Event Coverage Englishtown No more drag Racing

The Napp Family FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park January 17, 2018
RACEWAY PARK ANNOUNCES RESTRUCTURING OF BUSINESS
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, the Napp family owned and operated business
announced today a reorganization of the company’s business operations. To achieve this
goal, Raceway Park will no longer conduct quarter mile or eighth mile drag racing events
effective immediately. Raceway Park will retain and use the “stadium” portion of the
facility including the VIP hospitality tower and grandstands and continue most of its
operations including the spring and fall auto swap meets, numerous car shows, both
motocross racing and practice, kart racing, as well as drifting, a full schedule of road
course activities, mud runs, monster truck shows, musical concerts, & festival events and
more. The long standing Old Bridge Township Airport, owned and operated by Raceway
Park will also continue to operate as normal.
The new reorganization reflects the company’s plan moving forward beginning in 2018
while allowing Raceway Park to still continue to operate as it has in the past with the
exception of drag racing.
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. The Napp family would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the
employees that have served our drag racing customers so well over the previous years. 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.
About Raceway Park
Raceway Park has been a family owned and operated business since its opening on
July 4th 1965. For the past fifty two years the Napp family has focused on presenting
the very best in fast family fun that includes NHRA sanctioned drag racing events,
AMA sanctioned motocross racing, motocross practice, auto swap meets, auto
shows, top rated drifting events, competition karting events, alternative motorsport
and lifestyle events, athletic endurance events, history making concerts and music
festivals and much more.

 

Sad to say the least. I'd like to know the real reason.
Pete

 

Another one bites the dust, sad

 

Yeah let’s cancel drag racing but keep drifting....


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so sad. my favorite memory was meeting bob glidden in 1980. that was the high light for me..

 

Getting to be less and less of them.

 

I think a lot of this has to do with the short shut down and the fuel teams complaining of how hard it is to get stopped

 

well you should look at island drag ways tract.

 

The real reason is that a large part of the facility has been leased to Co-Part, the on line vehicle auction based in Dallas, TX. Ironically the connection between the Napp family and Co-Part may have grown out of the latter's sponsorship of Kenny Bernstein's team. Obviously leasing space is a lot less labor intensive than maintaining and staffing a drag race facility. That said, the Napps will continue to run other events on the portion of the facility that they are retaining.

Roo

 

Similiar story from last year. Napp also involved.

http://autoweek.com/article/nhra/ho...d-30000-and-counting-hurricane-harvey-damaged

Easyier money than operating a drag strip I guess.

Sad

Oldmics

 

Does that leave just Atco and Island Drag strips as the last two left in New Jersey?
I'm still surprised that Atco is still operating with all the development in South NJ.

 

Boils down to follow the $Money

 

https://www.nhra.com/nhra

 

Sad.

 

Sad to hear!

 

It's unfortunate. I think sanctioning bodies, tracks and racers all need to get on the same page if we expect any kind of racing to survive. The fact they will continue to run drifting and motocross events shows that there are economically viable forms of racing left, unfortunately they are not the ones we grew up on. NHRA's focus on professional level racing at the expense of sportsman level events has pushed the cost of racing to a point that fewer and fewer people can make a profit from events, sponsors, promoters or racers. Passion can only sustain something for so long eventually you need some justification for the cost.

 

too many hands in the cookie jar..kids cousins ect all pulling out of the profects,,,just so thin you can go..don't be surprised if its not leased to an outside ineritrest

 

It is sad, the music is slowly dying.

 

Sad but not really surprising to me. It has probably been 10 years since I attended an NHRA event and I cannot imagine attending any more. On the other hand I have attended the last five Meltdown drags and hope to attend many more (as well as other nostalgia/vintage drag races). As a participant and spectator back in the 60s, I witnessed the greatest era (IMO) and the rolling billboards of todays’ participants just don’t do a lot for me. The speed today is very impressive but to me it just does not have the same appeal.

I read an article a couple of weeks ago that suggested that the NHRA switch from three day events to two to make it more “special” I suppose, but also suggested not running any sportsman classes during the Sunday activities as no one really cares about the sportsman (as the stands emptying during the sportsman running is evidence of). Not sure what the solution to improving the health of drag racing or if there is a solution. The NHRA screwed it up so bad so many years ago that it is what it is but that is not saying much if you ask me.

Never saw a race at Englishtown but my cousin blew up his 64 Plymouth Fury there and I ended up buying it in pieces and made it my first “muscle car” back in the 60s. I actually wanted a 390 hi-po 61 Starliner but my dad nixed the purchase (I was 17 at the time) and I bought the Fury for $100 without his consent. Once I had it he knew he had been had but too late to nix that purchase and it was from my cousin which may have helped. I admit I am one of those guys still living back in the 60s (with no apologies). I few years ago I still had a hankering for a 61 Starliner and bought one.

 

It's amazing how big Co-Part is! They bought out 2 old junk-yards near me in the last few years. Both yards are FILLED to capacity! Any time I go by either yard during business hours, there's a roll-off or a semi of cars either coming in, or going out!
Also, are they at all involved with any of the corporate buy-backs like the VW one? There's an area north of me that has literally 8,000 VW recalls parked in it! Maybe there's another one of those that they are gearing up for!

 

Sounds like a real possibility for a fantastic demolition derby

 

Guys, the truth is that there is nobody in the stands anymore. Atco is only 15 minutes from me and the place is a ghost town on Tuesday and Friday nights compared to what it used be to 25 years ago. Hope they can hang in there and actually prosper.

 

How much profit for how much effort and investment was probably the killer. That and the shutoff area not being long enough for the speeds of the pro cars now days even with the shorter race length.
The local 1/2 mile circle track sold out and local round and round racing will either be 1/4 mile dirt or tow a rig 80 miles in one direction or the other to the closest paved track unless someone builds a new track out on cheaper land.

 

Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas stopped all drag racing because they leased out their property for parking all the flood damaged cars from Hurricane Harvey.

I guess there is more money in parking cars on their property then was from drag racing.
Jimbo

 

I think dan31 is correct. Every time I watch drag racing on TV the stands are empty, especially on Friday and Saturday. Sunday seems to be the only day they are half full. Can't pay bills if there is no attendance.

 

TWO separate drag strips there, Moto-cross tracks, airport, etc. I remember the court battles they had years ago, and even built a sound wall to help. Bottom line is, it's all about money, and who's willing to pay more. They had to have a different business plan setup with someone before making this announcement. No such thing a loyally when it comes to money. Never been there, never will now. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I don't know if the NHRA has helped drag racing or shot itself in the foot since Wally past. I personally haven't been to one of their events in over 20 years, but before that I would go to the U S Nationals in Indy every year. Plus make it to 1 or 2 other big events a year. I guess even back then, it was profit vs. time involved. Now days I will not drive 2 or more hours one way to watch the " PROS" run. It's doesn't get it for me.

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Wow ! I remember going to Englishtown for the first time in 1976 as a crew member on an alcohol Funny car.
Great times always a fun race to go to. Sad to see that it is gone.

 

I was there when Madison Township Raceway Park opened in 1965 along with my late brother Mike.
A year earlier we had scouted out the location along Pension Road by asking a couple of kids who were
go karting in nearby Englishtown....there was nothing as exciting as seeing the sign on the property that read ''The Future Home of Madison Township Raceway Park''

Before that it was Atco or Great Meadows or earlier the straightaway drags at the Old Bridge and Atlantic
City stock car tracks along with drag racing at the Vineland track and Linden Airport Drags....E - Town was
Big Time,State of the Art....and LOCAL.
My dad used to go with us from time to time while he and mom supported our adventures through the world
hot rods,custom cars and racing....round track on Saturday Nights and the drags on Sunday.
For over 40 years plus I was one of the track announcers at Wall Stadium Speedway along with my buddy
and announcing partner Charlie Roberts who also worked at Raceway Park where for a time he did the
Sunday Sunday!!!!! track radio spots with the laughing mouse....by the way I just spoke with him and he is
doing well.
As Alan Freed once said ''it may be gone but you can't take away the memories''
Lee Greenwood-RAT RADIO
Still involved in racing and custom car cruising.