If You Could Race At 1 Historic Closed Track?

[Dwight Southerland]

How about this bit of history :http://www.lakelandraceway.com/

Vaca Valley Raceway, Vaca Ville Ca. I have some really good memories of that place. Jim McCombe was with Bill Taggert Sr. RIP Bill.

[Paul Precht]

Originally Posted by Ed Fernandez

Paul,do you remember the stories about the evil "Red light button"?

Yes Ed, that and much more. Back in 74 I would run Bracket1 with my Sport Fury on Tuesday nights so I could dial 12.00 since I didn't have a roll bar in the car to run Pro. The car flat out would run 11.90 ish but more than once I got a time slip in the 9.90 range saying I broke out and would have to fight with Ed for a half hour to get reinstated. He finally got tired of me being on to his evil ways and banned me for life. Ken Bowers was in the tower one night and saw the high school girls running the clocks shut them down while the last round of pro was still mid track. He complained and they told him they could see who was the winner, that explained the many time slips that would say win or loose but have no time on them. I could go on for quite a while but I'll just say, what a waste of a great track.

[Bret Kepner]

Originally Posted by Casey Miles

OK Bret, what track was built for dragracing that wasn't a converted airport before West Hampton Dragway? West Hamton, I believe was built somewhere around 1953

At last count, almost two dozen of 'em beginning in '51.

[Casey Miles]

Bret: I wasn't saying that it was the first dragstrip in the country, but the first "purpose" built dragstrip, not a converted airport or roadway.
Casey Miles
248H Stock?

[Carl Juliano]

I really wish I could have raced at N.Y. National Speedway. It closed when I was 13. I spent my childhood at that track watching dad race. I started driving at Westhampton Dragway. The two tracks were like 15-20min apart, and if you lost 1st rnd at National, you could hook up and go to Westhampton and get in to make 1st rnd over there!. I miss those days.

[Casey Miles]

Carl: Everyone I know who raced on Long Island is missing West Hampton, grudge races where the best there with more money changing hands then at a NHRA national event. You could always count on having someone wanting to race anyone for the right amount of money or just go up to the stands and bet with the crowd. I personally wasn't a big fan of National Speedway, but I still miss it just the same.
Casey Miles
248H Stock?

[Bret Kepner]

Originally Posted by Casey Miles

Bret: I wasn't saying that it was the first dragstrip in the country, but the first "purpose" built dragstrip, not a converted airport or roadway.

I understand, Casey. There were plenty of 'em prior to Westhampton, though. As some folks know, I've spent decades researching and verifying this stuff and I meant no personal affront. Most of the facts have become myth by lack of verification; there are about eight tracks which claim to be the first purpose-built facility and all of 'em are incorrect. You'd be stunned how many tracks, specific and airfield on either side of the Mississippi, were in operation between '50 and '53.

[Casey Miles]

Bret: I understand what you are saying, I'm sure there are other dragstrips built around that time and there was no internet at that time to say who built the first one. But here is my beef with the owners of West Hampton raceway, they could have declared it a historic site before allowing the politicians to close it up. It closed do to noise ordinance laws that a lawn mower couldn't pass. The time frame that they had to race in was 10 am to 6pm, after 6 pm they got ticketed for noise. I'm sure that that is one of the reasons that the track closed because it couldn't make enough revenue in that short amount of time. Long Islander's didn't know what they lost until it was gone.

PS. How is your blood work?
Casey Miles
248H Stock?

[Ed Fernandez]

Brett, the first drag strip was probably the Appian Way.