L.I. Needs a Dragstrip!

Seems the grass roots movement out here on Long Island to get a drag strip built is gaining momentum.

http://bangshift.com/bangshift1320/progress-for-a-drag-strip-on-long-island-new-york-seems-like-it/

The article does not state that it's going to happen, just that the people that have been working to make it a possibility are finally getting their voices heard for once and not being told to go home.

I have the sticker on my car. I'm not on Faceplant but they're on there so if you're into the social media thing stop by their page.

There are tons of racers and shops out here, it's a natural fit.

To get a drag strip built in this day and age anywhere would be nothing short of a miracle but especially here where land is so expensive it would be kind of unprecedented.

How great would it be if it happens? Spread the word!

Three dragstrips operating on Long Island during the 60's-70's and 80's. All shut down now on the supposed merits of development.
Well, revenues of course across the board were lost when they closed.
Tax based race businesses left for the south when their land taxes escalated and the base camp racers stopped racing because of two much costs in traveling over a hundred miles to the nearest (Hurry up and wait) strip in New Jersey.

Local Hotel, gasoline, service businesses, and restaurant revenues were lost to the nearest state or upstate.

Street racing escalated in and around Long Island and the revenues accounted from law enforcement on street racing never even came close to what was lost in legal race situations.

Lets not have anyone fool anyone that one of the nations top car culture capitals and classic car counts aside from Los Angeles, Tacoma Washington and Detroit, Michigan is a little stretch of land called Long Island, N.Y

There is a natural fit of course, Grumman skunk works has a huge plot of land not undertaking its potential out there. 10 ft deep concrete airstrips are already in place since the 40's. Natural.
Noise pollution would be at a minimum in a vast land plot and not to mention the return of a huge and growing market across all types of motorsports racing.
Natural.
New York city alone could bring in a huge influx of racers.
Natural reaction.
Bring her back!
I can just see the announcements on twitter: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, bring your wheels to the new National Speedway.

I just want our local state of the art track to run with some sort of true t&t and bracket meeting more than once a month

Sorry for the hijack but down here even with a track it is not much better , i feel your pain . Good luck

Tex

I was there in the Suffolk County Legislation Bldg for the press announcement.You even see my mug on channel 2 & 4.They were all there.2,4,7,11,12,55,,,BIG crowd.Biggest step we have made in 13 years!!!
It all over the net too!

I agree you guys need a track desperately, i do occasional deliveries out there for my job and I always see some sort of performance car lurking about, Long Island has always been a hot bed for the car culture not to mention the " island" is home to many NHRA racers both professional and sportsman. Theres a group of guys that make the trec form there to Island Dragway every weekend I give these guys a lot of credit they are true diehard racers. Good Luck to you " Islanders" I really hope it happens for you.

That pain is felt all over. 2 tracks in the entire state of AZ - and none north of Phoenix. I wanna race, it's an overnight every time.

Yes! I really hope something happens with this. I worked for years at speed shops on the island and now as a police officer here and I see so many reasons from both perspectives of why we need this.

Not to mention, it seems like every week I'm seeing another early 20 something year old end up dead from this heroin epidemic. I know it sounds like a stretch, but this hobby really can hook a lot of kids in their high school years and instill in them a passion for something instead of the purposeless boredom that lead many to drugs.

I was able to run my car a handful of times at west Hampton the year before it shut down. I really miss that place. sure, it sucked as a track and the shut down/return road was terrifying but there was nothing cooler than knowing you had a legal place to run your friends when the bench racing got heated. Nobody was breaking any records there, but still sad that it closed down. It was the oldest continuously operating drag track in the country!

You live & work in Suffolk. YOU should start Beat The Heat program pending a track on Long Island.

That would be awesome. I will definitely inquire about it if this track thing works out. there are a ton of big car guys in this department who I'm sure would love to be a part of it as well. I can name about 6 guys working directly around me alone who are big into the drag race scene and build cars. It's great getting to work around a lot of car guys.

Yes, as long as Ed Eaton is not there.

National Speedway circa 1975-6

That 57' was one mean shifting three pedal car.

Still is, charlie runs it a lot at Atco

Obviously not under the B&R logo anymore since they are now gone from his sponsorship, but yes, I've seen it here and there and I'm always in awe of his shifting prowess. One of the greats.

If this track checkmates a reality check within the next 5 years or so, maybe we will see that 57' clanking gears again on the Island.

Here's a pic my friend found on facebook, my car is second from the left, it was taken sometime in early 74. To the right is Joe Scotto's 64 Fury, I bought that aluminum hood in 1980. I spoke with the person who put the pic up and he said he was about 15 and he went to National on a Sunday with his dad and shot some pics. Typically I raced at National on Tuesday nights and Hampton on Saturday and Sundays. The chances of me being at front of staging with Scotto on a Sunday and this kid taking and posting this pic on the internet over 40 years later is one in a billion.

Wow, What a coincidence.
Great connecting of the dots.

Did you run at Islip at all? Supposedly my 63 was a record holder there and I have not been able to find anything.

Wow, looking at that 57 I didn't realize McBetts went back that far LOL

Newsday,our local newspaper.

Why is that????? With so much open FLAT land in AZ it seems like it would be cheap and easy to build them.
What am I missing???

The Camaro i believe is James Antoinette (JA performance).

http://www.coramcivic.org/resources/SUFFOLK+EXAM+FEE+HIKE_020817.pdf

I hung out at Islip in the late 60s, we could take our bikes from West Islip and hang out in the trees behind the starting line, I never raced there but started racing at Hampton in May 71 shortly after getting my license. What kind of engine or class was it raced in. There was a 63 out of CI I think that had a 383 and was called Sad Sack, Bowers may have raced his 63 there but I can't think of any others.

Great news, good to see that things are moving in the right direction.

Naturally this all happens as soon as I decide to move back to CT.

I can't win.

LI Sound ferry?
There's always New England Raceway or Lebanon.

Ferry is expensive and kind of takes forever but if the track ends up way out East it might be a decent alternative.

Either way, it won't be a huge deal to drive down from Stamford on a weekend morning. One hour door to door from Huntington now.

I imagine the F.A.S.T guys from up by Hartford would be down with some regularity and they're North of Stamford by at least an hour.

Same as the crew from the Boogie Down, they're bridging it either way.

I am not sure what class it was raced.The kid I bought it from said when he bought the car he scraped all the stupit stickers off the side glass and rear window

What color was it when you got it and how long ago.

I have it 30 years and it's black.I found some green underneath and in the trunk.It was a big block with a max wedge scoop.