Englishtown eliminates drag racing

[Injuneer]

Englishtown (actually "Old Bridge Township, NJ") Raceway Park announced effective immediately the end of all drag racing activities. That includes the 49th NHRA Summernationals, which NHRA has now deleted from the 2018 schedule, and apparently will not replace.

Only 20 minutes from my home, I spent a lot of time there. Sad to see it go.

The site will remain open. Drag strip area/grandstands will be converted to an outdoor concert venue. Other paved and dirt tracks (motorcycle, karts, drifting) and the adjacent air strip will remain open.

[dawdaw]

Whyyy??

[96LT1355Z28]

Terrible news :no:

[shownomercy]

Whyyy??

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

From what I have gathered the owners are not selling the property, so they can now sit back and collect rent. All while letting leasees tackle the complaints from macmansion owners.

[Camaro96]

Englishtown Raceway Abruptly Closes Its NHRA Drag Strip



Raphael Orlove

Today 11:08am

Filed to:DRAG RACING



For decades, Englishtown Raceway Park in New Jersey has been home to the NHRA’s Summer Nationals. But today, the track announced it’s stopping drag racing, effective immediately. Other activities at Englishtown will continue, notably Club Loose’s drift events, but this is an abrupt end to an era.

All quarter and eighth mile events are coming to an end, while dirt bike, karting, road course and drift events will continue. The reason for the closure of drag racing appears to come from the track leasing out that area to Insurance Auto Auctions to store cars. Englishtown previously held some of the thousands of cars flooded by Hurricane Sandy back in 2013, so this relationship isn’t coming out of nowhere.



A source familiar with the matter said that IAA recently came back and made an offer the track “couldn’t refuse.”

So the end of drag racing at Englishtown doesn’t seem to be coming from something falling through with the NHRA so much as car storage being more lucrative.

Tons of smaller drag events run at Englishtown (its Honda-only events are well known) and it’s unclear where they’ll go. There are other drag strips nearby, like Atco, but this is all quite sudden.



What’s interesting about this is it’s a real passing of the torch moment for this really quite well-known track, which was due to host the NHRA Summer Nationals again this year in June. A few years back, Englishtown moved its drifting events from a large parking lot to a dedicated road course, and the events have been flourishing. East Coast Bash might be the best drift event, if not the best car event, in the country.

That these drift events are continuing while drag racing is shutting down is an interesting gauge of the state of motorsports in America in 2018.

Here is the announcement in full:

Correction: previously this article stated E-Town was leasing to Copart, as reported by The Capital Sports Report, when in fact the lease is with IAA.









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[SSlowBoat]

the noise has nothing to do with it, the drift events are louder with 10-15 v8 open header cars all sliding at once at rev limiter. I have drift friends that are regulars there.

The money is the thing. one of the owners drifts with the club loose, so he's making money making those events bigger. nhra doesn't have the draw, and I won't drag race there due to time/money/amount of runs you get. it sucks. but it's changing of times

don't worry, gov Murphy will make the state better

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[spikester7878]

Such a shame I use to go there all the time as a kid. My uncle also use to work at the booth handing out the time slips. It will definitely be missed.

[z28rob18]

It’s where I got addicted to horsepower as a kid sucks to see it go

[agenthol302]

Really sucks to see it go but im not surprised. the main track I run just got bought out by a rich guy which is nice, Brained the other track I run is connected to a road course and they spend a lot of time doing other events also.

[Dirtybob]

My local dragstrip (Cordova IL) recently had a bunch of drama about ownership changes and a certain yearly event ( https://dragillustrated.com/ihra-world-series-of-drag-racing-moves-to-memphis-for-2016/ ) but at least we still have a track to race on. Sorry to hear about Englishtown.

[Cathead]

That's terrible news. Englishtown is pretty historic in racing.

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