I was a kid. I could easily hear the funny cars and dragsters in my front yard, from across the water.

The commercials on the radio:

"Sunday..Sunday..at Detroit Dragway!....":D
 

germansheperd

New member
That was a great track I ran there a couple of times. For years they were battling noise ordinances with new home buyers. I guess the left wingers won out on that one. A shame.
 
Top