Dragzine

Like anyone involved in the sport of drag racing, I have my own personal bucket list of race tracks and events that I’d like to attend and take in a race at at some point in time, and hovering near the top of the list for much of my life has been the historic Raceway Park in Englishtown. And so when the opportunity arose to cover David Hance’s must-see Shakedown at E’Town drag race spectacular, I was already readying my trusty see-through National Dragster ink pen, circa 1990, to cross another one off the list.

Visiting the Napp family’s iconic facility for the first time was a bonus of the trip, but this weekend was all about the Shakedown, which in nine short years has become one of drag racing’s premiere standalone events and one that any fan of heads-up drag racing needs to have on their bucket list as well.

I have my own personal bucket list of race tracks..and hovering near the top of the list for much of my life has been the historic Raceway Park in Englishtown.

The Pro Mod Blown field featured a field comprised mostly off lesser-known racers from the Northeast and Canada, who regularly compete with the Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified Series and the Pro Modified Racing Association. But this impressive collection of competitors delivered on the racetrack with no five-second performances and no clear-cut favorite to win it all. Even in Pro Mod Nitrous with Mike Castellana and the all-conquering Al-Anabi team in attendance, the soon-to-be ADRL champ had to survive an onslaught of shots by the competition from the the likes of Fredy Scriba, Isaias Rojas, and John Hall to reach the winners circle.

As expected, the Outlaw 10.5 and Outlaw Drag Radial fields featured a driver lineup as strong as you’re going to find anywhere all season long – all in one place on the same weekend on a racetrack ripe for the removal and replacement of records. And sure, we all would’ve enjoyed seeing these cars race all the way to the boards, but there’s little doubt that Hance and company made the right decision to reign these small-tire beats in to the eighth-mile. All told, just one car was wadded up all weekend, which is a real testament to the decision made in the name of safety based on some truly spectacular accidents in previous years at this event.

For the first time at the season’s edition of the Shakedown, Hance added the wildly popular X275 category to the fight card. Not only was this the first time these cars had competed at Shakedown, but it was the first time this Midwest-based writer had seen these machines and personalities first-hand. And my only response is: can we get some of this stuff in Indiana, John Sears?

Perfect weather, stellar racing, a spectacular venue, and a national event-meets-local street night atmosphere all combined for a great weekend of racing, and one that ought to be on your calendar next October.

The Extreme Imports were a late addition to the lineup, and prior to seeing them in action in Englishtown, I could honestly say that I was uninterested from a spectating point of view – that was, until Shakedown. Sure, they’re obnoxiously loud and aren’t the V8 “American Iron” that fans of heads-up drag racing associate with, but this bunch could certainly entertain.

I could honestly say that I was uninterested from a spectating point of view - that was, until Shakedown.

Nearly half of the field hailed from Puerto Rico, while the others were scattered around the Eastern part of the United States. But all displayed an enthusiasm for drag racing that we don’t often see in our traditional racing circles, and were clearly knowledgeable about hardcore drag racing rather than “fart can” racing on the the streets, and for that, I believe they all gained a ton of respect in front of the massive New Jersey crowd.

To say that Shakedown was one of the best drag races I’ve ever attended would be an understatement. Perfect weather, stellar racing, a spectacular venue, and a national event-meets-local street night atmosphere all combined for a great weekend of racing, and one that ought to be on your calendar next October.