Islip Speedway was Long Islands 1/8 mile drag strip from 1961 until 1972. But Islip was around much longer then that, built on the Islip Airport site in 1947 it's 2/10 mile 18 degree banked oval lasted until 1984. It was the home of the first demo race, the first figure 8 race and the NASCAR great's even raced there until the "Modern Era". - - Way back when - - - - - Islip Speedway today - - - - Back in the fifties and sixties you could go to the races practically every night! The drags were Friday at Islip and Sunday at Hampton or National. - - - - - - - - Johnny Rocco was a racer and long time Flagman - - - - - Steve Park got his start at Islip - - - - The drag strip ran from the back edge of the property down between the concession stands and the oval track. There were no concessions at the drags! The 1/8 ended at the oval racers pit entrance and the shut down area ran out into the dirt parking lot. - - - - - Tommy Ivo in the pits and coming between the stands and concessions. - - - - - The starting line - - - - - - -
This was originally West Hampton Drag Strip - then changed to Hampton Auto Raceway Inc., in the early eighties - then Suffolk County Raceway - then in the nineties to Long Island Dragway until their close in the early 2000s. - - -
In the sixties there were 3 drag strips on Long Island, the oldest, West Hampton opened in 1953 and closed in 2003. Islip an 1/8 mile track was around from 1961 - 1972. Both were great tracks, Hampton was always my favorite, but the track with the most hype and hoopla was New York National Speedway. It hosted the National Events, drew all the biggest names, heck they used to run cars 4 wide in the lower classes! National Speedway is long gone, racing from March of '66 until October of 1980. An Active Adult Community now resides where the strip once was. - - - - - The circled area was the staging and starting lanes. The track ran south to north. - - - This is how the staging / starting lanes look today. - - - - - - - - This is the strip!! - - - - This is how it used to look - Every weekend!! - - - - - - - - - Like I said, all the biggest names! - - - - - -
Steve, Jake is still around, a friend of mine saw him at the mall recently and Bill Wilcom is also doing much better since his illness. I hear the deal fell thru on the track purchase so maybe Rhonda will start the place back up, I'd go back in a heartbeat, even tho now I live 15 min. from MIR! Dave
This is a strip that opperated in the sixties. I think you will enjoy the website that has been set up. http://doublehdragstrip.com/ghoststrip/
Here's a thread on forgotten/abandoned strips I started on another site: http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/sho...30&Words=strips&topic=&Search=true#Post345379
That's great news....I've missed that place since it closed in '05. -Lee Atomic Radio www.atomicpinup.com
Fontana Drag City, from when it was still in operation. I use to run my 1941 Willys Pickup there all the time. Great fun in those days. NOTICE THE SIGN TO THE LEFT ON THE POLE J&M SPEED CENTER, Riverside, CA. Store is still open!!!!!
Here's a photo of Fresno Dragways I borrowed from the We Did It For Love website (a must check out site) taken in 1963
This is the best thread I have seen on here in weeks!!!!!!!!!! I get all sentimental when I look at all these great pictures,and i wasnt even there I was not born yet or to young. It is just such a damn shame that these properties are just sitting here on some of these cases.I cant even begin to imagine if i was around when lions was open.... Drags every weekend ??????!!!!!!!!! I would be there forsure passing out from all the nitro I would be breathing.The closest I ever got to that was the brotherhood raceway (terminal island) in the mid 90's. I know terminal was no lions by any means but I was there racing almost every weekend, I was 16 in my 67 chevelle and I was having a blast.Of coarse I didnt have the money to make my car as fast as I wanted but I did the best I could with what I had and thanks to that dragstrip the disease of speed is in my blood and its never leaving.That track was a blast and it layed a great foundation for me.
Fantastic thread - I hate to see what has happened to some of your strips but then again, what EVER stays the same anymore? Jeffsled makes a good point - how do the young get bitten by this bug anymore? Sure they do, but in a very different way. Once thing is for sure - we will NEVER again see those times replicated.....make me sad and angry at the same time. Rat
My god!!! Now that takes my breath away. I would love to make a pass on that!! No damn guard rails to run into. Beautyful, suprised to see not a single black track.
If you've never seen two fuel altereds smoke their tires the entire quarter mile, never seen a couple of wheelstanders perform before the First Rounds start, never seen 32 funny cars line up, 16 per side with their bodies up all fired up at the same time as a tribute to the fans. and never seen the spectacle of the push starts and the crew pulling the cars backwards for the cars to get straightened out..........well, then you never will. Glad I was there, pulling splinters out of my Levis from the crappy wooden bleachers and blowing black snot into a hankerchief after an evening at LIONS all of 20 feet from the starting line. Gassers, A/FX, altereds, FEDs. rosin and fire burnouts, a new copy of Drag News and a hot dog and Coke....ooooo, man, heaven on earth.
You sir, gave me goose bumps. With that statement. I dream everyday that we could see something like that again. I say again, but I was born in 71. So actually I have never seen anything like that , just photos and some short film. I wish I was you, to have seen that in person.
I think the house on the right stops any outlaw activity. The last event held @ Fresno dragways I believe was in '73.
i carry this in my wallet. there are two sections left (about 200 feet long each), buried in the Green Areas between two housing subdivisions
Lost drag strips -- long island /nyc area westhampton 1/4 islip 1/8 montgomery 1/4 dover [wingdale,ny] 1/4 roosevelt [parking lot] 1/8 freedom land[co-op city-bronx] 1/8 n.y. national 1/4
NNDRA P.O. Box 3675 York, Pa 17402 Twenty Bucks York US 30....Great Days Super Show in July..York Fairgrounds Re-LIVE IT !
Tenora Dragaway On North Side of Staples Lake COMSTOCK (Cumberland) Wis. My Dad has a couple of trohies in his garage from there.
Why did Fresno Dragway close? It still looks good in the photos, the "X" on the surface is for planes; means no landing/takeoff. The place looks fairly isolated from what can be seen in the pics. With Cali's need for drag strips, why has'nt a reopening been attempted, or has it? Butch/56sedandelivery.
From what I know and I'm far from being in the loop, a farmer who didn't like the strip to begin with bought the property before the lease was renewed to the promoter in '73. That paticular farmer nolonger owns it but all the open ground has been planted. I guess if some had the money and could pry it from the current owner hands it could be reopened. The strip was ran as a 1/4 mile but was getting short whan it closed. I wish I had the money to investigate the possibilities. Could someone with Google Earth post an photo? The address is 7545 W. Manning Ave. Fresno (Raisin City) CA. Rocky
West Salem Ohios Dragway 42 is still alive and well and host the rockin race every summer. it's a neat old drag strip in north Ohio that in its heyday used to be a stop for the Coca Cola Cavalcade of Stars and the old Stroh's Beer Nationals . i don't know the exact dates for the RocknRace but it is one of the best weekends you will ever spend at a strip .Its a race bands party that a lot of HAMBERS attend. Try Dragway42.com for info,we have to keep these old strips alive.
The Jalopy Journal
