Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2008
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Crossing the Finish Line
The addition of a vast motorsports track in Millville could rev up the economic engine for all of South Jersey
S k ep ti cs said it would never happen. In the late 1990s, discussions began about constructing a massive motorsports complex in Millville. It’s taken nearly a decade to finally come to fruition, but the New Jersey Motorsports Park will become a reality in July when the first part of a three-phase project opens to the masses.
Soon, thousands will assemble at Thunderbolt and Lightning raceways to watch—and drive—cars at top speeds, and once-foreign terminology like F1 Karting will become part of the local argot.
“After all of these years, it’s like a dream come true that this is finally happening,” says General Manager Don Fauerbach. “We persevered and everyone stayed with us through all the state and environmental issues. We’re going to open. It’s great.”
“It’s definitely setting in that this is going to happen,” says Director of Motorsports Activities Joe Volpe. “Everyone’s working full-time to get this thing up and running.”
This month, the 1.9-mile road circuit Lightning Raceway opens, followed by the 2.25-mile signature Thunderbolt Raceway in August. Two world-class road courses will not only host major events like Grand-Am racing but enable amateurs to hit the tracks.
When completed, NJMP, near the Millville Airport, will also include a first-class karting facility, an ATV course, a 3/4-mile tri-oval speedplex, and a host of amenities and attractions that include a member’s only clubhouse, VIP suites, trackside villas, hotel and conference center, restaurants, retail and raceplex businesses, restaurants, educational outlets, and other unique project attractions that will truly drive excitement to the entire region.
Fauerbach says people won’t truly understand how massive NJMP is until they visit.
“You can look at videos, go to the website, look at aerial pictures and read all of the stories, but until you physically see the largeness of the facility, you just can’t understand,” he says. “I see it every day. People come here and are just amazed. Even the sanctioning bodies come here and say they didn’t expecting something so nice and so well thought-out.
“Once you go to that first race and feel that thunder in the ground and in the air, the emotion is indescribable. Words don’t tell the story.”
RACING - The inaugural racing season schedule for NJMP is already packed. The first spectator race will be held August 7-10 when the Sports Car Vintage Racing Association roars in with historic Can-Am cars, vintage Formula 1 and many famous Trans-Am muscle cars.
Other events include the Shelby American Automobile Club’s national convention with Ford GT-40s, 427 AC Cobras and more on August 15-17; the Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom open-wheel series September 12-14; and the Vintage Air and Auto Show that will combine vintage auto races with more than 20 World War II war birds on display—and in the air—September 20-21.
The two biggest events so far are the Grand-Am and ARCA Re/Max series events August 29-31, and September 26-28 respectively. Grand-Am will feature multiple races in all classes including Daytona Prototype and GT, the Koni Challenge and the Moto-ST (which is Grand-Am’s version of the Superbike series). The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, the BF Goodrich/Skip Barber National and the Ferrari Challenge will also be on hand.
The ARCA Re/Max 150 will feature some of the finest stock car drivers in the country, and racing will include the Speed World Challenge GT, Touring Cars and the Volkswagen TDI Cup Series, as well as Formula BMW.
“We’ll see professional racing at the highest level,” Volpe says. “Grand-Am is the highest level of sports car racing in the country. And the ARCA series is the second-highest level of stock car racing next to NASCAR. We’ll see everything from amateur club racing to the very best in the world. That’s what makes the track so special.”
THE DRIVERS CLUB & KARTING - For Mario Andretti wannabes, the best part about NJMS is that amateurs can race themselves. NJMP allows everyone with a well-functioning car and a few bucks the opportunity to fulfill their need for speed. There’s no speed limit, and there’s no limit to the amount of adrenaline your body will pump.
“This project introduces motorsports to the local community and allows them to get out there and participate,” says Volpe. “There’s a misconception out there that racing is only for rich people and locals won’t enjoy it. That’s simply not true. If you have a car and a couple hundred dollars, you can have the time of your life.
“It’s not cheap,” he adds. “It’s not something you can do for 15 bucks. But it’s not out of the realm of possibility for most people.”
For avid car enthusiasts, the Drivers Club is the ultimate option. While drivers will be able to get on the course with memberships through the Sports Car Club of America and pay for track time, the Drivers Club is an exclusive motorsports “country club.”
Members get 30 days of access to both courses, plus 20 exclusive members-only driving days at NJMP and Virginia International Raceway. It includes full use of the clubhouse, pool, fitness center, tennis and volleyball courts, and free admission for member and family to all spectator events and preferred member parking.
Prices range from $2,400 for general memberships to $12,000 for corporate memberships (not counting the $10,000 and $25,000 initiation fees). To drive, it’s an extra $150 per day per person.
Volpe says the memberships will be worth it.
“Speed is only restricted by dollars and cubic inches. Honestly, you can bring anything on that track as long as it passes the technical tests. People will bring everything from Volkswagen Rabbits to Honda Civics to entry-level sports cars like Mustangs and Camaros; those may add some speed to the equation.”
For racing on a smaller level, F1 Karting gives everyone the opportunity to experience motorsports firsthand. In NJMP karts, racers maneuver a 1.1-mile track that can be configured eight ways.
“We call it ‘Arrive and Drive,’” Fauerbach says. “You go through driver training, learn safety and the basics and get outfitted in helmets, firesuits and a neck brace.
“For a simple ‘Arrive and Drive,’ it’s $25 for 20 laps, and you’re going to spend a good hour and a half for the whole process. Once you get a card, you can come back, eventually advancing from 55 m.p.h. and go all the way to 120 m.p.h. We know it will be immensely popular. It’s an addiction. A couple can realistically come here and do ‘Arrive and Drive’ for less than going out to dinner.”
VILLAS AT BREIGHTON - Everyone’s heard of homes located on a golf course. How about homes next to a racetrack?
That’s exactly what NJMP will offer with Villas at Breighton, trackside units for about $450,000. There are 30 villas planned for the first stage; it will expand to more than 180 in about five years.
Each villa will have a second-floor deck with spectacular trackside views. Owners will enjoy all Drivers Club benefits including a sports pavilion and activity center with tennis courts.
“We just began to advertise the trackside villas, and there are 38 units already reserved,” Fauerbach says. “You can even opt into a rental pool so that when you’re not there, it’s rented out. So say a casino visitor wants to spend a weekend here, go to driver training school and sit out on the deck and watch racing. Well, they can. It’s just another form of vacationing.”
ECONOMIC IMPACT - The first phase of NJMP is 500 acres with an investment of more than $50 million. When all is said and done around 2013, the project will include restaurants, retail, hotels and an additional three-quarter-mile track for an overall investment of $150 million.
That means Cumberland County, and specifically Millville, are looking for an economic boom. And there’s no reason they shouldn’t get it. NJMP estimates that more than 1,500 jobs will be created at the track and for commercial properties near it.
“It will absolutely have an immediate impact,” says Volpe. “There will be several hundred people here at a time just for club events. And when there are larger events, we’re talking about thousands of people coming for two to three days—out on the streets, spending money on dinner and whatever else. The majority of area businesses are anticipating our opening.”
NJMP will particularly help summer business, virtually nonexistent in Cumberland County because of shore travel.
“When you think about it, Millville can be compared to a shore community once we open because the amount of tourists that will be flocking here,” says Volpe.
The economic impact is already happening, says Fauerbach. “People are already coming here and staying overnight to visit, reserving hotel rooms and eating in restaurants and having group events—this is just the beginning,” he says. “We are now 13 months in construction, so imagine all those jobs. We just hired 29 members for security. We’re hiring maintenance and ground crews. And we’re hiring flaggers at a rapid pace. We need well over 100 flaggers. And it’s going to keep growing and growing.”
Millville Mayor James Quinn agrees: “We have an idea what’s already going to come here, but in time, we’re going to see even more, including restaurants and automotive-related retail, particularly around that Route 55 and 47 interchange. I know the downtown will see a benefit. The next few years should be pretty exciting.”
THE FUTURE - Fauerbach says NJMP is an entertainment destination, not just a racetrack.
“All the parts are equal to the sum of the whole,” he says. “The memberships, the spectator events, the restaurants, the hotels, the villas. They all make this an overall motorsports resort. All the venues grow from the foundation, so there’s also special competition events, airshows, concerts.
“The key to our success is the diversity of our venues, from the ATV park to the 400,000-square-foot speedplex to the three hotels and restaurants, the car gallery, museum and convention center—all of it. It’s all intrinsically tied to the airport, the downtown arts district, the WheatonArts center and our tourism partners.”
The sky’s the limit for NJMP, says Volpe, from the financial ramifications to the possibility of hosting an annual NASCAR event.
“I don’t think there’s a reason why we couldn’t do that,” Volpe says. “We’re not that different from Watkins Glen in New York. We would have to add some infrastructure for bleachers and seating, but we definitely have the ability to do that. NASCAR has never necessarily been in our vocabulary as the main focus. It hasn’t been the business model we worked on. But we would certainly be able to handle an event like that and would be very open to it.”
“When most people think of NASCAR,” adds Fauerbach, “they think of the Nextel Cup and Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. But there are 17 touring divisions, from the Craftsman Truck series to Saturday night dirt tracks. We have every intention of inviting NASCAR’s sanctioning body to come and take a look and give us consideration for any series.”
For now, Fauberach and the rest of NJMP are focused on the opening. “From a personal perspective, when we see that first green light, we’re all going to have a sigh of accomplishment and relief and there will probably be a few tears running down a few faces,” he says. “You can’t pursue something for your community as long as we have and not be passionate and emotional when that first flag drops.”
THE TRACKS
Thunderbolt Raceway - The Southern Road Circuit at NJ Motorsports Park features more than 2.25 miles of asphalt, 14 challenging turns, a one-half mile straightaway and approximately 40 acres of full service paddock space. Amenities include concession buildings, event garages, 20 VIP suites, banquet rooms, a covered false grid and a three-story timing tower with media center and VIP facilities.
Lightning Raceway - The 1.9-mile Northern Circuit features 10 corners and will be fast and challenging with some of the most interesting and dramatic corners and elevation changes in the park. The 20-acre paddock area will have a four-acre skid pad and autocross area, as well as concession areas, timing towers and school and drivers meeting room facilities.
F1 Karting - Connected to the Lightning is the 1.1-mile karting facility featuring eight dramatic configurations, many of which can be run simultaneously. All eight configurations are designed to be run either clockwise or counterclockwise and just when you feel you’ve mastered the circuit, it’s time to point you in a new direction to learn all over again.
For more information on NJMP, go to www.njmp.com
