RICHARD NAPP
In Memoriam

By Bob Doerrer

Richard Napp (Napoliello) 63, one of the original founding fathers of Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ, passed away December 27 after a long bout with cancer.

Richard, along with his father Vincent, Sr., uncle Louis and brother Vincent, Jr. (Vinnie) purchased a 322-acre farm in rural central New Jersey in 1963 and transformed it into the premier dragstrip on the east coast. Opened in 1965, the facility quickly grew in popularity with both fans and racers alike as the Napp family continuously made improvements which the caught the attention of the NHRA, who awarded the Napps their first national event in 1968, the SpringNationals.

After the resounding success of that race, the NHRA decided that they needed to be in the New York market and the Inaugural Summernationals was added to the NHRA schedule in 1971. The Summernationals immediately became a resounding success, drawing (and still drawing) some of the largest crowds on the NHRA circuit.

Richard was the last of the founders. Vincent, Sr. and Uncle "Lou" both passed away in the 80s and Vinnie passed away just over a year ago.

While Vince, Sr. and Uncle Lou ran the business part of the track, Richard oversaw the maintenance and upgrading of the track while Vinnie took on the job of promoter, and this combination worked to build the first "SuperTrack" on the east coast.

After Vince, Sr. and Uncle Lou died, Richard and Vincent brought their sons into the business and the facility grew, adding a Motocross track, airport, an eighth-mile drag strip alongside the quarter-mile track and, new for 2002, a road-course.

Richard's sons Richie, Michael and Jimmie, along with Vinnie's sons, Alex and David, have been running the track for the past few years and will be the third generation of Napps to operate the facility.