PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The abrupt closure of Camden County's Atco Dragway has many remembering and reflecting on their experiences at the historic South Jersey track. Built in 1959, it became one of the busiest tracks in the country over the years.
Drag racer Dan VanHorn says he he visited Atco frequently from 2009 through 2019 when he used to live in New York.
"People just have a lot of personal and emotional attachments to the track for obvious reasons. It's just a great facility, great people, and has a lot of history," VanHorn said.
It all boils down to — it's just a super-fast track and super-good people, super-good facility. And there's just no denying that. You go there one time and you go race in the middle of America, and you're like: 'Wow … let me get back to Atco, where my car will actually fly.'"
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VanHorn went on to open up his own drag strip in North Carolina called Rockingham Dragway. But he says it all started at Atco.
In fact, he says, the people there helped guide him through opening up his own track.
The owners did not publish why the space permanently closed but said the remainder of their 2023 schedule will be canceled.
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