ANOTHER OF THE OLD GUARD HAS GONE

If you frequent the various car-lunatic websites and social media, you’ve probably heard that the Napp family has shut down drag racing at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, aka Englishtown. We watched the NHRA Summer Nationals there year after year. Some of you undoubtedly grew up there, raced and wrenched there, made friends and memories there. I’m sure some people reading this said, every year, “I’m going to go see the Nitro cars there next year.” Or maybe dreamed of taking their ride to E-town and giving it a shot, to see how they stack up, and take a blast down that historic strip. And now, it’s gone.

It’s sad to see another historic racetrack gone without the grand sendoff it deserved; but this brings up an interesting point. Land is expensive, and that’s not going to change. The EPA and some homeowners are making it more uncomfortable for track owners and promoters. If we only race on weekends, that’s a lot of time this resource is sitting idle and costing money. We, as a community, need to come out in force. Support your local track. Bring your kids, patronize the merch tent, go bracket racing. We can’t just sit home, watch racing on the internet/TV and expect it to last. And above all, stop promising yourself “next year” – take that trip.