By ALBERT J. COUNTRYMAN Jr.
Gloucester City News
Long before social media, there was a television and radio ad screaming at South Jersey residents every week to see the races at Atco Dragway.
“The commercial was great. ‘Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Be there, be there.’ It was a tune that stuck in your head after hearing or seeing it for hours,” said Dori Wasko of Gloucester City, whose family supported the fabled track for many years since it first opened in 1960.
One of many hot rod fans who were saddened about the July 18 announcement of the drag strip’s closure after 63 years of operation, Wasko said, “It is sad to hear of its closing. You are losing that ‘making memories’ venue, whether it’s with your friends, family or the track community.
“Not being able to expose the next generation to the sights and sound and smells will also be a loss.”
Originally called Atco Raceway, the amazingly fast quarter mile dragstrip in Waterford Township and the oldest in New Jersey featured dragsters that spit fire and loudly raced down the track, initially trying to break the 200 mph barrier. The track was sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association and featured professional drag racers.
“Atco Dragway was always a good time with your circle of friends. It was a rite of passage to be able to say that you were able to sneak in at one time. Hanging out drinking beers in the parking lot, doing a swoop through the pits, and then heading to the grandstands for the start,” Wasko said. “The more the bleachers shook, the faster the car. We would also sit down closer to the finish line where the cars were at their fastest.”
One of the scariest moments was when she and her husband, Ray Wasko, went there for a Thrill Night featuring Robbie Knievel, the son of Evil Knievel, in the 1980s.
“When Robbie bounced down the track like a tennis ball after his failed attempt to jump over cars on his motorcycle, the crowd was silent,” she said, adding that the audience feared that they may have somehow jinxed him after all the smack talk while they were setting up the ramps and cars. Knievel survived but broke his collarbone.
“Over the years, Ray and his friends have participated in ‘Street Night’ when you could race your own car down the track. In doing that, you feel the sense of a community or family with the track. So with closing the track you lose the opportunity to meet people with similar interests. Not to mention it is one more ‘family time’ venue we are losing as spectators,” she said.
The closure announcement posted on the track’s webpage on July 18, stated, “Effective immediately: Atco Dragway is permanently closed. Thanks for your valued business and support the last 63 years.” All the events planned for the remainder of 2023 were cancelled.
And, the famous advertisement burned into the minds of South Jersey residents will someday fade away into history.
