Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York

[blackjackracing]

I've got a question...can anyone enlighten me on the differances between the "A" and "B" cars (besides the fact it was twice as much $ for the "A")...

[kenny5861]

I think the A cars were V8's (flatheads maybe) and the B cars were straight 6's. Not sure if any other differences, I was just kid at the time.

[kenny5861]

At Chemung they had the A cars and  B cars during the 1950's. At some point they dropped the A cars, moving the B cars to their top class and adding the moderns as a second division. The B cars then began evolving into the bugs in the early 1960's.

[Beenthere]

Yup. Kenny is right. "A cars" were V-8s and "B Cars" were sixes.

[paperboy]

The Bug type modifieds raced at Ithaca-Dryden speedway in the early 60's, when I first went there as a kid.  Eventually, they switched to Late models (V8 overheads) and Moderns  Flatheads, sixes and straight eights)  as their regular classes. 
During my tenure as an Area Auto Racing News columnist,  I gathered a lot of information and wrote a historical piece about the track.  If it is of any interest to you Blackjack,  I can e-mail you a copy of the transcript, as I still have it. 
I wrote it back in 1997, and the accuracy is as good as the memories of the people who provided the information.

[blackjackracing]

I'd love to see it..My e-mail is   blackjackracin21@aol   looking forward to seeing it....I found an interesting bit of history the other day. I had seen in various lists that there was racing in Elmira in The 1910's. Info was very vauge, but I do recall seeing somewhere that they had raced at The Elmira Driving Park which I have learned is old school terminology for a horse track. It was a mile dirt oval and once again it is sketchy as to where it was....anyway, while looking for something entirely differant I found referance to it in a list of venues for the 1916 AAA racing schedule. It listed it as such    AAA Automobile Contest...Elmira, N.Y.   1916   one mile track  Elmira Automobile-Motorcycle-Bicycle Racing Assn.    I'll be checking into that one a little closer.

[blackjackracing]

I was told by someone today that when Glider City ran they had a "shootout" between local hot shoe Jackie Soper in the McClure Ford and Pennsy invader Hal Hoose in a Chevy. (Hoose died later in the year in a racing accident) Anyone have any recollections ...this picture of Jackie Soper is from the Elmira Star-Gazette, Sept 5, 1958 

[Beenthere]

I was never at Glider City, but that race you mentioned would have been a real switcheroo as Hoose normally drove the McClure Ford. I believe he was in it at Port Royal(?) when he was killed.
But in those days, promoters ran every sort of race they could imagine.
I remember a big special match race at the old VFW in Towanda between Soper, Harry Benjamin, Brian Osgood, and I think Vern Coyle ... if memory serves me right.
Soper was making a sort of guest appearance that night, driving the "00," a 5-window 32 Ford I think, that had been brought up from the Carolinas where it had won many features.
My memory may suck, but I think one of the four cars in the race went off the turn between 1&2 when the steering wheel came off in the driver's hand, hitting an apple tree hard enough to shake the apples out.
Coyle ended up going end-over-end between 3&4.
At least that's the way I remember it.

[racenut1]

lol,,gee larry 756,,you must be as old as doty hill

[blackjackracing]

Hey Beenthere...Your story made me laugh...The person that told me the story was someone who had been talking to his father and it was third hand by the time I typed it, so I have no doubt you  are correct on who was in which car...the articles from the Elmira Star Gazette had mentioned a few times that they had benefits for Mr. Hoose one of them being at Port Royal...I'm kind of envious of you. From what I'm learning it must of been an amazing time to go to the races...Do you by any chance remember there being a track in Elmira? (besides Glider City that is)

Someone related a story to me today about the Southport speed plant...When they were a kids they would race their bicycles around the abandoned track. He said this would have been around 1969 and by then it had become overgrown and trees had taken root. he told me it lays right underneath the prison as it was closer to the hills than the river...I'm taking an aerial picture to him so it will be pinpointed soon.....

[blackjackracing]

Another of Bob Fullers articles from The Aug. 3, 1958 edition of the Elmira Star-Gazette...enjoy

  " With the Stock Cars'...Bob Fuller
Soper,Buchanan, Rienners Lead.

   The top point man in the modified class at Chemung Speedrome and at Glider City Sports Arena is Jack Soper...Al Brown received a fractured jawbone in the feature race at the

VFW Speedway in Towanda. Al spent two days in Sayre Hospital but is home now feeling normal. Stock Car drivers never die, they just break away.
   Jack Markos, promoter at Chemung Speedrome, reports that the fans are participating strongly in the "So You Want To Drive A Stock Car" idea...Since the Modern Model Class

was introduced at Glider City  auto dealers claim the older cars are selling like mad. Last week 24 started the feature. Howard Tidd is back from the hospital and will spend five weeks

conditioning for a major operation.
   Towanda VFW  Speedway now guarentees a $300 purse. Top point man there is Bucky Buchanan...Top point man at Dundee is Glen Reinners...Pete Shaffer took his first feature

in Ernie June's old car. Welcome back , Pete...Pete Marrone is the oldest driver in the area...Talented new drivers: Bryan Osgood, Mel Alexander, John Mace, Lee Whipple.
MEET Cliff Pierce...
   A veteran stock car driver who started in Corning in 1950. He has been a top driver in Wellsville, Naples, Owego, Ovid, Doty Hill, Troy, Big Flats, Chemung, Elmira, Glen Aubrey

and Towanda. At the present time is top point man at the Glider City Sports Arena and the Chemung Speedrome in the Class B or Sportsman. Cliff pilots car no. 9 owned by the Osgood

brothers of Elmira.
   Cliff receives one-third of whatever the car earns and from the way it looks, this will be a profitable year. he is considered to be a quiet, easy- going, well liked driver. he takes life

calm and cool, perhaps this has something to do with his careful style of driving. Cliff is thirtythree years of age, happily married and steadily employed at the American LaFrance as a

painter on the night shift.
   His wife "Ruth" rarely ever misses a race and is Cliff's biggest "rooter". On being asked how it feels to have a stock car driver as a husband, Ruth stated "We both enjoy the

races. It has become part of our lives". "Cliff is happiest when driving and  would drive every day of the week if there were that many tracks running locally. We realize the the possible and

hidden dangers, but this part we try not to talk about. Bsides, there are many things in life more dangerous than driving on a race track. For instance, driving on our highways."

[railbird steve]

hey,blackjack; do you have any old woodhull news(65-80)-that you can post?-some fotos would be cool too!! 

[luvsracin]

Oh how i remember these times of race cars and the many tracks having races. Hal Hoose was a very good friend of my father and my Uncles were Fred Brink who raced for Ernie June at that time, Chet Bennett and Howard Randall. I remember being so excited to watch these and all the great drivers of my youth. I remember most but not all the racetracks at this time because I'm not quite as old as Larry 756 but have many great memories. These were great years because of how many tracks and cars their were at this time.  jmo

[blackjackracing]

Hi Railbird Steve...I don't, but Steve Kellogg and Morgan colgrove do...maybe we could persuade them to share a little bit on here (wink wink)...

[Larry756]

Hey Luvsracing, never mind how old I am.  HA !!!  HA !!! HA !!!
I believe you might know Bob Johnson, he lives near you.
Do you have any old racing photos laying around?
I know little Chet may have some.