A race track tucked away in a corner of Warren County near Hackettstown, Island Dragway is up and running for its 48th consecutive season.
A dragstrip carved out of lush farming land by Catherine Kowalick and her late husband Edward, Island Dragway first opened its gates in July 1960. It once hosted the cream of NHRA drag racing.
In 1962, “Big Daddy” Don Garlitz posted the first officially recorded 201-plus mph pass at Island.
In those days local tracks like Island throughout the country hosted big events, with only a small number of national events on the schedule.
Over the years the NHRA exploded in popularity and now it’s premier POWERade Drag Racing Series by-passes the local strips.
But Island remains an NHRA-sanctioned track where the American culture’s need for speed is addressed with weekly drag racing.
Speedsters from the area and region bring an assortment of vehicles from street-legal family sedans to high-tech dragsters, funny cars and motorcycles
At Island, there’s even a junior dragster class for youngsters.
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