I'm told that Island Drag-way in Great Meadows NJ is closing. This place was a great local racer track that opened in the 60's and never changed. It's a cool local place located in north west Jersey and was family owned. I'm told that the EPA and the FED's are the ones closing it. I wish there was someway to stop it, Jersey Sucks!!!!!
From what I have found out is the EPA is not happy with all the stuff that's in the water next to the track. I think that got a little out of hand over the years. Jimbo
Hopefully folks get out and support the tracks that are still open. Great Bend, site of the first major NHRA event, closed this yera as well as 2 other tracks in '12.
Guess I earned my last trophy from Island this year at the Ole Daze Drags. Hope something good happens but it sounds like a long shot. Only 7 miles from home. Old well, been going there since 1965. First time down the track in 1969 in my 55 Chevy.
No longer live in NJ, but really...Atco sold? Hope it stays a race track. I spent many a summer weekend there "wasting" away my youth! Back then it was pinelands and sand. I know the area residents have been trying to close it for years. I believe they have had some success in limiting operating hours. Any update would be appreciated.
Pretty easy to figure out why I looked here. The title to the thread is "Sad news from New Jersey" two reasons I looked in here, one is the thread title doesn't mention anything about Island or anything about drag strips and I LIVE in new jersey so i wanted to see what happen. If I knew this thread was about Island prior to opening it, I would'nt have clicked on it....this news wasn't new to me. Simple. Now why did you guys open this thread???? Neither of you even live here.
Awesome, now they can bulldoze it and put up a strip mall complete with Starbucks, Subway and a Taco Bell. The EPA is a bunch of fags.
Supersized must be describing the rock in your head. The car hobby is a great big circle and no matter what little part of it you're into, we are all connected. I remember the old union saying "an injury to one is an injury to all". Now you can go back and bury your head in a NJ landfill and wait for them to come for the "CUSTOMS"
EPA doesn't bulldoze, private developers do that. They petition the EPA about a particular potential hazardous situation.Then grease the palms of certain officials to get what they want......And the owners of the track may not be making good money...they get a substantial offer from the developers ,gone in 60 seconds. Things change,see any 1920's board track left?
I spoke with someone very close to the track ownership. Apparently it is more of a tax issue. The owners had been cutting wood lots on the property and selling the lumber to pay the taxes in the past. Now that has all been logged and the revenue is not there to cover the taxes which is forcing the closing of the track. I had also heard about ground contamination and the EPA but have no proof of that. Reguardless it is sad each time one of these old tracks close and are gone forever. My Dad raced there in the sixties and early seventies. We made it back there last oct. for the first time since then to run our car. I am sure glad we did because if we waited we would never of had the chance.
Well shit did not here about Great Bend. Sad day when any drag strip closes. Guess we will have to just start racing on the streets again. Sure miss those days.
Actually I don't live in Diego either but if someone posted something about a goings on there I would probably open it to see what the goings on is. hell I even watch world news. But the real reason that I opened this thread was to catch a spammer a Mr JasonRicha who claimes he is from new York. I cannot imagine why none of you have reported him. Pretty easy to do ya know, just hit the report button on his post and tap spam into the text box.
the EPA thing make a lot of sense. Here in NJ you must keep all the water that falls on your comercial property on your property. This means if you have paving, you must contain the rainfall. Usually into cisterns on the property. Island has the ditch that drains the area and the ditch runs along the whole access road almost back to Rt.46. So their drainage water dosen't stay on the property. It would cost a fortune to capture all that water. They will rip up the ashphalt and lease the land to the sod farmers.IMO
it is a sad day i ran there in the early 60,s when big daddy don g broke 200 miles it was the 2nd track i ever race at old bridge being the frist ran my 55 chevy and my custom 57
The Jalopy Journal
