New York Drag Strips

[Paul Ceasrine]

Oniontown Area,

That's just a myth.

It's a small Hamlet that is just south of Dover Plains, where it's mostly
'Locals' that have lived in the area forever.

A small enclave of small homes.

Same thing with the neighborhood on the right side of Route 22, just past Pleasant Ridge Road.

Mostly 'cottages' that have been converted to year-round homes.

Everybody forgets that Dover Dragstrip was actually located in Wingdale, which is south of Dover Plains.

That area has been 'depressed', since Dover Drag Strip closed and the State Hospital shut down.

[ss wannabee]

Fantastic piece of work, Paul! Don't know where you got all that info on some not so well-known venues?

But New York State is pretty big...and it goes to show that drag racing was catching on
like wild-fire back in the "glory" days...tracks being built all over the place...and commun-
ities WANTING them...

A bit different TODAY...eh?

Wondering if you got a bit more info on Tri-Cities...and the Mill-Ray track...never heard of that one?

Perhaps a photo or an ad from those places...maybe North Hudson?
Thanks again!

[Ed Fernandez]

Paul,you forgot Connecting Highway.Drew crowds from everywhere,some good payouts and non stop till the men in blue turned on the fire hydrants.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Tri-Cities Drag-Way
Route 17-C
Endicott, New York

Tri-Cities Airport ( Endicott-Johnson City- Binghamton ) - { Broome County, New York }

Track.....3500' x 100' Asphalt-Paved

Lighted Runway with Overhead Spot-Lights

* Race Days.... Saturdays { May thru October }... { 1961 thru 1966 }
* In 1967............Race Events cut back to { 4 per Year }...{ 1967 thru 1970 }
* In 1970........... The Airport was re-paved, and the U.S. Federal Government eliminated the use of the 'Strip' for Drag Racing.

NHRA sanctioned.

1/4 Mile

Good Car Counts......225 to 250

Track History.....1961 thru 1970

Attracted Racers from
South Central New York
North East Pennsylvania
North West New Jersey



General History

[IMG]http://api.ning.com/files/1wg91ks7HWT1Xo2etiDl01KkQ9vVat3jMs0xysk*fSXCnEg25E JnnnkGwpFBy*HVj49BSZXnY0LDbSOysAOKqgjEcroO*fE3/HistoryofTriCityDragway002.jpg?width=410&height=60 0[/IMG]

[Paul Ceasrine]

Tri-Cities

Endicott - Johnson City - Binghamton
Broome County, New York

South Central Region of New York

15 Miles North of the Northeast Pennsylvania border.

Attracted Racers from;
* Endicott - Johnson City - Binghamton
* Elmira...............................{40 Miles West}
* Ithaca...............................{40 Miles Northwest}
* Cortland...........................{40 Miles North}
* Oneonta...........................{60 Miles Northeast}
* Middletown.......................{120 Miles East}
* Schenectady....................{125 Miles Northeast}
* Scranton, Pa....................{60 Miles South}
* Northwest New Jersey....{125 Miles Southeast}

* Also from the Southeastern New York Region
(Delaware County, Orange County, Ulster County, Sullivan County)

[ss wannabee]

Thanks again, Paul!

Now...I've got to ask the question....

Just how many of these tracks have you been to...while they were up and running?

You give me the impression of having BEEN THERE!!!

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mr. SS,

My father ran his 'black-and-white' 1956 Ford Victoria (with the 'Thunderbird' 312/215 HP engine) at
* Montgomery Airport-Dragstrip in 1959 and 1960.

He lived in Mount Kisco, NY - which was only about '1-Hour and 15-Minutes' away from Montgomery, NY.

1959 and 1960 = Classed in......B/Stock {15.00 to 16.99 Wt/Hp}......and blazing the 'quarter-mile' with 16.00's

Me personally, I was at the following New York Dragstrips -
* Dover Drag Strip
* Lebanon Valley Dragway
* South Glens Falls Dragway
* Tri-Cities Drag-Way
* Utica-Rome Drag-Way
* New York National Speedway
* Islip Speedway Dragstrip
* Westhampton Dragstrip

Some information on Mil-Ray Speedway

* Stock Car Racing....(Friday Nights)
* Drag Racing.............(Sunday)

[Casey Miles]

Paul, good work on the research. When I was around 12, I went to Roosevelt horse track off Old Country rd. in Westbury N.Y.. They set up an 1/8 mile dragstrip in the parking lot, I can remember the Pacers racing there. One day there was a 1962 Ram Charger that showed up with an automatic in it. It put all the 421 Pontiac, 4 speed's to shame.
I think that the year was 1962 that they had the race track set up.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock!

[Paul Ceasrine]

Casey,,,,,,,,,Thanks

Pacer's Automotive started out in Valley Stream,

And were frequent visitors to Montgomery Airport-Dragstrip.

Roosevelt Racetrack (Horses), had a nice open parking area.

Pacers Auto Club also ran some 'races' at the Deer Park Airstrip in Bay Shore, Long Island -
just across the the border of Nassua County and into Western Suffolk County.

That Airstrip laid a 2200' Foot Paved Runway in 1958, and was a 'nice run'.

Later (1962) had their shop at;
3391 Lawson Boulevard, Oceanside (Nassau County) in 1962.

They were a pretty sharp crew.

Did all those Performance Tests for 'CARS Magazine.

[Jimbo17]

Paul the very first speed shop I ever went to was in Mount Kisco, New York.

It was a Strauss Auto Store that also sold speed parts.

I needed motor mounts to install a 282 in a 1951 Chevy I was building at the time. I think I was about 15 years old at the time.

It would have been around 1963 or 1964 when that store was there.

Jimbo