End of a racing icon in NJ

[VINMAN]

Very sad day for drag racing fans.

After 53 years burning rubber, drag racing ends at Raceway Park | NJ.com

After 53 years burning rubber, drag racing ends at Raceway Park.


By Steve Strunsky,
sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com,

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com



Drivers, turn off your engines.

After more than half a century of burning rubber, Raceway Park will no longer hold drag races, officials said.

With the rising cost of fuel, tires, insurance and other expenses of speeding from a standstill to more than 200 mph on a 1,000-foot track, drag racing has become too expensive for the mostly amateur racers who drive on weekends and Wednesday nights at what is officially known as Old Bridge Raceway Park, said Steve Mamakas, executive officer of the Old Bridge Township Mayor's Office of Economic Development.

"I'm a racer myself," said Mamakas, who races in a penny-orange 2009 Dodge Challenger SRTH with a 425-horse power engine. "Last time I raced was probably about a year and a half ago, and yea, I will miss it."


The storied drag strip, with its familiar radio ads that blared, "Racewaaaaay Park!" is is a nationally known track and longtime host of the National Hot Rod Association's Summernationals, which will not be run at the raceway in 2018.

The NHRA, hot rodding's ruling body, issued a statement on Wednesday lamenting the end of drag racing at the raceway, which the NHRA referred to by its Englishtown mailing address.

"NHRA drag racing events have been held at the track in Englishtown for almost 50 years," NHRA president Glen Cromwell was quoted as saying. "The Summernationals have played an important part in our heritage and we hope that fans in the area will try to make it to another one of our events. Our focus remains on making the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series a memorable experience for our fans, racers, sponsors, partners and tracks."

The Napp family, which opened the raceway in 1965 and continues to operate it privately, decided to end drag racing, and convert the grandstand and about half the strip into an outdoor concert venue, Mamakas told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday, after he met last week to discuss the changes with Raceway Park President Michael Napp.

The family issued a statement about the closing, wishing 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."

Despite the end of drag racing, Mamakas said the 480-acre complex will remain open and other forms of racing and motorsports will go on, including motocross, as well as cart racing and drifting. He said the site will continue to host a motor sports school and exotic car drives on its autocross track. The annual Tough Mudder competition, a non-motor sports use of the facility, will also continue, Mamakas said.

"Let's put it this way, Raceway Park is transforming to meet the future," Mamakas said. "It's just become too expensive, and you have a small window to race there -- Saturday and Sunday and Wednesday, and Wednesday night it's hard to get out."



Fans reacted to word of drag racing's end on social media.

[dad911]

Remember the radio ads?





They once paved a road course without approvals. I think it finally ended up being used for autocross and karts. Lawsuit challenges racetrack approval – GMNews Archive

[flatbutt]

At least it's not converting to condos.

[JackDidley]

I hate to hear that. Its hard to make money in drag racing. Our local track has been sold to someone that plans on turning into a drive in theater/entertainment facility. We put together a 55 Chevy and had a blast with it last summer. Now it will be a 90 minute drive to the nearest track. Thats 1 1/2 hours at least out of our Saturday.

[wdfifteen]

I’m guessing the NHRA is mostly supported my gray hairs like myself, who enjoy vintage drag racing but have little interest in the cars being raced today. As such, the NHRA is going to go the way of the dinosaurs - and old gray hairs.

[stomachmonkey]

That's a shame.

Fond memories.

[sammyg2]

Flashbacks to when OCIR closed down.

[Scott Douglas]

For some of us really old guys it's a flashback to when Lion's closed.

[asphaltgambler]

There was a 1/8 mile strip in Manassas, Vs ( near me) closed a few years back that had been open since 1959. Its location was far enough out side of town, but over the years the town caught up to it. It also had a short oval track for the other guys to race.

The land became too valuable. Now there are condos, track housing on it.

Sad to see. The fuel cars sort of outgrew RP. It was where Scott Kalitta was killed, and which led to the 1000-foot change, in part because there was not enough runoff in a lot of the old tracks for them to be safe. I still go see the NHRA at Pacific Raceways every year, but with second 1000-ft races, it's a lot less interesting, unfortunately.

[gsxrken]

Years ago in my early 20s I took my Bandit Trans Am there- 67 Ram Air III motor etc Ran a respectable for the time 13.3 ET. It’s more nerve-racking than you would think, sitting in the staging lanes, getting the water burnout right, rolling up and setting the lights, and not leaving early. I’ve also ran my old gixxer there into the 10s, and later juuust got my 69 Mustang into the 11s. Annual spring swap meet back in the day was huge. Pre eBay/Craigslist/internet swap meets were the ****.
Haven’t been there in Years but I’m surprised at my own reaction to them closing.

[Por_sha911]

I can still hear
Sunday
Sunday
SUNDAY

Nitro burning funny cars!

[R K T]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

For some of us really old guys it's a flashback to when Lion's closed.

I grew up at Lions. My Dad was the director and I have all the records from the building the track in '55 along with lots of memorabilia from the closing in '72.

I think at some point all of this needs to go to the NHRA museum!

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by R K T

I grew up at Lions. My Dad was the director and I have all the records from the building the track in '55 along with lots of memorabilia from the closing in '72.

I think at some point all of this needs to go to the NHRA museum!

I'll offer you $100 cash for all of it. And I won't hear of a penny less