Number of NBL tracks in NJ in 83

[Caveman]

Does anyone have an 83 NBL paper to tell me how many NBL tracks there were in Jersey? I’m interested in 83 because I think we can all agree 83 was the pinnacle for BMX.

I have an 83 ABA paper and there were 14 ABA tracks in NJ at the time. There were 14 tracks and over 1000 boys racing 20″ in the districts. And that’s when the NBL was headquartered in Flemington!

The tracks listed were:
North Bergen
Jersey City Armory
Kinnelon
West Milford
Teaneck
Vineland
Bargaintown EHT
Deptford
Clayton
Ventnor
Cape May Court House
Brigantine
Egg Harbor City
Toms River

I’d be interested to see how many tracks there were in PA and DE too.

[RaidenHayden]

In 83′ Kinnelon, and Teaneck were closed already

[xracer264]

@RaidenHayden wrote:

In 83′ Kinnelon, and Teaneck were closed already

Kinnelon I believe only lasted maybe a season but Teaneck I’m not sure was closed at that point. Does anyone remember Lake Melody in West Milford! Now that had a serious downhill!

[CrazyCraig]

I raced Lake Melody on Sunday’s after we raced Braddock in the morning/early afternoon. I remember diving into the second turn “bowl”. The speed going through that was awesome!

In ’82 there were actually a couple of more tracks besides the one on the list. My first 14 Novice race was at Waretown on Rt. 9 (my first race was 14 beginner at the Armory). They made the track out of the local “dirt”: sand and beach pebbles! Anytime it rained, half the track dissappeared!

Someone should look for the 82 list as well.

[RaidenHayden]

Broke my nose at Melody

[CrazyCraig]

@RaidenHayden wrote:

Broke my nose at Melody

I bailed in one of my first 15X races there. Slipped a pedal over the first small jump at the bottom of the first straight (downhill). No pads, got water-on-the-knee. It blew up to the size of a softball. Still, I think the pads we did have back then would not have helped much.

[bmiddaugh]

http://2005.brokenspokes.net/tracks.htm

[RFarside]

Dave there was a track in Millville.

[RaidenHayden]

And Island Dragway was outside of Hacketstown on Rt. 46

[bmiddaugh]

Rich wasn’t there two different tracks in millville? I remember one that was almost like it was abandoned that I raced on in like 81-82.

[Caveman]

I wasn’t looking for any track that ever existed in NJ. I was more looking for the highest number of tracks that ever existed at one time. Assuming 83 was the height of BMX, if the ABA had 14 tracks and the NBL was headquartered in the state you could imagine they had at least 7 tracks which is a total of 21 tracks in NJ at one time. That’s huge! That’s an average of one per county. Maybe the NBL only had three but 17 tracks in NJ is still nuts.

That dropped to 2 in 1990. Deptford and Braddock both closed in the end of 89 leaving just Flemington and Egg Harbor.

So does anyone have an old NBL paper from 82 or 83? Or an ABA paper from 82? Craig may be right. 82 may have been more the peak for BMX in NJ.

[bmiddaugh]

Yea…I gotta say late 82 early 83 is when it felt like racing was HUGE in NJ. I remember the aba being everywhere.
I have to say that freestyle probably had a hand in hurting things, as a lot of guys graduated, didn’t have time to hit 4-6 locals a week to keep up a district plate and just decided to “do their own thing”.

[RaidenHayden]

Brett, many of those things are what are keeping people out now, no time to compete, some feel like they have to do a national schedule, or they are not racing. It’s easier to ride trails thatn pay for all the gas to get here or there

[bmiddaugh]

You’re totally right Bill.
BMX has been made to feel like if you aren’t hitting “lationals” (local nationals….yea I made up a new name, kill me!) then you aren’t really racing….and most aren’t racing…Breton Woods is going strong after like 10 years, just guys having fun.

[ErickWeinstetter]

Dave I left in 81 but from that list these tracks may never have existed.
I had to go to maryland alot to make ABA races so I know they werent running ABA races for sure in 1980 or 81.

Make sure some of the peeps actually raced the track to ensure it actually existed. Like I never heard of or saw Kinnelon or Teanack. But at least one person says that they seen Kinnelon so I believe that track actually existed.

*** May Not have ever run sanctioned races

North Bergen- Braddock Raceway (home to Nationals all ABA)
Jersey City Armory- Indoor think it may always have run ABA
Kinnelon- Was it ABA? what was the tracks name etc????
West Milford- Lake Melody downhill
Teaneck- *** details anyone??
Vineland- Home to many Nationals (NBA and ABA)
Bargaintown EHT- Still going strong
Deptford- Started by Action Wheels after closing Woodbury?
Clayton- Never saw it but know Clay raced it alot
Ventnor- *** details anyone??
Cape May Court House-
Brigantine- *** details anyone?? Waretown- which was located in Waretown on Rt 9 behind a store
Egg Harbor City- *** details anyone??
Toms River- Ran ABA from around 1982-83

There were two Millville Tracks.
The first one I raced was along a fence in a Park like setting, the first turn was a left hander. It is where I met Paul Stephens, one of the fastest racers in NJ in those days (rode for Petes Bike shop).

Then my last race at Millville was in a Fairgrounds inside a race track with grandstands. That track I cant remember its first turn but it had one turn that was off-camber. ( a very frustrating turn lol).

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