Friday night back in 1969. My 65 Fuelie vette was ready for another night of racing at Islip Speedway on Long Island. You see Islip was an 1/8 mile drag strip and close to home. My car, started as a 327/300 but I saved some money and convinced mom for my birthday to loan me enough money to buy a 327/365 short block ($800 back then). My buddy sold me his fuelie unit and heads , and before you knew it I had my 327/375 motor. Two hundred dollars later I had a 538 rear. A pair of 10inch slicks and a wide ratio Muncie (left over from my 300hp) I was ready to go. So my first time trial netted me a 8.3 run not bad for a C/sp class vette. I thought I could do better if I launched higher. Lets try 6,000 rpm. Wow, 8.01. Now I am really ready to get it on. So after knocking off a few other vettes, it came time for the trophy run. Now I have to tell you that earlier in the night a new 69 427/390 showed up on a trailer, all lettered up from a Queens speed shop. How in the hell did a 427/390 end up in my class. Well that's what they considered it. So here we go, show time. I knew with my gears and tiers no one would get me off the line. We pulled up to the tree, I remember raising the rpms to 6,500. The light turned green and bam I was out like a rocket. I mean I went trough 1st and 2nd in ten feet. He was 2 or 3 cars behind and I could only hope to get to the finish before that big 427 would start hauling. Hit 3rd and 4th and we were so close at the finish I had to see whose lane light was on. Should I continue??????

 

"Should I continue??????"

Yes please do

Hammadown

 

you hooked me with your nice narration...
And the Rest of the Story - ???

 

he's gone

 

Well, like I said the race was so close even I didn't know who won. Looked in my mirror ans saw that my lane was lit. Wow, what a race . When I got to the time keeper he handed me an 8.01 time slip. That's it I am in heaven. Came back to the pits and all of my friends were jumping and shouting at what a great race it was. The owner of the speed shop came over to me and said he would like to see me here Sat. for a rematch. Sure , lets do it. Sat came and we met again in the trophy run. Yeah, I thought lets use the line lock that I had and fool around creeping up to the line you know like the funny cars did. We staged, brought the revs to 6500 rpm and bam out like a shot. Ran thru all four gears in what seemed like 6 feet. He came buy me like an express train running late, but not before I got to the finish line first. I was so excited I almost hit the fence at the end of the track. Went to the time keeper who handed me the golden slip of my drag racing career, 7.93. I had the slip for so long that the ink faded to just a blank piece of paper, similar to what you get at the pump these days. Anyway, back in the pits after some celebrating with some suds the speed shop fellas came over to me. I had the hood up and they all looked in the engine compartment and saw the little mall block, and said " you mean to tell me we got beat twice buy a small block" Yep that's all I could say. Now in closing we never met again and I was told later that the 69 vette you raced. To be cont. no more room

 

I would imagine a different story with a normal 1/4 mile strip. 1/8 are for SBs.

 

Islip Speedway is just a sign on the side of the road now, telling you what was once there.

It's a shame that Long Island has no tracks and they won't let them build any. The last track, Island closed up around 2005. There are so many people out here that would use it. The stupid politicians don't seem to realize how much revenue one would bring in and jobs it would create. They have the old Grumman air field that is ready made for one and they won't sell a small piece of it to create a track.

 

Moved out of Long Island in 85. I agree that is a real shame that we cannot bring back the glory years. The island had Islip Speedway, West Hampton dragway, and of course National Speedway. That would be a perfect local. Grumman is huge. Hope you enjoyed my story. I guess I should finish it, or not.

 

So, let me close by saying my friends told me that the 69 vette you ran twice early in the season was now running in the mid 7's. To fast for me. You know even back then I knew that the 69 vette was faster and that I could never keep up with that big block, but on a certain weekend back when, on a small track the Friday Night Lights shined ever so bright on me and my fuelie. Thanks allot for reading. Oh by the way you were absolutely right with big blocks and the 1/4 mile tracks. Luckily for some reason they were not in my class. Don't know why but that's another story. I'll be back with that one. See ya

 

Yep, a very sad thing. For us, the dirt was worth more than the track! Our 1/4 mile track, Los Angeles County Raceway or LACR, in Los Angeles County, was the last independent operating track in the County (besides the occasional NHRA events at the LA County Fairgrounds).

It was always surrounded by gravel pits, but when the next wave of new home sales started, and the gravel pits expanded, they ended the lease on the property and it's now a big, deep hole. Other tracks have been shut down, because of encroaching home development and the ensuing complaints over noise (I call this the 'Cry Baby' effect, an example is the idiots who move near an airport and complain about the aircraft noise...).

 

Exactly!

 

I remember listening to WABC radio (remember cousin Brucie) and the commercial would start out with some guy yelling "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY at National Speedway" and then they would go on to tell you who the featured racers would be.
Also another place they used to advertise was Raceway Park, was that where Englishtown raceway was?(I forget).
Nice stories, hope you can tell us more about your racing adventures.
Have you ever tried to track down any of those cars to see if there still around?

Regards
Roy

 

Thanks Roy for reading my story. I think Englishtown was in NJ but not sure either. I am running another story called The Frantic Fuelie where I try the National Speedway 1/4 mile track with my friends. I have not been back to LI in 10 years but will soon return and try to track down some old friends and their cars. Check out The Frantic Fuelie

 

....nice story

 

Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ. Great story!

 

Raceway Park is still alive and well in Englishtown NJ.

 

Fun read. Great memories. Some of us were lucky to survive the times.

Yes, keep any stories coming. Have been thinking of developing some of my own but until then, I can re-live through yours.

 

Great Story..... I use to work summers at Islip Speedway in the Concession stands back in the mid-seventies when what was left was just the circle track.... I remember the Wide World of Sports Televised the World Championship Demolition Derby and Figure 8s at the time. We served plenty of nice cold beer within the Pits... Always great fist fights at the end of the night..... Good memories!

I was out to L.I. in the summer.... sad, that there are no tracks left!

 

The next story is my adventures one weekend at National Speedway.
Everyone check it out. Thanks for the kind words. "The Frantic Fuelie"

 

The next story is my adventures one weekend at National Speedway.
Everyone check it out. "The Frantic Fuelie" Thanks for the kind words