Atco Closing? (1 Viewer)

Jack

Nitro Member
Just read an article stating that the owner of Atco is filing plans to "repurpose" the land for (wait for it.......) storage of cars and other items. Obviously storing cars at drag strips here in the northeast is the thing to do!! Is being reviewed by local officials this month.
 
The drag strips are probably the last of few places that have acreage in the NE. Land is a very valuable commodity in that area.
A few thousand a weekend racing a few months a year or multi millions a year for doing nothing, parking cars.
 
I agree with Ken. More $ to be made for something else besides drag racing. Let's hope this doesn't become a trend all over USA. Every track has suffered loss due to cursed virus & I kinda wonder if some will be able to recover. I grew up in Los Angeles area, & every track we had there is gone, except Pomona. Probably 10 tracks total (or more) over the years.
 
I would imagine Joe Sway would be turning around in his grave. I have gone there many times to watch, Even ran my Drag quad down the track. I also ran dirt drags too, just had to change the length of the swingarm for traction. Suzuki Quadracer 250, Alky motor, 4mm stroker with a modified Polaris piston, ported of course, 1-3 override transmission. I would use a 8" swingarm for asphalt and no wheelie bar. Video, Me on the yellow one.

 
Although I've been in the Midwest for 40 years, I grew up in NJ and cut my teeth at E-Town and Atco. Sad to see.
 
I grew up on Long Island, raced at Hampton Raceway.
IMO in areas of great growth and limited land this will happen every time.
I now live in Hebron , Ohio I live less than 2 miles from National Trails. At one time it was in the middle of farm land now the "rich" area is expanding down towards the track. Guess what is going to happen next
1) noise complaints every weekend and nightly because they run a very complete schedule, a lot of events. JEGS home base
2) time restrictions when they can run
3) as soon as the city gets close enough all the land that was $1000 an acre is now $10-15k per acre
Who would not sell at that profit, the sale would be worth 30 years of revenue.
Now there are plenty of tracks still well outside growth areas.
Oh and very few young people growing up now have any interest in drag racing.
 
From what I heard last night it's a done deal. Same company (IAA) who took over Englishtown, the deal should be done by the end of the year.
 
Sad. Not much you can do when you have an owner that wants to sell and a buyer who wants the lroperty. These old time small trAcks are dropping one by one.
 
I remember going to the car auctions in Borden-town, N.J. years ago. Not sure if it is still there. They always had thousands of cars going through there every-week.
Warehouse Point in Connecticut is another big car auction house that I used to go to.

I have friends who used to rent Atco on Wed. for test and tune sessions back when Joe Sway owned the place.

Jim Hill
 
Atco is supposed to hold a Div 1 race July 31 - Aug 2. Anyone know if that will still be held?
 
I remember going to the car auctions in Borden-town, N.J. years ago. Not sure if it is still there. They always had thousands of cars going through there every-week.
Warehouse Point in Connecticut is another big car auction house that I used to go to.

I have friends who used to rent Atco on Wed. for test and tune sessions back when Joe Sway owned the place.

Jim Hill
on RT 206 - last I was up there a year ago that was still going strong
 
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