CLASS RACER FORUM - Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

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Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

past few years my job got in the way of racing . This year I'm retiring in march was looking to make up for lost time .They close the track !

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

It's always sad when a drag strip closes. We in the Southern California area feel your pain, but we have been through it over and over again. All the drag strips below were within 1-hour of Los Angeles...

SOCAL DRAGSTRIP LIST
NAME - OPEN - CLOSE - COMMENTS
SANTA ANA - 1950 - 1959 - Now John Wayne Airport
TUSTIN - 1950 - 1951- Blimp Base
SAUGUS - 1950- 1957- Six-S-Ranch
POMONA - 1951 - Active - LA Cnty. Fairground (Fairplex)
FAMOSA - 1952 - Active - McFarland (aka Bakersfield)
FONTANA - 1952 - 1969 - aka Drag City
PARADISE MESA - 1953 - 1959 - National City
INYOKERN - 1954 - 2005 - Inyokern Airport, Ridgecrest
SAN FERNANDO - 1955 - 1967 - aka The Pond
LIONS - 1955 - 1972 - aka The Beach
SAN GABRIEL - 1956 - 1963
COLTON - 1956 - 1960 - Morrow Field
IRWINDALE - 1957 - 1973- Miller Brewery site
RIVERSIDE - 1959 - 1970 - 1/2 Mile Track
ROMONA - 1963 - 2004 - Ramona Airport
CARLSBAD - 1963 - 2004 - Near San Diego
L. A. COUNTY - 1964 - 2007 - aka Palmdale
ORANGE CNTY. - 1967 - 1983 - OCIR
BROTHERHOOD -1974 - 1995 - Terminal Island, Port of Los Angeles
FONTANA - 2001 - Active - Auto Club Speedway
IRWINDALE - 2001 - Active? - Toyota Speedway, 1/8th Mile
BARONA - 2003 - Active - 1/8th Mile Track

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

doesent Pomona fairplex have some permit deal coming up? thought I read that somewhere just this week...

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

I hadn't heard that but it would not surprise me. They hold only two events a year, the NHRA Winternationals and the World Finals...

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/1...entertainment/

Some interesting reading. Of course, the folks living in the area of the Fairplex have been fighting the use of the Fairplex as a drag strip for as long as I can remember. About the only thing I can see as a win for the home owners from that is the limitation of the track to only two events per year. Although the Winternats started at that track (1961 if I recall), the World Finals didn't, and was held at several different tracks over the years. Only time will tell. The Mayor and most of the members of the Pomona City Council are on NHRA's side in all of this. None of the politicians in Pomona are that concerned about the political "push back" from the local residents, since the residents mostly live in the neighboring community of La Verne, and not Pomona. The zoning laws on the other hand can get kind of sticky but there is a feeling that the NHRA may wind up being "grandfathered in" since they are such an important part of the city's tax base...

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

George, Did we miss OMS?

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

I didn't forget it, I just didn't include it, because they only held one drag event a year at Ontario Motor Speedway, and I think the event was called the NHRA Supernationals. I think that the dates were 1970 to 1980, after which the whole facility closed down.

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoklass (Post 554958)

Thanks.
Drove by it many times, but never had the pleasure.

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz (Post 554410)

I have a lot:

My father and I attended the 1971 Summernationals. On Monday, the NY Daily News did a story on the race. There was a full page photo of the track and the spectator stands, and you could clearly see the two of us.

In 1978 they ran ET Brackets at the Division points race. I was R/U in Street Eliminator.(Footbrake 14.00+ dial 1/4 mile)

In 1982, I rented a Dodge Aries for the weekend from the dealership where I worked. I drove it down to Englishtown for the Division opener and entered it in Stock. It was a second off the index and I lost first round, but I got my picture in SS&DI.

Englishtown was the first track to win the NHRA Div. 1 Bracket Finals twice. I was on both of those teams. I finished 3rd in Street ET at the 1983 Bracket Finals while representing them.

The US All-Pro Funny Car Championships always had the largest field of the year in Street ET (around 50 cars). IIRC I made the final round five times, winning four. I missed one year when I destroyed my car in a wreck on the way to the track.

I have no way of knowing, but I might have had the slowest car to ever win a Friday night Gamblers' race, a 20-second Ford Fairmont.

The year before I moved south I attended the Summernationals for the last time. I was sitting out driving for the year, so I rode my bicycle 18 miles each way to get there.

I had the honor of racing (and occasionally beating) many up and coming young drivers like Jim Harrington and Sal and Peter Biondo. As well as other veteran drivers still active long after I stopped, like Bill Doczi, Mallory Kenny, Bill Hackusca and Frank Maffiore.

Mike, I was looking through some old books, and thought you would enjoy these..
Some of our many meetings at Raceway Park.
Hope all is well..

Sal

Re: Final thoughts about Old Bridge Township Raceway Park

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sal Biondo (Post 555092)

Mike, I was looking through some old books, and thought you would enjoy these..
Some of our many meetings at Raceway Park.
Hope all is well..

Sal

Thank you, Sal. I really appreciate seeing those old Raceway News reports again. I'm doing well. After I moved south to NC I raced for a season, but I gave it up when I couldn't adapt to running 1/8 mile. I'm just an involved fan these days.

ps. Your album looks exactly the way mine did!