Utica Rome Speedway

KEN BUGAJ · 02-23-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rich freitag

I raced there in the early 70's untill it closed. I ran my 69 AMX 390 ,4speed ,posi.,Back then I drove my car about 40 miles ,raced it and drove home hoping nothing broke. We all ran class,stock/super stock, gas ,modified production,etc. Many ,well wait.. all.. no lets just say we were are all FAMOUS ! Come on guys, give yourselves a pat on your back. It won't cost you anything, it's cheap. Lets see , cheap is $5 to get in and $1 to race. That is what it cost at Utica Rome. Lets take a walk in the pits,over here is BOB HERTLINE"s SS/HA Camaro,there was BILL RUSSELL"s Chevy wagon the MAGIC BUS, ROGER FORBE's SS Matchmaker Camaro, the Blue VENOM Camaro, CHARLENE WOOD's "Tons of Fun" Pontiac Wagon, RALPH CONTE & HERM SCHREMER 'S Mighty MOPARS and so many more. Moving on , the Modifieds... MOE HALE's "Hangman" 55 Chevy, RICHIE FORBE's "Kong" Camaro, CURT LaSHURE's Opel, GORDY HMIEL's Pinto, PETE DeSALVO's Mustang II, and BOB NEWBERRY's Vette. All these cars are making me hungry, which brings me to their famous hotdogs...First off they were Hoffman, 10" long in a 5" bun. Best dogs ever... Also, I'll never forget when DON GARTLITS and SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY did a match race there. There were also other now famous people who ran there. I still have my AMX, my trophies, many, many pictures from Utica-Rome, ESTA and Fulton, and best of all , my memories...

Super Hugger
Foxy Lady
Flash Back
Conklin/Conklin
Mr. Z
Pied Pipper
Joe Kinney
Bill Plage
Bob Humphrey
We had a blast there,
Double points/double money nights were packed,
New Jersey Boys came up
Peter's Cheater/ Pete Fedun
Wally Clark
Pete Z
Hart/Todd (prospector)
Baker/Evans
Stormalong
We would start at Utica Rome then head out to Esta for Sunday....

Ryck Campbell · 02-23-2009, 12:44 PM

Ah, those WERE the days, weren't they Kenny?

RC

KEN BUGAJ · 02-23-2009, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryck Campbell

Ah, those WERE the days, weren't they Kenny?

RC

Hey Ryck, Yes they were !
Hope all is well with you.
If anyone has any picture's I sure would like to see them.
Like the night the Jet Car blew the popcorn stand over. lol

philip a harnden · 02-23-2009, 03:50 PM

I RACED THERE ONLY COUPLE TIMES, I REMEMBER THAT YOU COULD NOT DO STATIONARY BURN OUT YOU HAD TO KEEP MOVING. WAS THAT ESTA OR UTICA ROME????

HI, R.C. & KEN "b"

PHIL HARNDEN
SS/IA 1474

Ryck Campbell · 02-23-2009, 10:10 PM

Ken, you had to mention that popcorn stand. That brings back both good and bad memories. Remember, my ex was the starter back then. BTW, that's a bad memory; the ex that is, not the popcorn stand.

RC

Brien Radley · 02-24-2009, 09:44 AM

I still have pictures of Big Daddy and Shirley in the pits at Utica- Rome. What a place! I used to haul my 70 Cuda on a 1967 International flatbed truck over there on Saturdays and then to ESTA on Sundays. Wasn`t that long ago, was it?

Brien Radley

Stockerstang · 02-24-2009, 06:33 PM

Glad I posted this message... Rich, good to see you,I raced the Blue mustang at ESTA, remember? going to get that Super Stocker going this year? Send me a PM and we'll get together to look at those photo from Utica rome. I was a kid, around 13, 14 when the Jet car blew over the pop corn stand.. was a great night. Remember the car called Home Brew?, how about Rumble guts...anyone remember that car? Also a guy named Lynn Morton was a starter there I believe. I think he has many photos of the place.

Richard Todd · 02-24-2009, 09:44 PM

Kenny, RC ..I learned how to race at UR in the mid 60's in my 60 Chevy and can remember the the driving lesson I got racing my first tree. As with everything it took a while to catch on. In 68 I actually managed to win a couple of jr. stock elim. before going to my 340 Mopars. It was 72 when I teamed up with Al Hart and 73 when I took over driving the black CJ Mustang. I had never even owned a 4 speed car before let alone race one so the learning curve continued. First in SS and then back to stock in 74 till old UR's demise in 79 at the hands of the new owners. I had a big MPH advantage on all the competition till Kenny showed up with that damn TriPower Corvette which instantally erased my top end advantage. We sure had a lot good tough races, good memories and old frendships. RC, I remember your ex on the starting line without bad memories...maybe because I never got to know her. Rich

Don Jr. · 02-25-2018, 09:56 PM

Hi New to the forum. Does anybody remember Ray Persons drag racing at Utica Rome, ESTA and Fonda .Looking for information on him. He would often travel with Shirley Muldowney back then. He raced mid 1950's thru the 60'sand possibly the 1970's. He was from Amsterdam NY area. Drag raced multiple cars and rails.Thanks for any help on this. I own his 1961 Corvette he drag raced back then.

vinny madonia · 12-02-2010, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KEN BUGAJ

Super Hugger
Foxy Lady
Flash Back
Conklin/Conklin
Mr. Z
Pied Pipper
Joe Kinney
Bill Plage
Bob Humphrey
We had a blast there,
Double points/double money nights were packed,
New Jersey Boys came up
Peter's Cheater/ Pete Fedun
Wally Clark
Pete Z
Hart/Todd (prospector)
Baker/Evans
Stormalong
We would start at Utica Rome then head out to Esta for Sunday....

How about black belt the blue gtx. i have old pics of that car

02-23-2009, 12:44 PM	#2
Ryck Campbell Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Rome, NY Posts: 56 Likes: 176 Liked 46 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway Ah, those WERE the days, weren't they Kenny? RC __________________ Ryck Campbell NHRA Technical Specialist

02-23-2009, 03:50 PM	#4
philip a harnden Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: spencerport new york Posts: 71 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway I RACED THERE ONLY COUPLE TIMES, I REMEMBER THAT YOU COULD NOT DO STATIONARY BURN OUT YOU HAD TO KEEP MOVING. WAS THAT ESTA OR UTICA ROME???? HI, R.C. & KEN "b" PHIL HARNDEN SS/IA 1474

02-23-2009, 10:10 PM	#5
Ryck Campbell Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Rome, NY Posts: 56 Likes: 176 Liked 46 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway Ken, you had to mention that popcorn stand. That brings back both good and bad memories. Remember, my ex was the starter back then. BTW, that's a bad memory; the ex that is, not the popcorn stand. RC __________________ Ryck Campbell NHRA Technical Specialist

02-24-2009, 09:44 AM	#6
Brien Radley Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 57 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway I still have pictures of Big Daddy and Shirley in the pits at Utica- Rome. What a place! I used to haul my 70 Cuda on a 1967 International flatbed truck over there on Saturdays and then to ESTA on Sundays. Wasn`t that long ago, was it? Brien Radley

02-24-2009, 06:33 PM	#7
Stockerstang Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 210 Likes: 0 Liked 20 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway Glad I posted this message... Rich, good to see you,I raced the Blue mustang at ESTA, remember? going to get that Super Stocker going this year? Send me a PM and we'll get together to look at those photo from Utica rome. I was a kid, around 13, 14 when the Jet car blew over the pop corn stand.. was a great night. Remember the car called Home Brew?, how about Rumble guts...anyone remember that car? Also a guy named Lynn Morton was a starter there I believe. I think he has many photos of the place.

02-24-2009, 09:44 PM	#8
Richard Todd Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cobleskill, NY Posts: 1 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway Kenny, RC ..I learned how to race at UR in the mid 60's in my 60 Chevy and can remember the the driving lesson I got racing my first tree. As with everything it took a while to catch on. In 68 I actually managed to win a couple of jr. stock elim. before going to my 340 Mopars. It was 72 when I teamed up with Al Hart and 73 when I took over driving the black CJ Mustang. I had never even owned a 4 speed car before let alone race one so the learning curve continued. First in SS and then back to stock in 74 till old UR's demise in 79 at the hands of the new owners. I had a big MPH advantage on all the competition till Kenny showed up with that damn TriPower Corvette which instantally erased my top end advantage. We sure had a lot good tough races, good memories and old frendships. RC, I remember your ex on the starting line without bad memories...maybe because I never got to know her. Rich

02-25-2018, 09:56 PM	#9
Don Jr. Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 2 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Utica Rome Speedway Hi New to the forum. Does anybody remember Ray Persons drag racing at Utica Rome, ESTA and Fonda .Looking for information on him. He would often travel with Shirley Muldowney back then. He raced mid 1950's thru the 60'sand possibly the 1970's. He was from Amsterdam NY area. Drag raced multiple cars and rails.Thanks for any help on this. I own his 1961 Corvette he drag raced back then.