Raceway Park to Cease Drag Racing Operations in 2018 (1 Viewer)

[vegasnitro]

Jalopnik is reporting that it is NOT Copart leasing the facility, it is Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA). The deal is 15 years for $75 million. $5 million a year guaranteed should let you know how the economics of running a drag strip are currently situated.

https://jalopnik.com/englishtown-raceway-abruptly-closes-its-nhra-drag-strip-1822154422

 

[Country21]

This is a cold blooded business decision, but it will make the Napp family A LOT of money. You can eliminate most of your payroll, not worry about payouts or the local yokels for permitting, etc and greatly increase your revenue and have it almost completely guaranteed. I believe the going rate for these cars at Royal Purple was $15 per day per car, and there was ~ 25,000 cars on the property. Not a real tough choice if Copart is paying the same kind of money. The facility will still be there as far as I know, so maybe in a couple of years they can go back to racing if Copart moves on.

Maybe but would be a long time ... they signed a 15year/75mil deal

 

[ironpony]

75 million to let a company park cars there, pretty much have to do nothing, sign me up

 

[HEMI6point1]

This hurts. Before Gainseville, E-town was the national event we went to when we lived in NY. My guess is that the Napps were done fighting all of the noise complaints from the NIMBY a-holes.

On my last job, I had a customer from NU that explained what happened which pretty much confirmed what I believed. Many years ago (2000, 2001 maybe?), based on a tip we took a shortcut on a road that parallels the road leading to the track to cut down on sitting in traffic. This road cut through nothing but grassy fields, but then the very next year the fields were replaced by these huge homes that were the very definition of "urban sprawl:" cookie cutter, zero lot lines, etc. My dad looked at me and said, "Hope those people did research on Englishtown before buying those homes, they better not complain about the noise."

My customer, upon hearing this story told me that greedy developers built these homes and marketed them towards the well-to-do yuppie crowd with the stereotypical 2.5 kids and intentionally did not disclose that the area is home to a famous dragstrip.... for fear of losing a sale. Still, how do you buy a house and not bother to check the area yourself?! What is Englshtown famous for?! I swear, some people are morons!

Closer to where I live now, we had a small dragstrip called County Line Dragway. The residents complained about the noise so the track was shut down.... now those same residents are complaining about all the street racing. You can't have it both ways!

As far as Englishtown goes, I really hope the town compensates for the loss of annual revenue that the Summernationals brought in by raising the property taxes.... on all the rich yuppie NIMBY a-holes that complained about the noise. Street racing will no doubt become a thing due to racers losing their track thanks to them. Guess what? If the rich yuppie NIMBY a-holes complain, the city should tell them "You wanted this, POUND SAND and go back to your cookie cutter house!" Because that is what I would do....

Sorry but I just had to vent.

 

[Pete]

I hate saying it, but business-wise it was a great decision for their family business.

As a fan and racer, I am sick to my stomach!

 

[stitcherbob]

This began with Hurricane Sandy. The track hosted flood ravaged cars just like this https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/01/hurricane-sandy-80-days-later/100440/

 

[ironpony]

This began with Hurricane Sandy. The track hosted flood ravaged cars just like this https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/01/hurricane-sandy-80-days-later/100440/

To give you some scale, the runway at Calverton is just over 10,000 feet long. Calverton was the final assy plant for Grumman, where planes flew their first flights out of. I worked and retired from there. 10,000 feet of concrete the ultimate dragstrip location, great surface and ultimate shutdown area, I would say easily 3 times any track out there.

 

[HEMI6point1]

BTW.... to get revenge on the rich yuppie NIMBY a-holes who caused this the town should put a proposal on the fall ballot where people can vote to either keep the track open for racing or have the Napps sell the property to a developer who would construct low income / section 8 housing. Watch the yuppies backpedal real quick when the property values of their cookie cutter McMansions are threatened.

 

[Butch]

In my opinion it's 10 years too late. This was a 1965 Drag strip running 2017 cars that was locked into not being able to expand the length of the track. Remember this track has lots of history, but also brought us the loss of Scott Kalitta and the berth of Thousand foot fuel racing.
I'm sure that just the cost of insurance by dropping the coverage for a drag strip has to be a large sum alone. Anyone that wouldn't take this offer to rent the property out for short term storage of damaged vehicles is nuts. This isn't a salvage yard where cars are parted out it's only for storage/auction of the vehicles. I believe it's a great business decision now somebody needs to go out far away and build a combination NASCAR/Drag strip facility in that regon that has been kicked around before.

 

[Z28LT1]

it is ironic that copart was introduced to most of us saving a historic team, only to now return as part of the demise of a historic track......if nhra wants to maintain a 24 race season, i'd think long and hard about 'who' gets the replacement race.....maybe time to experiment with a 2day race?, pros only? as much under the lights as possible. use a div. track that doesn't host a nat. event?. bowling green / columbus / rockingham / orlando

They just lost a HUGE market. I would hope they would do everything they can to find a track in the area. NYC and Philly are huge metropolitan areas within driving distance of RWP. If they are smart they will focus on bringing a race back to that area.

 

[MHayes]

They just lost a HUGE market. I would hope they would do everything they can to find a track in the area. NYC and Philly are huge metropolitan areas within driving distance of RWP. If they are smart they will focus on bringing a race back to that area.

Reading and Epping have the NE covered pretty well without RWP. FYI, it is the same distance to Reading from Philly as it is to RWP. The folks from the NYC area may have to drive a bit further, but at least there are 2 other options to choose from, which can't be said about many other areas.

 

[TK]

In my opinion it's 10 years too late. This was a 1965 Drag strip running 2017 cars that was locked into not being able to expand the length of the track. Remember this track has lots of history, but also brought us the loss of Scott Kalitta and the berth of Thousand foot fuel racing.
The death of Scott Kalitta can be attributed the placement of the camera boom vehicle at the sand trap area, where Scott's car catapulted up and into the boom arm.

 

[Z28LT1]

Reading and Epping have the NE covered pretty well without RWP. FYI, it is the same distance to Reading from Philly as it is to RWP. The folks from the NYC area may have to drive a bit further, but at least there are 2 other options to choose from, which can't be said about many other areas.

I would think losing the NYC metro market was the real loss. Epping is more focused on the Boston market (now I'm hungry for chicken). Reading has the amish market locked down. They need to focus on a replacement for the NYC area, not just add a random race to get back to 24.

 

[Jack]

Having a hard time envisioning anyone making the investment in a motor sports racing facility in this day and age in the northeast corridor. land cost, environmental issues, permitting. Local opposition etc, etc, etc would be very difficult issues to solve and I can imagine the ROI for such an undertaking would not be very good. Remember that this is the Northeast where there's a minimum of 5 months of guaranteed down time every year due to weather. Any news from the NHRA on on replacement for the event or just going to run one less? That would be one less race for sponsors who on board for the full pull which would not make many of them very happy without some financial contract adjustments.

 

[PJ]

I know they are IHRA now, but they used to hold NHRA races and with the "I" no longer doing a pro series what about Richmond. 300miles isn't in the neighborhood, but hard to find something closer that can handle the numbers

 

[Cliff]

Was trying to think of new tracks that have opened recently. There is an IHRA track that just opened in the Dallas, Texas area, all concrete, 1/8 mile. Also GALOT Motorsports Park, was an old 1/4 mile, but remade into first class 1/8 mile track. As far as loosing tracks, I grew up in Los Angeles area. The only track from The Old Daze is Pomona; all the rest closed cuz of various reasons. With the way the People's Republic of Commiefornia thinks, I would not be surprised if all the race tracks that are left would be closed - unless you wanna run electric race cars. Sigh....

 

[mick]

whatever transpired here, it had to be quick, at least at some point after nhra posted their 2018 schedule in agreement with raceway park. i'm happy for new england dragway. hindsite 20/20 says that race was implemented at a pretty good time. englishtown HAD history. one of few remaining nat. event strips that hosted big nitro events back in the 70's......but there have been accidents there due to it's length (or lack thereof); time to say goodbye and move on. sportsman racers still have tracks in area to compete. nat. event fans still have Reading 90 miles away. JMHO, i'd think the nhra mite be pretty darn pissed off rite now, unless they got a nice cut from the deal.....i don't think the event this year had a presenting sponsor?

 

[Z28LT1]

whatever transpired here, it had to be quick, at least at some point after nhra posted their 2018 schedule in agreement with raceway park. i'm happy for new england dragway. hindsite 20/20 says that race was implemented at a pretty good time. englishtown HAD history. one of few remaining nat. event strips that hosted big nitro events back in the 70's......but there have been accidents there due to it's length (or lack thereof); time to say goodbye and move on. sportsman racers still have tracks in area to compete. nat. event fans still have Reading 90 miles away. JMHO, i'd think the nhra mite be pretty darn pissed off rite now, unless they got a nice cut from the deal.....i don't think the event this year had a presenting sponsor?

I don't recall any major incidents since Scott's passing and that was 10 years ago. Hard to say good bye and move on without a suitable replacement. Maple Grove is a pain to get to and not a easy drive from NYC surrounding areas. Plus the huge media machine that is New York isn't going to look to Reading for any motorsports stories.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Either VMP or National Trail?

 

[justafan]

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag...k-aragona-struggles-with-e-town-shutdown-news