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Atco Dragway in South Jersey permanently closes after 63 years

New Jersey's famed Atco Dragway permanently closes after 63 years
New Jersey's famed Atco Dragway permanently closes after 63 years 00:22

ATCO, N.J. (CBS) -- After operating for 63 years, Atco Dragway in Camden County permanently closed Tuesday. 

All of the remaining events for 2023 have been canceled. 

"Atco Dragway is permanently closed. We will not be open from this point on. The remainder of our schedule for 2023 will be canceled, the dragway wrote in a Facebook post. "Thank you all for your patronage and memories over the years. Special thank you to our 29th annual Pan American Nationals racers & crowd for making Atco Dragway's last event the biggest and best one ever. This isn't the end for import racing in the northeast! To all of our staff, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sticking it out with us and being the best in the business!" 

Effective immediately: Atco Dragway is permanently closed. We will not be open from this point on. The remainder of our...

Posted by Atco Dragway on Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Atco was built in 1959, but the track didn't open until Memorial Day Weekend in 1960. It was the oldest drag strip in New Jersey. 

The track was sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association, the largest sanctioning body in drag racing. 

Atco held over 265 events in one year, which made it one of the busiest tracks in the United States. 

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