New Jersey Motorsports Park is a road course "Motorsports Entertainment Complex" located in Millville, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It has hosted races since opening in 2008 and currently hosts a schedule including MotoAmerica Pro Road Racing, 24 Hours of LeMons, American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, SCCA events, SCCA Pro Racing's F2000 Championship Series. It is not to be confused with the New Jersey Motorsports Park: Field of Dreams, an unaffiliated Motocross facility across the street.
  Thunderbolt (top) and Lightning (bottom) circuits | |
| Location | 8000 Dividing Creek Road, Millville, Cumberland County New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 39°21′32.29″N 75°3′41.86″W / 39.3589694°N 75.0616278°W |
| Capacity | Open seating without capacity limitation |
| FIA Grade | 3 |
| Opened | 31 August 2008 |
| Major events | Current: MotoAmerica (2009–present) FR Americas (2018, 2022–present) Formula Atlantic (2008–2009, 2012, 2015–2018, 2024) SCCA (2008–present) Former: Trans-Am Series (2010, 2012, 2014–2017) K&N Pro Series East JustDrive.com 125 (2016–2018) ARCA Racing Series (2008–2016) Rolex Sports Car Series (2008–2012) Pirelli World Challenge (2008–2009, 2014) Indy Pro 2000 Championship (2008–2010, 2020–2021) |
| Thunderbolt Raceway (2008–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.250 miles (3.621 km) |
| Turns | 13 |
| Race lap record | 1:11.197 ( Peter Portante, Swift 016.a, 2017, Formula Atlantic) |
| Lightning Raceway (2008–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.900 miles (3.058 km) |
| Turns | 10 |
Current tracks and facilities edit
Thunderbolt and Lightning Raceways edit
New Jersey Motorsports Park is located on 500 acres (200 ha) immediately adjacent to the Millville Municipal Airport, a location that was dedicated in 1941 as America's First Defense Airport, which played a key role in the country's World War II military efforts.
NJMP is one of the few facilities in the world housing two circuits that can be operated simultaneously. The tracks both feature many elevation changes, along with lengthy front straightaways. One of the best known features of this course is a stretch on Thunderbolt Raceway known as "the Jersey devil."
The Park offers open seating which allows spectators to venture throughout the grounds. Grandstands are available in several locations, in addition to camping areas and on-site hotel and condominium accommodations. The facility includes a full-service bar and restaurant, The Finish Line Pub, located at the center of the property.
Go-karting edit
In addition to the two road courses, NJMP includes a 1.1 mi (1.8 km) karting facility called Tempest Raceway. Like the park itself, Tempest consists of two tracks that can be operated simultaneously. It hosts daily arrive-and-drive programs, and offers custom experiences for groups. The complex also hosts competition events sanctioned by various regional and national series.
In 2011 The Motorsports park declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, defaulting on its contracts with the City of Millville.[1]
Millville Army Air Field edit
The Millville Army Air Field opened as a gunnery school for fighter pilots for the Republic P-47 “Thunderbolt” in 1941. During its four-year existence, about 1,500 pilots received advanced P-47 Thunderbolt fighter training here.
New Jersey Motorsports Park commemorated this history by naming its marquee 2.250 mi (3.621 km) racetrack “Thunderbolt Raceway.” The 1.900 mi (3.058 km) road course – Lightning Raceway – is named after the P-38 Lightning, a World War II fighter aircraft.
The facility also carries the historical World War II theme by naming its track-side condominiums “The Villas at Breighton.” Breighton was the name of an allied airfield in Great Britain, where many of the Millville-trained P-47 pilots served during World War II.
Other ties to the World War II theme include the English Tudor design of the clubhouse, the Officers Club's Q-Hangar design that contains Cumberland County's largest banquet facility and the Timing Tower that resembles a World War II air traffic control tower. NJMP safety and security vehicles are based on World War II MP Jeeps.
While building the various structures at New Jersey Motorsports Park, many World War II artifacts were found and collected for display at the Millville Army Air Field Museum, located on the opposite side of the Millville Airport. The Bore Site range, located just outside Thunderbolt Raceway Paddock was used by Thunderbolt pilots during training as a range to calibrate their machine guns.
Today, a P-47 Thunderbolt - No Guts, No Glory aircraft is based out of Millville Airport. It is one of only nine in the world still in working condition.
Lap records edit
As of July 2022, the fastest official race lap records at the New Jersey Motorsports Park are listed as:
History of racing at the park edit
Events edit
NBC's Octane Academy held its east coast qualifier at the Park's 1.900 mi (3.058 km) Lightning Raceway in January 2013.
Records edit
New Jersey Motorsports Park's slowest hot lap was done in a Ferrari 458 Italia driven by automotive journalist Danny Korecki on the Lightning Circuit. Korecki drove the Ferrari 458 on three consecutive laps while going no faster than 25 miles per hour.
Pro racing edit
Many renowned racing series have visited New Jersey Motorsports Park. The first was Grand-Am Road Racing's Rolex Sports Car Series in 2008, with Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson capturing the first-ever Thunderbolt trophies. The ARCA Racing Series and AMA Superbike Championship also joined the NJMP schedule, holding annual points-paying races at the Northeast facility. In 2010, SCCA Pro Racing's Trans-Am Series held its first race at Thunderbolt Raceway and returned in 2012, and from 2014 on.
Other notable events include the "Devil in the Dark", a 12-hour endurance race put on by the South Jersey region of the SCCA. Regional and national sportscar and motorcycle clubs also hold hundreds of track-day events at the two circuits each season.
Event list edit
- Current
- May: SCCA Lightning Challenge
- July: Formula Regional Americas Championship NJMP SpeedTour, SCCA Fay Teal Memorial Jersey Devil Majors, Formula 4 United States Championship, Atlantic Championship Series
- September: MotoAmerica
- October: SCCA Jersey Road Racing Classic
- Former
- AMA Superbike Championship (2009–2014)
- ARCA Racing Series (2008–2016)
- Global MX-5 Cup (2008–2010, 2020)
- IMSA Prototype Lites (2009–2010)
- Indy Pro 2000 Championship (2008–2010, 2020–2021)
- K&N Pro Series East
- JustDrive.com 125 (2016–2018)
- Pirelli World Challenge (2008–2009, 2014)
- Rolex Sports Car Series (2008–2012)
- Trans-Am Series (2010, 2012, 2014–2017)
- USF2000 Championship (2010, 2020–2021)
Race history edit
American Superbike edit
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Best Lap | |||||
| 2009 | September 5 | Josh Hayes | Yamaha Motor Corp. | Yamaha | 23 | 1:21.979 |
| 2009 | September 6 | Josh Hayes | Yamaha Motor Corp. | Yamaha | 23 | 1:21.287 |
| 2010 | September 4 | Josh Hayes | Team Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 21 | 1:21.210 |
| 2010 | September 5 | Josh Hayes | Team Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 23 | 1:21.242 |
| 2011 | September 3 | Josh Hayes | Monster Energy Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 23 | 1:21.264 |
| 2011 | September 4 | Blake Young | Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki | Suzuki | 23 | 1:21.904 |
| 2012 | September 8 | Josh Hayes | Monster Energy Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 23 | 1:20.737 |
| 2012 | September 9 | Josh Hayes | Monster Energy Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 23 | 1:20.895 |
| 2013 | September 14 | Josh Herrin | Monster Energy Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 20 | 1.21.804 |
| 2013 | September 15 | Josh Hayes | Monster Energy Graves Yamaha | Yamaha | 23 | 1:20.716 |
MotoAmerica Superbike Series edit
| Year | Date | Race # | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Best Lap | ||||||
| 2015 | September 13 | Race 1 | Josh Hayes | Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha | Yamaha | 9 | 1:22.496 |
| 2015 | September 14 | Race 2 | Josh Hayes | Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha | Yamaha | 25 | 1:22.148 |
| 2016 | September 11 | Race 1 | Roger Hayden | Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing | Suzuki | 25 | 1:21.289 |
| 2016 | September 12 | Race 2 |  Toni Elias | Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing | Suzuki | 25 | 1:21.521 |
| 2017 | September 9 | Race 1 | Toni Elias | Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing | Suzuki | 23 | 1:21.092 |
| 2017 | September 10 | Race 2 | Toni Elias | Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing | Suzuki | 25 | 1:21.044 |
| 2018 | September 8 | Race 1 | Josh Herrin | Attack Performance/Herrin Compound/Yamaha | Yamaha | 23 | 1:37.936 |
| 2018 | September 9 | Race 2 | Cameron Beaubier | Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 18 | 1:43.626 |
| 2019 | September 7 | Race 1 | Garrett Gerloff | Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 23 | 1:20.588 |
| 2019 | September 8 | Race 2 | Cameron Beaubier | Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 23 | 1:20.902 |
| 2020 | September 12 | Race 1 | Cameron Beaubier | Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha | Yamaha | 21 | 1:20.310 |
| 2020 | September 13 | Race 2 | Cameron Beaubier | Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha | Yamaha | 14 | 1:20.937 |
| 2021 | September 11 | Race 1 | Jake Gagne | Fresh N' Lean Attack Performance Yamaha | Yamaha | 20 | 1:20.747 |
| 2021 | September 12 | Race 2 | Jake Gagne | Fresh N' Lean Attack Performance Yamaha | Yamaha | 20 | 1:20.076 |
| 2022 | September 10 | Race 1 | Jake Gagne | Fresh N' Lean Attack Performance Yamaha | Yamaha | 17 | 1:20.796 |
| 2022 | September 11 | Race 2 |  Danilo Petrucci | Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC | Ducati | 14 | 1:31.698 |
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East edit
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | |||||
| 2016 | September 17 | Noah Gragson | Jefferson Pitts Racing | Ford | 55 |
| 2017 | September 16 | Will Rodgers | Jefferson Pitts Racing | Ford | 55 |
| 2018 | June 16 | Will Rodgers | Jefferson Pitts Racing | Ford | 55 |
ARCA Racing Series edit
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | |||||
| 2008 | September 28 | Justin Allgaier | Allgaier Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 |
| 2009 | September 13 | Patrick Long | Cunningham Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
| 2010 | August 15 | Casey Roderick | Bill Elliott Racing | Dodge | 67 |
| 2011 | May 22 |  Andrew Ranger | NDS Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
| 2012 | July 1 | Andrew Ranger | NDS Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
| 2013 | July 28 | Andrew Ranger | NDS Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
| 2014 | June 1 | Andrew Ranger | NDS Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
| 2015 | May 24 | Kyle Weatherman | Cunningham Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
| 2016 | May 28 | Parker Kligerman | Cunningham Motorsports | Dodge | 67 |
Rolex Sportscar Series edit
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | |||||
| 2008 | August 31 |  Oswaldo Negri &  Mark Patterson | Michael Shank Racing #60 | Ford Riley | 105 |
| 2009 | May 3 |  Niclas Jönsson & Ricardo Zonta | Krohn Racing #76 | Ford Lola | 87 |
| 2010 | August 18 | Jon Fogarty & Alex Gurney | Bob Stallings Racing #99 | Chevrolet Riley | 116 |
| 2011 | July 24 | Scott Pruett &  Memo Rojas | Chip Ganassi Racing #01 | BMW Riley | 117 |
| 2012 | May 13 | Max Angelelli & Ricky Taylor | Wayne Taylor Racing #10 | Corvette DP | 117 |
Trans Am Series edit
| Year | Date | Class | Driver | Team / Sponsor | Manufacturer | Race Distance / Time Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | May 9 | TA | Tomy Drissi | Rocketsports Racing | Jaguar | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes |
| 2012 | July 1 | TA | Amy Ruman | Ruman Racing McNichols Company | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes |
| TA2 | Pete Halsmer | CTEK Battery Chargers Motorstate / Allstar | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| 2014 | June 1 | TA | Amy Ruman | Ruman Racing McNichols Company | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 90 minutes |
| TA2 | Cameron Lawrence | Miller Racing CTEK Battery Chargers / Northstar | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 90 minutes | ||
| TA3 – International | Jason Berkeley | BMG Management | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 90 minutes | ||
| TA3 – American | Ernie Francis Jr. | Breathless Performance Racing | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 90 minutes | ||
| 2015 | June 14 | TA | Amy Ruman | Ruman Racing McNichols Company | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes |
| TA2 | Adam Andretti | Engineered Components Company (ECC) | Ford | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA3 – International | Andrew Aquilante | Phoenix Performance / Hawk | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA3 – American | Ernie Francis Jr. | Breathless Performance Racing | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| 2016 | June 12 | TA | Paul Fix | Stop Flex / The Car Coach / Classic Tube | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes |
| TA2 | Tony Buffomante | Mike Cope Racing | Ford | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA3 | Andrew Aquilante | Phoenix Performance / Hawk / Penske | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA4 | Ernie Francis Jr. | Breathless Performance Racing Beta Tools / Liquid Performance | Ford | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA5 | Tim Kezman | Fall-Line Motorsports / Calypso | Porsche | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| 2017 | October 8 | TA | Ernie Francis Jr. | Breathless Performance Racing Beta Tools / Liquid Performance | Ford | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes |
| TA2 | Gar Robinson | Robinson Racing Pura Vida Tequila / 74 Ranch Resort | Chevrolet | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA3 | Neal Walker | Tullman Walker Racing | Porsche | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes | ||
| TA4 | Brian Kleeman | DWW Motorsports | Ford | 101.25 miles / 45 laps / 75 minutes |
References edit
- ^ "New Jersey Motorsports Park files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection".
- ^ a b "New Jersey Motorsports Park - Racing Circuits". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Formula Atlantic Track Records". Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "2017 New Jersey Motorsports Park Formula Atlantic Race 2" (PDF). 8 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "2008 New Jersey Grand-Am". Motor Sport Magazine. 31 August 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "2020 Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 GP at NJMP - Race 2 Lap Report" (PDF). 11 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "2018 F3 Americas Championship powered by Honda NJMP (Thuderbolt) - Round 7 Official Race Result" (PDF). 15 September 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "2020 Andersen Companies USF2000 GP at NJMP - Race 2 Lap Report" (PDF). 11 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "2017 Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli Round 11 - New Jersey Motorsports Park Millville NJ - Oct. 6-8, 2017 Trans Am TA/TA3/TA4 Official TA, TA3, TA4 Race Results" (PDF). 10 October 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "250 miles New Jersey 2008". 31 August 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Grand American Rolex Series - GT 2008 standings". Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "2008 Formula BMW Americas New Jersey (Race 1)". 1 November 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "2016 F4 US Championship Powered by Honda Formula 4 New Jersey Motorsports Park Race 2" (PDF). 28 August 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "2021 MotoAmerica Superbikes at New Jersey HONOS Superbike Race 2" (PDF). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "2017 Championship of New Jersey Supersport & Superstock 600/1000 Supersport & Superstock 1000 Race 2 practice laps" (PDF). 10 September 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Great Railings 150 at NJMP at New Jersey Motorsports Park-Thunderbolt on June 1st 2014 - Final Race Results - Pirelli World Challenge TC/TCA/TCB Round 6" (PDF). 1 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "2020 Battery Tender Global Mazda MX5 Cup New Jersey Motorsports Park Race 2" (PDF). 11 October 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Great Railings 150 at NJMP at New Jersey Motorsports Park-Thunderbolt on May 31st 2014 - Final Race Results - Pirelli World Challenge TC/TCA/TCB Round 5" (PDF). 2 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Formula Regional Americas - Past Events". Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "2022 FRA & F4US Rd 10/11/12 NJMP Thunderbolt w/ Chicane 2.250 miles FRA Round 10 Race Result" (PDF). 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "2022 FRA & F4US Rd 10/11/12 NJMP Thunderbolt w/ Chicane 2.250 miles F4 US Round 11 Race Result" (PDF). 31 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Results | MotoAmerica Registration".