Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Boys! Lets go racing!
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DRIVERS START YOUR ENGINES: The one line that started and ended the races.
Jun 4, 2018
Did you ever hear the sound of race cars passing by you at a racetrack? Well, imagine hearing that sound while going down Main Street or Amboy Ave. That’s what it was like on Sundays, May through September back in 1927-1938. Right where Woodbridge High School is now, The Woodbridge Raceway AKA “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” called the area home.
The Woodbridge Raceway started out as a dirt track that they would oil down so the dirt wouldn’t fly around. Eventually, it went to wooden slats or wooden boards
The cars didn’t have mufflers, and sounds from the track could be heard as far away as the intersection of Main Street, Amboy Avenue and even at WMS. Because of the high speeds — cars reached up to 100 mph; accidents were common. Sadly, three drivers died while racing at the track. Johnny Rohrer in 1929, Bob Robinson in 1930, and Bernie Katz in 1931.
The stands were always packed until the Great Depression. People couldn’t afford to go to the track. They were more worried about paying their bills also feeding their families. Ticket prices were reduced and flood lights were installed for night racing, but the cheering fans just weren’t there anymore. “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile Race Track” closed forever after the 1938 season. And in 1956 Woodbridge High School was built and now stands where The Woodbridge Raceway used to be.
Mr Miller, a 7th grade civics teacher, states that he wishes that they kept the raceway because it would’ve been something really cool for woodbridge to have.
Miller states that The Raceway is “definitely a part of Woodbridge history because, it was an important thing that was here”. Some drives even came from Europe to race.
“I think that Woodbridge doesn’t do a good enough job of showing these moments in our history” Miller explained. “And hopefully when they get a history museum built and up and running, people get to actually get to see some of the things that Woodbridge had to offer and get a different viewpoint of it.”
Woodbridge will never hear the sound of those car mufflers again. Even though The Raceway has been gone for 80 years, the history and the memories still fill Woodbridge.