Housing Development Threatens Another Historic Race Track

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, is reportedly under threat thanks to the state’s "affordable housing" directive. Local reports stipulate that the Department of Community Affairs has set a goal of providing zoning for 673 homes new within Old Bridge over the next 10 years.

According to MyCentralJersey (h/t The Drive) Englishtown-Raceway Park is supposed to be the location best suited to adding the largest number of homes. The township believes it could raise as many as 600 units on the 534-acre hunk of land. The only real concern is that “only about 50 [percent] of the property is developable as the site has significant environmental constraints.”

Founded in 1965, Raceway Park stopped hosting all drag racing events in 2018 due to rising costs. But it still has a track suitable for drift events, motocross, and kart racing — which are assuredly part of those development constraints the township mentioned.

The size of the area, which is much larger than other parcels being considered, could likewise prioritize larger and more luxurious homes in addition to cheaper developments and commercial areas. But the new residents would assuredly bemoan the noises produced by the track and we know how that has gone without help from the state.

In fact, Raceway Park has already been involved in a legal battle with the township over an attempt to rezone the land for residential purposes in 2023. Prior coverage from MyCentralJersey quoted the track’s lawyer as saying that the “ordinance is looking to rob them of their use of that property and basically zone it into disuse.”

Things seem a little more complicated than the board simply wanting the area re-zoned so the land can be used for housing. They’re technically under obligations from the state, lest they be sued. But, since only a fraction of those homes need to formally qualify as “affordable housing,” utilizing the largest landmass available means larger homes, wealthier residents, and more money for the township.

Watching historic automotive venues going under would be considerably less traumatic if we were seeing replacements. But that doesn’t appear to be happening.

General interest in motorsports have seen a noteworthy decline in recent years. While some of the largest names (e.g. NASCAR and Formula 1) have actually rebounded since 2020, the kind of racing done by non-professional drivers has seen a marked decline. Curiously, we’ve actually seen an increase in the number of racing schools during this period.

If you’re wondering how this is possible, the prevailing theory is that most Americans have seen declines in disposable incomes. But the inverse is true of wealthier households, who now have more money to waste than ever before. With racing typically being a fairly expensive hobby, Average Joe and his buddies cannot afford the typical track day anymore. However, the guy in the bigger house has more money to burn than ever and can easily take a few days off to attend Skip Barber Racing School to better prepare himself for weekends at the circuit.

This also explains why we’ve seen a noteworthy decline in affordable sports cars. Automakers were already moving away from cars with an abundance of personality. Combine that with increased development costs and fewer people that can afford to be car enthusiasts, and sports cars start to make a lot less sense from a business perspective. The industry is convinced that the big money resides in connectivity and software, not fun vehicles that can be fiddled with in your garage.

That said, drag strips have actually held out better than you probably expected. There are technically more drag strips in America today than during the sport’s mid-century heyday and — unless you’re building an absolute monster — it typically costs a little less to get into than circuit racing. But attendance has likewise been on the decline and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) hasn’t been adding tracks quite as quickly as they’re being demolished to make way for more housing.

[Images: Christian Vidal/Shutterstock]

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