The sport of racing, be it horse or auto, has always been very friendly to the Garden State. From legendary Raceway Park and Wall Stadium to the Meadowlands and Monmouth, local fans looking to get their fix of fast cars and horses have never really had to go far.
NASCAR's own statistics point to New Jersey as a fertile ground for its fan base in the Northeast, with the two closest speedways. Dover and Pocono. drawing solid numbers of fans for their elite races each spring, summer and fall. Even for a time Open Wheel racing called New Jersey home with the defunct Marlboro Grand Prix at the Meadowlands.
Yet, for all the noise auto racing makes in trying to enter the Northeast corridor to embrace the fan base, little is done publicly to find a home for NASCAR in New Jersey. Do we need i. No. Is it a good alternative for the spor. Yes.
Now, there is no way that the countries’ most densely populated state needs a large oval in Camden or Newark, but areas looking to rejuvenate and grow tourists and existing infrastructure, Atlantic City, the Meadowlands, could make sense with a combination of existing areas and private, not public, funding.
As evidenced by NASCAR shifts to race cities like Atlanta to a new venue in Kentucky, the sport is trying very hard to find attractive new markets to expose their athletes. And, the Northeast corridor remains a gaping hole. Track owners are also now looking at venues as multi-dimensional elements in the community, not places that are dark and quiet 50 weeks of the year. Also tracks like Pocono have become a litmus test of green technology (the track at Long Pond, Pa. is now the largest solar powered sports facility in the United States), so the ability to attract and house other businesses is also important.
Even in a slow economy, fans travel, and the ability to market year-round directly to the ardent and casual fan in this marketplace could be very attractive to the thousands of brands that still call NASCAR their sport of choice.
Yes there are major hurdles. Where to put the track without upsetting the infrastructure and residents on mega-race weekends is an issue. Could a temporary road race work just as well with a moveable venue for noise issue. All plausible. However for a sport looking to re-find its way and continue to support the brands that are loyal, not to mention its fans, NASCAR really needs the Northeast. And if there is a need, why not the right spot in New Jerse. Their fans are here, their brands are here, NASCAR just needs a place here.
