Yet Another Stop On The Formula Drift Calendar Is Under Serious Threat
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FD fans (and the general motorsport/drifting community) just got hit with more bad news on the horizon.
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, home to Formula Drift’s ‘The Gauntlet’ Englishtown, New Jersey round, and one of the sport’s most historic venues, faces potential demolition to make way for around 600 houses.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT | Larry Chen
For drift fans who were forced to watch Irwindale Speedway close its doors last year, the situation feels like an unwelcome case of deja vu.
Old Bridge features “the first purpose-built drift arena” in North America and has hosted Formula Drift championship rounds for years.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT | Larry Chen
The 1.3-mile road course has seen some of FD’s most memorable battles, making it a bucket-list destination for drift enthusiasts.
As we’ve seen, once plans to build houses emerge where there’s currently a much-loved track, it’s rarely a pleasant outcome.
It Seems Like It’s Only A Matter Of Time
Image credit: Formula DRIFT | Larry Chen
Old Bridge Township identified Raceway Park as one of three “ideal” locations to meet New Jersey’s court-mandated affordable housing requirements.
Under the state’s ‘Fair Share Housing Development Plan’, municipalities are required to add or rehabilitate more than 146,000 affordable housing units by 2035. Old Bridge specifically needs to contribute 673 units over the next decade.
The proposed development would consume 29 parcels in the southeastern portion of the 534-acre property, with 600 residential units, as well as mixed retail and commercial spaces. While township officials claim they’ll preserve “some motorsport facilities,” the scale of the project makes it hard to imagine much surviving.
Township planning board member Erik DePalma nailed it, stating: “If it were up to me, I’d put up a ‘closed for building’ sign in this town. It’s disgusting. If we don’t comply, we get sued. So in the end, we really don’t have a choice.”
The Napp family has owned and operated Raceway Park since 1965, building it into a nationally recognized motorsports complex. They’re not going down without a fight, having already sued the township previously.
However, with the planning board now set to designate the raceway as an “area in need of redevelopment,” the family’s legal options appear to be limited.
An Increasingly Concerning Pattern
It comes just months after the legendary Irwindale Speedway was forced to announce its closure. The California track, known as the “House of Drift,” hosted every final in Formula Drift history before succumbing to similar pressures that have claimed racing facilities across the country, and even across the world.
Historic motorsports venues are constantly getting replaced by housing developments, shopping centers, and other “higher and better uses” of the land. Even more ridiculous are the track closures that happen because locals nearby complain about the noise. The same track that was there for decades before they moved in!
Image credit: Formula DRIFT | Larry Chen
For drift fans, it means fewer places to witness the sport they love, along with reduced opportunities for grassroots drifters – then they wonder why people take to the streets instead. Weird, huh?
It’s not just drifters that are missing out, either. Alongside FD, the facility continues to host motocross, go-kart racing, car shows, and many other events in the present day. It hosted NHRA national drag racing events from 1968 to 2017 and was the permanent home of the NHRA Summernationals from 1971 to 1992.
The only silver lining for New Jersey drift fans is that Wall Stadium Speedway remains open (for now.) So, hopefully, it can offer an alternative if FD wishes to return.
However, even there, the surrounding land around the venue has already been sold. So, we can probably guess what’ll happen next…
What This Means For The Future Of Formula Drift
Image credit: Formula DRIFT | Larry Chen
Settlement negotiations between the Napp family and township officials continue, but the housing mandate creates huge pressure to move forward.
The township has already filed a court appeal challenging their required housing numbers, suggesting they believe the mandate is unreasonable.
But legal challenges take time, and development pressures don’t wait. For Formula Drift specifically, losing Old Bridge would eliminate yet another of the series’ longtime stops. This makes the sport less accessible to East Coast fans and reduces the diversity of tracks on offer.
Thankfully, the team at FD has already come up with a fresh idea for this season’s final. However, while it’s exciting, the solution is far from straightforward, and certainly not something they’d want to have to do for every round.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT | Larry Chen
Right now, the Formula Drift community seems resigned to the inevitable. Yet another historic venue lost, and another piece of drifting culture erased. It’s a story we’ve heard too many times before, and unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last.
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Bill is a writer and photographer who has been part of the Drifted team since 2015. His work extends to various print and online publications, including Wangan Warriors.
As part of the King of Nations team, he traveled extensively for several years, capturing top-tier international drift events worldwide. His hands-on experience, including rebuilding his own Nissan Silvia S15 drift car, gives him unique insights into drift car building and global drift culture.
When not behind the lens or keyboard, Bill can be found browsing classifieds for his next JDM project or shredding virtual tires on popular simulators like Assetto Corsa, CarX, and Forza.
You can learn more about Bill’s story here or follow his socials on X (formerly Twitter), Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
