Goodbye Etown

[Twitchin Kitten]

0

So a legend is stopping all drag racing. This is really sad news for so many of us who go to watch and race.

Englishtown's Raceway Park is restructuring and will no longer offer drag racing. They will continue to do all the other things they do there but no more drags. They won't last the year.

I hear it's because of a lot of the new construction residents are complaining about the noise. What did they expect when they bought homes by the racetrack?

http://www.etownraceway.com/

Press Release:
http://www.etownraceway.com/mydocuments/...ucture.pdf

[LKTraz]

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I saw a news flash about this.

It blindsided NHRA as well. They will be shortening the season since it's too late at this point to replace the event somewhere else.

Part of it was as you said, the construction. They were trying to extend the runout area since it was becoming an issue in the wake of Scott Kalitta's death several years ago there. His incident was what also pushed NHRA to shorten runs from a full 1320 feet down to 1000 feet for the nitro classes.

Old Bridge Twp Raceway Park was a standout track and a very important part of the growth and development of drag racing. MANY big name racers cemented their legacies there. Shirley Muldowney, Connie Kalitta, Don Garlits, Jim Dunn, the late Jungle Jim Leiberman, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and local sportsman legend Frank Manzo all made their marks thanks to Englishtown.

I don't see them lasting for too many years without drag racing either.

This is a sad day for drag racing.

[Biker Dude]

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Our local drag strip has run into similar issues. When it was built 50 years ago, nothing was around. Now million dollar homes are close. It's right up against the foothills. Beautiful Really lets the sound roll down into sub divisions. But they have a lifetime permit from the county. As long as they don't expand and try to pull a new permit, it would have to go through the whole process. So they don't have sewer service because that would be an upgrade. Awesome track, I have ran it many times on cars and bikes ever since I was old enough. Our next door neighbors ran a machine shop. Three boys, one raced Mopar, on Chevy and one Ford. And they also had a shop car, a '49 Anglia, whoever was available would drive it. A lot of good memories.

http://www.bandimere.com/

[LKTraz]

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Bandimere is a pivotal track on the western swing of the tour. It's the only track where the nitro classes can run 100% nitromethane if they want to due to the thin air.

Nobody does though as it's tough to get the timing right and not launch a blower. Pretty much 97% is the end of manageable fuel mix.

NHRA weighed in and as expected they are disappointed.
https://www.nhra.com/news/2018/nhra-statement-old-bridge-township-raceway-park-nhra-summernationals?hq_e=el&hq_m=1475288&hq_l=6&hq_v=cca8fa2521

They have been hit with offers from other tracks to possibly run an event this year to replace OBTRP. Although not out of the realm of possibility it's not likely that any track could make the necessary arrangements for a major national event on such short notice.

[Twitchin Kitten]

0

I saw a news flash about this.

It blindsided NHRA as well.  They will be shortening the season since it's too late at this point to replace the event somewhere else.  

Part of it was as you said, the construction.  They were trying to extend the runout area since it was becoming an issue in the wake of Scott Kalitta's death several years ago there.  His incident was what also pushed NHRA to shorten runs from a full 1320 feet down to 1000 feet for the nitro classes.

Old Bridge Twp Raceway Park was a standout track and a very important part of the growth and development of drag racing.  MANY big name racers cemented their legacies there.  Shirley Muldowney, Connie Kalitta, Don Garlits, Jim Dunn, the late Jungle Jim Leiberman,  Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and local sportsman legend Frank Manzo all made their marks thanks to Englishtown.

I don't see them lasting for too many years without drag racing either.

This is a sad day for drag racing.

What gets me is that they complain about the noise from the track, but the air strip is RIGHT THERE. And lets not even let them know the dirt track/motocross will still continue. The constant buzzing of the bikes all day long can be heard above the noise of the dragsters!