Ok so the Fall Nationals are at my home track (Maple Grove) this weekend so I need another place to race. Island Dragway in Jersey is pretty close so I head there. First off I HATE Jersey, **** Hitler worshopping cops every 5 feet, unreal traffic. Then I get to Island.........damn this place is WORSE than what was decribed to me. It is by far the worst maintained track I've ever been to (and that's alot of tracks) I mean all the grass is overgrown and it looks like its abandoned. So how was the track?? A complete joke. Get this, you pull to the starting line and they have cones set up from the middle of the lane inward, so you have to basically launch your car on the shoulder of the track. I have never seen anything so stupid. My car has 2.73 gears and not alot of mods, and I was getting sideways after my 1-2 shift..REAL sideways like scary. The track prep was so bad you couldn't hook up anywhere. It was the most bizarre expereince I've ever had. The guy directing cars in the staging lanes was the rudest ***** I've ever seen. My car ran like crap, couldn't hook up, the track is actually like driving down a poorly lit street when it gets dark. Tech?? They ASK you if you car is legal........no s**t!! I can't imagine ever going back to that place, why they have that bizarre starting line setup is beyond me. Lastly, its STREET night....and they use a pro tree. What complete morons. What the heck is wrong with Jersey?? Englishtown used to be my least favorite track but now Island takes the cake. I've been dying to check out Atco, but I can't imagine its any better. Sorry for venting here but avoid Island like the plauge, heck its better to street race.

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'95 Camaro Z-28- Flowmaster catback,TB bypass,custom cold air with HUGE K&N, Hooker LT with Mufflex Y pipe, CSI waterpump, 160deg 'stat. 13.62 @ 101.94 MPH. I need tuning I know.

 

The quickest stock suspension LT1 pass on the planet - George Baxter's 97 30th SS Convert, 9.04@155mph - was run at Island Dragway last year on Nov. 11. Whenever I've been there, the traction has been very good. I really don't care if they cut the grass .

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Fred
94 Formula A3+1: 381/TH400+OD/N2O

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11.513@115.59 on motor; 11.162@127.67, 1.643 60' on a 125-shot. Going with a 275-shot this year

[This message has been edited by Injuneer 94FormM6 (edited September 14, 2002).]

 

From what the other racers told me the track prep for Saturdays and Sundays is ALOT better, so that explains why his car ran so well. Heck my buddy drove right to the track from the dyno where his '94 Z-28 pulled down 325 RWHP yet at Island he could only get 103-104 MPH in the 1/4. Something is very wrong with that track. Add to the fact they make you launch on the shoulder of the starting line CROOKED (you have to turn right when you launch or you'll be rubbing the wall going down the strip) and the fact that its street race night and they use a pro tree (very stupid and unnecissary). Anything I liked?? Yea in the pits its a great atmosphere, people were cool as heck, and you can get in ALOT of runs if you like. I just have no idea why they run it so bizarre.

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'95 Camaro Z-28- Flowmaster catback,TB bypass,custom cold air with HUGE K&N, Hooker LT with Mufflex Y pipe, CSI waterpump, 160deg 'stat. 13.62 @ 101.94 MPH. I need tuning I know.

 

Island is sort of "lost in time".... The first time I went there was in the early 1960's.... it hasn't changed much since.

To me, nice thing is there usually aren't a lot of cars there, and almost 0 imports.

Agree... 0.500 pro tree on Friday night is odd.... the first time I ran there (modern era.. ) on a Friday night, I sat there and stared at the light, wondering what was going on. I haven't seen them use cones to block off the starting line... does sound bizarre. The track is sort of narrow to begin with....

On "tech".... they have checked my car a lot better there than at E'twon.. again, the first time I showed up with spray, they wouldn't let me run because "the nitrous inspector isn't here tonight"!!!!

Be careful sitting in the stands.... you will get a lot of splinters in your a$$..... .

 

It's basically a track in the middle of a farm.

I have no problem with it, I was actually there Friday night as well. I only had problems hooking on one of my runs, however my et seemed about 2-3 tenths slower than E-town.

I agree Fred, tech is a lot more strict than E-town. They don't even look twice at your car there.

My dad used to race at Island in the 70's and he said it is basically exactly the same now as it was then. lol.

 

There are a few very good reasons that Island does things the way they do on Friday nights. The cones are placed on the starting line to protect the launch pad for slick tire cars. If you are on street tires they move you off to the side so you dont tear up the launch pad. Thats why they have seperate staging lanes for street tire and slick tire cars. This is a great idea IMO...although I may be a little biased since I run on slicks. I have 60' a couple of times in the high 1.4's with my M6 car so the prep seems to be pretty good to me.
They run the .5 protree to save time. Most people that go on Friday nights are not real racers so what difference does it make. I am sure you didn't complain about being able to get 30 runs in if you wanted to.

 

Heck I got 9 runs in and I spent alot of time bench racing in the pits. Nice they cater to slick cars by making the starting line downright dangerous, now I wonder why they call it "street race" night?? Cecil, Maple Grove, Englishtown and alot of other tracks I've been at don't need to do this why do they?? And there's NO reason why my slow azz car should get sideways after a 1-2 shift when at every other track it just chirps the tires. Trust me it caught me by surprise and I just about lost it. So the only car they try to cater to has to run slicks?? On street race night?? Again that just shows the mentality of people running the track. I agree about the pro tree tho............99% of the racers there could care less about reaction times. Like I said it was a bizarre night, I actually started to hook as the night went on and cut some 2.00 60 foots which I had NEVER done before, but my car ran slow as heck there. I assume the lack of traction down the track was to blame, plus you weren't runnign in a straight line because of having to corrrect after luching sideways. As far as going back if I have to run true slicks to be able to launch straight forget it. I never thought a track would make Englishtown look good, but Island sure did. The place COULD be awesome tho, I mean I love the laid back atmosphere there, few ricers, cool people, but why run a street race night that caters to the 10 or so cars that happen to be running slicks.