Opening night at New Egypt, NJ Speedway had to be postponed because of wet grounds last Saturday night. It was not what they were hoping for as they try to make up for the 14 events rained out last season. Hopefully Mother Nature will give them some good weather this weekend.
            Five different types of racing will be presented at the Central Jersey dirt oval on Saturday night with fans getting to see Big Block Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stocks, SS Sprints and Rookies. The green flag falls at 5 p.m. for what is now the season opener.
            New Egypt Speedway has gained a lot of attention with a recent announcement that 11 Wednesday night Modified stock car shows will be presented. For racers it is welcome news because the 50-lap feature race will pay $10,000 to win and that is a big pay day for local racing talents. “We have had calls from many drivers, many top names, that do not normally race here looking to get information on how they can participate in the mid-week races,” said track spokesperson Buffy Swanson. “The May 5th race, the first of the 11 Superstars of Stock Car Racing Series, will also include appearances by former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck racer Mike Wallace and Nextel Cup talent Ken Schrader. Both Wallace and Schrader are planning to race against the local talents.”
            To give the visiting stars a better chance against the track regulars two Bicknell modified stock cars (top of the line race cars) have been purchased and equipped with the very best big block motors. And plans are being made to paint the cars to match the colors of the Nextel Cup cars normally driven by the visiting stars.
            About two weeks before each of the special events the stars that will be appearing will be announced. That is being done to keep interest running high. And at the end of the season the door panels from the race cars, autographed by the stars, will be raffled off to raise money for charity.
            Why Wednesday nights? “When we ran some mid-week shows last year to try to make up for the rainouts we found that many of the people in the stands were actually old fans who had gotten away from the sport for a variety of reasons. Their new lifestyle did not allow them to come out on weekends but they could get away for a Wednesday night show,” said Swanson. “And we think there are a lot of people who have become couch potatos on weekends watch NASCAR racing on television. This will give them an opportunity to come out and see some live racing. We could create some new fans and that is important as the local fan base has been declining in recent years.”
            Racing on Wednesday nights at New Egypt Speedway is not new. When the track was called Fort Dix Speedway and under the promotion of the Grbac family I can remember being the announcer there. That goes back about 25 years or more. I can remember so many great nights of racing on the paved oval with names such as Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Freddie Harbach, Parker Bohn and what was that racer’s name who kept bringing me jars of honey in return for mentioning his sponsor? I may still have some of that honey. Not really.
            When asked about rumors that the track is for sale, the response was, “This is our seventh year. We are working a plan. The Grosso Family (owners of the track) continue to make capital improvements which this year include an expanded picnic area and playground for the kids. Of course everything is for sale for the right price and they have been approached. However, at present, there are no plans to sell the speedway.”
            The rumored war between New Egypt Speedway and Bridgeport Speedway, the only operating dirt tracks in the Garden State (both operate on Saturday night), seems to be just a rumor. Swanson pointed out that they just worry about themselves.  Bridgeport is now its fourth management team since New Egypt opened seven years back.
            Contrary to a variety of reports circulating Swanson was quick to point out that none of the top name drivers (Billy Pauch, Frank Cozze, Keith Hoffman and others) are receiving appearance money or any special perks to race at New Egypt Speedway. On one racing website it was reported that Jimmy Horton, many time Bridgeport Speedway champion, was switching allegiance and would be receiving $500,000. That got a laugh from all involved. Horton, considered one of the best dirt track modified racers in the business, is switching so he can use Saturday nights to gain more track time to get ready for the big dollar Wednesday shows.
            Swanson did point out that Horton won the championship at Bridgeport Speedway last year and did not get any point fund money. Fact is the former promoter gave up the track and no one at Bridgeport received promised point fund money. It was the second time in recent years that had happened at the South Jersey oval. And this year there has been no mention of a point fund at Bridgeport.
            It was pointed out that track management does not feel they need to give out an extra perks to get drivers to come there to race. There is a good purse and a strong point fund offered plus several special promotions that keep the racers happy.
           This will be the second year for the SS Sprints which are based on the popular Super Sportsman that race at Silver Spring Speedway in Central Pennsylvania. Fans had been asking for winged racers and the Grosso Family responded with the SS Sprints. There will be 12 to 15 of them in action on Saturday night. And the division is growing.
            New this year will be the Mid-State Communications Rookie Sportsman class of competition. This gives newcomers a chance to gain some experience before moving into the tough Sportsman and Modified divisions. Already there are close to 20 rookies signed up.