New Jersey’s Atco Dragway has been a frequent source of news in the region and around the sport of drag racing over the last year, largely centering on its efforts to sell the longtime strip to auction firm Insurance Auto Auctions.

Track owner Len Capone’s decision has, not surprisingly, been unpopular among racers in a densely-populated region void of racetracks, but Capone and those opposing his moves are presenting a unified front — if only for now — this week after an annual event was shut down by Camden County, New Jersey law enforcement officers on Sunday upon claims that it was breaking local COVID-19 capacity guidelines.

The track was hosting a car show put on by Elite Tuners, and per the restrictions on outdoor gatherings, was limited to 30-percent of its 10,000 seat capacity. Capone pre-sold 2,500 tickets; but at 10:30 a.m., three hours after the gates opened, police reportedly began blocking the roadway outside the track, keeping anyone from entering the facility. Capone says at that time, 1,114 people had entered the raceway, far below its imposed spectator cap.

“I’m just beside myself. I believe my rights were taken away from me when I wasn’t allowed to have my 3,000 people crowd,” Capone said in an interview with NJ.com. “The word came from the prosecutor’s office and apparently they were claiming we were over capacity and they were told to shut us down.”

“At 10:30 they said we were over capacity. I don’t know if it was the prosecutor’s office or the state trooper helicopter flying above,” Capone told 6ABC.

Photo: throtl_alex/Instagram

As Capone noted in his interview with NJ.com, roughly 1,900 people who had purchased tickets were turned away and had to be refunded their admission and car show registrations — all of which is money out of his pocket.

“It didn’t feel too crowded only because it was such a big dragway. They had cars all the way from the beginning of the quarter line all the way to the end. So it was pretty spread out,” Delaware resident Jonathan Lopez told 6ABC.

Capone told radio station New Jersey 101.5 in an on-air call that he was on the phone with police, confirming the hand-counted entry total, but says the order remained to block the road and not allow anyone else onto the property.

“At one point we thought we were going to have to shut the whole place down but it never came down to that,” Capone said.

Police reportedly closed a section of Jackson Road until 7 p.m. Sunday evening. As news sources went on to report, those in the traffic jam attempting to enter the facility who were turned away — many of whom had traveled from other states — chose not to leave, but rather, retreated to nearby parking lots and shopping areas.

“Next thing I knew there was about 200 people outside in my parking lot just listening to music,” said pizza shop owner Joe Stellato. Another nearby restaurant closed for the day amid the congestion and loud music.

The turnout and subsequent congestion could have implications in either direction for Atco Dragway; while a nuisance to some locals, it indeed highlights the economic value to area businesses of so many racers and auto enthusiasts visiting the county — something the eyesore that is an auto auction yard cannot provide.

Insurance Auto Auctions remains in negotiations with the Waterford Township Planning Board to gain approval of its plan to convert the 61-year-old dragway into a vehicle storage facility. The in-person and online hearings on the matter have drawn hundreds of community members.