ENGLISHTOWN — A Central Jersey landmark is making a major change to its operation for the upcoming season.

Raceway Park — which has operated since 1965 with drag racing, motorcross, nitro funny cars, monster truck events as well as swap meets and other events — announced in a statement "with great sadness" it will drop quarter-mile and eighth-mile drag racing events from its 2018 schedule.

The Napp family said the decision to drop drag racing after 50 years was made because of a "reorganization of the company's business operations" but did not elaborate. The family declined to comment on the change.

In a release, the park said it would continue using the stadium park of the Englishtown facility for most of its usual activities, including spring and fall auto swap meets, car shows, motocross racing and practice and kart racing. A full schedule of road course activities, mud runs, monster truck shows, musical concerts and festival events will also continue.

According to its website, the season of events runs between late February and late November.

"The Napp family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude to the NHRA, and the many thousands of racers and fans, without whom would have never allowed Raceway Park to become the iconic and nationally recognized drag racing facility it has over the past five decades," the statement said.

The NHRA said in a statement the 49th annual NHRA Summernationals scheduled for June will not take place.

Adjacent Old Bridge Airport, which is also owned by the park, will continue to operate.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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