The abrupt news of Atco Dragway in Atco, NJ closing forever after 67 years sent shockwaves and sorrow throughout the motorsports and drag racing community. In this video we take one last drive to this closed down drag strip to see it’s current state and relive some of the special memories that made Atco so dear to Cycledrag, including traveling their as a young boy with my father and family, watching motorcycle drag racing legends like Larry “Spiderman” McBride, Elmer Trett, Jim McClure, Dave Schultz, John Myers, the start of the AMA / Prostar series, a Top Fuel Motorcycle explosion the Spiderman was lucky to survive and a ton of other cool memories. We also talk about what we can do to prevent more drag strips from closing as top NHRA teams from Tony Stewart racing, to Mike Salinas to the Capco Boys of Torrence Racing have all commented on what must be done to keep drag strips open after watching the closure of Atlanta Dragway, Houston Raceway Park, Bandimere Speedway and so many more. We pay homage to a lot of great people who have passed on including “Atco” Joe Sway who was in charge of the iconic racetrack for so many years. Join me for this trip down memory lane to Atco Dragway in New Jersey. #motorcycles #dragracing
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OMG How could you forget to mention the street racing after the track shut down for the night. Ricky Gadson Keith Dennis and a host of other street legends for the big bucks. Did I just glorify street racing?
Does anyone remember Vineland Dragway. Jersey is down to Island Dragway
whos ready for all electric nascar race 's lol…
My friend raced and beat Vance and Hines on his Suzuki. In the early 80s .he had the world record few times that summer, props gypsy Jan laurenti. Still riding.
One projected collaboration is pairing drags and sprint tracks with casino partners.
I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of motorcycle drag racing, but a huge fan of car drag racing. It is sad, Hot Rod Magazine had A drag week event there in 2019,gust before the world shut down for 2020. We as race fans in general are losing tracks left and right. Some big tracks like Bandimere in Colorado. I get nervous about my home track New England Dragway. Its very small compared to Atco. And the NHRA event we get doesn't draw a full field of cars in many classes. Brian Lohnes said it great in an interview. New England is basically an island . not many ways in or out for teams. But New England Dragway is owned by many share holders. I believe it have to a unanimous vote among the shareholders. And their all racers,or former racers. So Epping is here for the long term. Cletus McFarland is dealing with this now with his tracks in Florida. With property being developed next to the tracks. Its getting bad.
Mr. Korpela I really appreciate your videos and all the support for the race tracks, it’s definitely sad to see them go away. I’d like to invite people to go visit them more often, bring your children, bring friends, family members, pets… let’s do what we can to keep the sport alive! Thanks Jack, you’re amazing brother! 👍🏼🙏🏼
Raced there in the 80s with Dick Moreland
Atco was my local track, had many wild & crazy times at the AHDRA and Prostar events 😢
Thank you Jack for sharing such a personal moment and for all that you do for the benefit of Drag Racing and motorcycling throughout the country.
hmm, u tube lesson 101 DO NOT wear sunglasses when on cam.
Sad. I lived nearby in the early 60s, we could hear the cars racing in the summer.
Always love going there with friends to race our 1/4 mile cars
Sad to see a local place go away
I remember Atco as being Biker friendly, I remember going there from 1975 with Supercycles from Staten Island. I remember riding there with over 20 Harleys & riding the only Jap bike my Kawasaki . I remember going there with my brother . He thought he could win at the Nationals . I tuned him in & he red lighted first round . So many memories . Greed has set in & people have less money to spend in racing so I don't think we can solve the problem. Their will only be a handful left where money doesn't matter . Nice story Jack & please keep doing what U enjoy doing . . .
Build them next to airports such as Castro raceway in alberta Canada. Nobody wants to live next to a run way!
I used to go to Atco for the car races." Run what ya brung" on Wednesday nights. Sundays I watched some of the biggest names in Drag Racing run down this track. I remember one year I was on crutches due to fracturing both bones in my lower leg. I was in so much pain the guys were carrying me around. Couldn't miss the races. ATCO DRAGWAY soo many memories. I remember bringing my Dads car and ran in G/stock automatic. Took the trophy home and hid it from Pop. He found it gave me hell and then patted me on the back for winning my class.
its hard to make money at a race track anymore, reason being is because legislation both federal and state have been whittling down this nation for eons.. they ban everything, in the day they used to be able to have big parties for an entire week allowing camping and RV's, boat races same thing, the feds, state county and local jurisdictions saw that and were like hey we ant that money, so they regulate it to a point its not lucrative, then they get the property or the people have to spend they money on something else.. it gets taxed and the feds get theres, folks this nation has been so corrupt since day one its not even real anymore, and there is no end in sight, if this were the automotive industry they would take 600 billion of taxpayers money and just give it to them, ZERO incentive for consumers, shouldn't it be if 6 billion of our money goes to bail out the automotive industry shouldn't we the people get something for it? half priced cars something?
nope we got nothing! instead here is what they so called leaders did, lobama RAISED OUR TAXES!!!!!!! its so corrupt people, I beg you , do a little math, 350 million consumers, do just a little math, let me start for you
there are roughly 150 million commuters in this country, they drive an average of 15 miles one way, 30 miles a day, average vehicle gets 15 miles per gallon, so that's 2 gallons per day X 150 million, thats 300 million gallons per day, at an average of $4 a gallon, I am talking just commuters here, not diesel for long haul any of that, leisure so forth, so $.50 a gallon X 300 million gallons is what?
yuyp you guessed it, 150 million dollars PER DAY! that's $4,500,000,000 monthly!!! annually that is 54,000,000,000 54 billion annually on commuters alone you can DOUBLE that easily when you add in long haul, government vehicles so on so forth, you can bet its well over 100 billion per year they haul in form fuel taxes alone.. ONE HUNDRED BILLION!
shall we cell phone tax? OK, 200 million cell phones in this country, they get an average of $10.00 a month per month, 20 billion per month on just cell phone taxes, not talking about your cable, electricity, gas, on and on..
250 billion annually on cell phone, 300 billion on gas.. add in all other utilities you reach over 1 trillion, if you calculate all moneys the feds haul in from us the people its near 40 trillion!!!
instead of keeping these tracks up and running and motorsports alive and thriving they want it shut down so they can bui8ld something that they can tax and put more money in their pockets, yes their pockets, they skim off an easy 30% of all moneys that circulates between them all..
you never questioned why are we giving ukrane trillions? Israel? huh? let me get this straight the people are OK with the ukrane or Israel talking smack or doing something that prompts a neighboring nation to retaliate with war and we are supposed to nail them out? huh? we bailed them ALL out during WW2, and WW1, we did our part, time for another nation to step up, but oh no, see its not really about confrontation or anything else, its about money, an excuse to take OUR money and launder it thru another nation under the guise of a war..
this track is just one of the first, these politicians get their way Americans will stay at home and do nothing but watch and read their propaganda, their BS, its so sad the people cannot see whats really going on not only they can't see it they actually will support and defend their corrupt actions . . we either sit here and take it, or do something.. our choice
Leave Albany New York at lunch time on Friday run atco Friday night all day Saturday then head to English town for Saturday night and all day Sunday get back home 2 am Monday morning
I moved to atco from Philly and I could ride my quad there from my dads house. We lived 2 minutes from there. I also worked there when I was a kid. I also have a lot of memories there
This is Bidenomics working for you! I predict more St./grudge racing. There needs to be consolidation/reform at the association level and that may include track ownership. You need to have venues with parking – access – pits – seating that’s a $10 million asset.…min.
dragrace is part of american culture ! take care !!🤩
It was also a quarter midget track down to end that my nephew raced that. I went there plenty of times where we would usually set cars up because they would have the testing tune I think Wednesday nights.
My late father took me to atco while I was a kid. I took both my children there. Sadly missed. The really sad part was they closed two days after the PanAm.
Also to note, after your statement.they closed off that return rode around 2011-13. The Philadelphia eagles player Fletcher Cox made an offer to buy Atco but was turned down.
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Have many vhs tapes from atco !
Call out those rich celebrities to buy it back. !
Atco. 1970’s. Motorcycle TF Final. TC Christenson’s double Norton vs Joe Smith’s double shovel with 2x the inches. David and Goliath. They shared wins over the years. TC had the mechanical technology. Joe had the power and the sound. Makes my eyes water thinking about it :’-(
I didn't add this earlier.
i started drag racing in the early 80's. since then, i've raced everything from my grandmoms maverick to my 89 mustang gt to the shop camaro(10flat car). when i was running there in the 80's i usually went there by myself. it was amazing how many people would come over and just strike up a conversation. or come over and lend a hand with anything i might've broken. it was like i'd found a whole bunch of new friends. but the BEST thing was this kinda cute brunette that i found sitting on the hood of my truck when i came back to the pits one weekend. we got to chatting. then it happened again. then suddenly she was helping me work on my car when it needed it. then suddenly we were married. yea. i met my wife there. sadly, the marriage didn't last, but having met her is probably my fondest memory of atco raceway, and part of why it hit me so hard when i heard that they were gone.
God it's sad to see this.. 😢 it feels like a piece of me is gone.
I’ve been there 100 times back when IDBA ran it
Flying H drag strip and multiple racing is opening soon, thanks BigAl California, praise Jesus Christ grace amen 🙏
Having never been to Atco before, I remember the very first time I made serious plans to go there for a big Pro Mod event. I looked at their web page … and it (unceremoniously) announced its closure.
I was more than a bit upset, because I felt New Jersey treated Old Bridge/Englishtown (Raceway Park) the same way.
Truth be told, the only “game in town” for the Philly and New York metro areas now is Cecil County in Maryland.
As a pilot, I’m tellin’ ya, the same exact thing is happening to small airports: the real estate developers are closing them all. It’s like they could not care less if you end up having nowhere to take your kids. All the young people have these days is smartphones and Play Stations. And for that, the business of motorsports is dying.
So who’s next? Bradenton … Galot … Darlington … you’re all in the gunsight of real estate developers.
We’re gonna end up with a nation of people that know nothing other than how to push buttons.
Sad
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We used to race Atco mainly. Probably about 35 weekends a year and test n tune nights. Very strong bracket program through the mid 90s til about 2010. I probably made 300 passes a year down Atco. We would also travel to Etown and Cecil on off weeks. Atco also had probably the longest shut down area anywhere in the country
Great video! This closure is sick and appalling It was all about the money till the end with the owner. WE didnt matter. I started racing there in 1988. I was invited to grudge race at their 50Th anniversary. Saw many great races there. Many great grudge races. makes me sick to see this. Thank you for such good memories. I have mine. I got VHS and YT videos up till closing.
Hey Jack at least we still have Cecil county. Hope to see you there again.
I'm from RI, my favorite track to race at was ATCO.
That WAWAH was our stop after leaving the motel on the way to the track. ECRA..ProStar!!🏁🏁 CoPart/Bernstein, fuck you.
🤦, my Dad every Sunday – -Race his kz900 , I raced my Truck as well in the early 90’s….. watched @Rickey Gadson race there a lot when we in High School