The sounds of things getting back to normal in NJ

This past weekend while doing some yard work behind my house, I noticed a distance rumbling noise that I hadn't heard in quite some time.

I stopped what I was doing and listened a little more closely and sure enough it was that had become very commonplace on a Saturday in my neighborhood until last year, of course, when nothing was commonplace anymore.

It was the sound of drag racing cars from Atco Dragway. If you're wondering if it's noisy or inconvenient living near a drag strip, I couldn't tell you. My house is 12 miles from the track! But if conditions are right, and most Saturdays they are, you hear the faint rumble of supercharged engines pushing cars down the track at blinding speeds even from a dozen miles away. Imagine what it sounds like up close.

Well, you don't have to imagine if you want to check out the excitement of drag racing because they have their first scheduled event of the season coming up this weekend.

Rumors had been swirling around pretty fast last year that the raceway would close after 60 years in operation. That hasn't happened yet and it looks like they're about to start another season in a few days.

If you've never been to a drag racing track before, bring your ear plugs and get ready for some ground-shaking cars thundering down the track. Just a small sign that things might be getting back to the way they kinda sorta used to be.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis's own.