No person shall operate or conduct any motor vehicle races or exhibitions of motor vehicle driving skill, or any track or other place for the holding of such races or exhibitions, unless a license to operate and conduct the same shall be first obtained from the Department of Law and Public Safety, which license said department may, in its discretion, issue to any applicant therefor upon compliance with the provisions of this act and the rules and regulations issued pursuant thereto, and the payment of a fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) in the manner hereinafter provided.
N.J.S. § 5:7-8