The need for speed has drawn racers to New Jersey for a century and a half. One of the first auto racing tracks in New Jersey was the Trenton Speedway, in Hamilton, which began hosting races on its half-mile dirt oval in 1900 and continued right through World War II.
Trenton Speedway in 1969.
The Central Jersey Speedway in New Egypt, New Jersey, now known as New Egypt Speedway, has a storied past filled with transformations and revivals. This article delves into the history of this iconic racetrack, exploring its origins, changes in ownership, and its impact on the racing community.
Early Days and Transformations
The speedway opened as a 1/5-mile dirt/sand oval in 1954. It seems as if they immediately paved the track for a race on July 18, 1954. Racing continued at the venue through to the early 1990's when the then owners closed it down.
Allan E. Brown's "The History of America’s Speedways - Past and Present" notes that the speedway opened as a 1/5-mile dirt/sand oval in 1954. It seems as if they immediately paved the track for a race on July 18, 1954. They raced until 1958 then closed but re-opened in 1960 and ran until 1987. There must have been problems because after the 1987 season they closed again only to re-open from 1990-1992 (remember I went there in 1991) and then 1995-1996. From 1998-2000 the track was back to dirt on a 3/8-mile oval.
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The track has operated under different names during its history. This quite often signifies new ownership. New owners; new name!
Some time during the 1960's the track went through a major upgrade, when the surface was sealed.
The Grosso Family and a New Beginning
In 1997 the Grosso family purchased the run down venue and made a committment to bring it back to its former glory. The move was labled as the Most Outstanding Rehabilition of a speedway by many when it reopened.
Until this point the speedway had steadily deteriorated from bad to worse. Originally pavement, the new NES brought dirt track racing back to Ocean County, New Jersey. With a complete track makeover, motorsports promoters from all 50 states named the speedway "Most Outstanding Rehabilitation of a Speedway," putting the central New Jersey track in the national spotlight during Daytona Speedweeks.
Modern Era
In 2006, New Egypt Speedway was purchased by Bill Miscoski and Fred Vahlsing. New Egypt Speedway currently holds races on Saturday nights from April to October. The speedway draws over 60 race cars on a weekly basis. Additionally, it occasionally hosts weekly high-profile specials.
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General admission was $20. That seems like a good value for a DIRT modified show. I hope to catch another or two of their races this season. The track has a large selection of refreshments. I went with the 32 oz.
New Jersey's Racing Heritage
To fully appreciate the significance of New Egypt Speedway, it's essential to understand New Jersey's broader racing heritage.
After the war, the track was enlarged to a full mile, and in 1957 it was paved. In 1969, Trenton Speedway was enlarged again, this time with a mile-and-a-half kidney shaped track, which was in operation until the early 1980s. Bobby Allison won the final NASCAR race at the track in 1972. Previous winners included Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty and David Pearson.
One of the most important early auto racing venues in the Garden State was Ho-Ho-Kus Speedway off Franklin Turnpike (aka Rte. 17). A half-mile dirt track, it began hosting races in 1910 and continued to do so more or less continuously for more than a quarter-century.
One of America’s longest-running racing venues was Flemington Fair Speedway in Raritan Township. It opened as a half-mile dirt track in 1917 and held weekly races almost every season until 1972. It continued on as a clay oval and then later a paved 5/8-mile oval.
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The Newark area saw its share of auto racing in the early years of the 20th century. Olympic Park Stadium featured a half-mile track that opened in 1909 for motorcycle races. In 1915, it staged a night race under the lights. The track was later used for midget races in the 1930s.
During the Roaring 20s, the roar of automobile engines spread throughout the nation and racing became a national passion. Motorcycle racing also caught the public’s attention in the 1920s.
One of the America’s most popular race tracks during this period was Woodbridge Speedway, which encompassed a half-mile board oval. Because of the track’s speed, several drivers perished in crashes there before a steel-cable guard rail was installed.
The postwar era brought renewed interest in auto racing, and the Garden State saw a number of tracks flourish in the late 1940s and 1950s, including D-shaped Alcyon Speedway, Lodi Stadium, Morristown Speedway and Manahawkin Speedway.
In 1950, what could arguably be called New Jersey’s most iconic racing venue opened in Wall Township. A high-banked, paved 1/3-mile oval, it became home to the popular Turkey Derby in 1974 and launched the careers of Ray Evernham and Martin Truex Jr.
Besides Wall, a few old-time tracks are still in operation today in New Jersey. New Egypt Speedway, for example, dates back to the 1950s, when it was known as Ft. Dix Speedway.
During this time, New Jersey soon was the sight of several drag strips. The first paved ones were located in Woodbine and Manville Airport in the early 1950s.
In 1965, Raceway Park opened in Old Bridge off Englishtown Road. It quickly became a major NHRA venue and over the years grew to offer more than just drag racing. It has drawn more than 80,000 fans to some of its events, including the Supernationals.
In July of 1984, Indy car racing came to New Jersey for the Meadowlands Grand Prix. The road course, which featured super-tight turns, was set up in the huge parking lots radiating out from the sports complex.
In 1950, Arthur Powell, a local contractor, built an auto racetrack on property he owned off Washington Avenue in Egg Harbor Township and called it Powell’s Speedway.
Trenton Speedway was a race track located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. The facility had a half-mile oval (1900-1941), mile oval (1946-1969), and a dog-leg oval, which was also known as “Kidney Bean” from 1969 through 1980.
At the track, it held AAA and USAC Champ Cars. The NASCAR Grand National also operated at the track. In addition, there was the Race of Champions from 1972 through 1976, the NASCAR National Championship from 1958 through 1971, and the State Fair’s Triple Headers, which also included URC Sprint Cars and ARDC Midgets.
The track closed in 1980 and the Fairgrounds itself closed 3 years later. New Egypt Speedway is a 7/16 mile clay race track in New Egypt, New Jersey.
Here's a table summarizing key periods in the history of New Egypt Speedway:
| Years | Surface | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Dirt/Sand | Opened as Central Jersey Speedway |
| 1954 | Asphalt | Track was paved soon after opening |
| 1958 | - | Closed |
| 1960-1987 | - | Reopened and raced |
| 1990-1992 | - | Reopened and raced |
| 1995-1996 | - | Reopened and raced |
| 1998-2000 | Dirt | Back to dirt on a 3/8-mile oval |
| 1997 | - | Grosso family purchased the venue |
| Present | Clay | New Egypt Speedway is a 7/16 mile clay race track |
Exploring New Egypt Speedway with Nitro Nick Leech | History, Races, & Weekly Activities 🚗💨
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