Author Topic: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York  (Read 554114 times)

leftyturner

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #45 on: January 10, 2010, 02:11:49 PM »
Morgan, Are you thinking of the racetrack that was in Roulette, PA which is between Coudersport and Port Allegheny on Rt. 6.


Tangletongue

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #46 on: January 10, 2010, 02:15:38 PM »
Maybe... would the name of the town have been Rew?

bakes

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #47 on: January 10, 2010, 02:25:38 PM »
Stow Flats was located where the Binghamton Plaza is currently located.  My dad "raced" there - as in his grandfather took him out there in a Model T Ford when he was seven and let him go at it.  My grandmother was *furious!* LOL!!!

Has anyone ever heard of a race track located in Doraville, outside of Windsor?  Back in the 1980s when I worked in Windsor someone joked about "going out to the races in Doreeville!"  There was an old clapped out Opel GT bodied Modified by the side of the road on the way out there from Windsor, but my guess is it's long gone.


leftyturner

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #48 on: January 10, 2010, 02:27:51 PM »
No, the town is Roulette. Bradford Speedway is actually in the town of Rew.


blackjackracing

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #49 on: January 10, 2010, 05:35:18 PM »
Awesome stuff....A couple of quick notes. I have been researching the War Memorial Stadium in Corning which ran in 1949-1950...I'll share that when I get more. Can anyone verify that they had to fold because of the cost of replacing fencing. It seems like I saw that somewhere, but I can't find it in my notes.
I was at the library today and I started talking w/ one of the volunteers...she turned out to be Herbie Green's sister Rose. We had an amazing conversation. She shared a story about coming back from Cortland w/ her brother and losing brakes coming down the hill into Ithaca (the old route, not the bypas). Wonderful lady. It was ironic because Larry McCormick had just brought up Herbies name and I had just made a copy of the Cortland ad I will post.
She pointed me in the right direction for Glider City Speedway/Southport Speedway, so I think that is next on the agenda!
Larry McCormick corrected me in regards to racing at Chemung County Fairgrounds. He saidvthey raced midgets there in the 60's/70's....Does anyone have any info on this????
Bye for now...Bob
BOB JOHNSON
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jonesp

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #50 on: January 10, 2010, 06:42:38 PM »
I think there was also a track in Sidney near where the airport is now.


Jay Mooney

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #51 on: January 10, 2010, 08:23:01 PM »
Re: Cortland Fairgrounds Speedway (Cortland Co. Fairgrounds)

I knew that they raced open wheel events like sprint cars and midgets there, but I never knew they raced stock cars.   Doing some research it looks like stock cars were tried in 1950. Stebbins Speedways was Walter C. Stebbins, the promoter who also put on stock car, midget and big car races at Lockport and Honesdale PA, too.

One of the last races run at the Cortland Fairgrounds, before it was torn down, was on July 4, 1953 – a URC sprint car show won by Steve Yannigan.  URC raced that afternoon at Shangri-la then towed up to Cortland for the night race.


Jay Mooney

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #52 on: January 10, 2010, 08:29:27 PM »
I think there was also a track in Sidney near where the airport is now.
I sent an email to the historical society there a few years ago and that’s the reply I got.  That the track was where the airport is today.  Sidney was a ½ mile banked dirt track built in a natural bowl with the spectator bleachers on a knoll overlooking the track. 

Sidney was open from roughly 1946-’53.  Big Cars (sprint cars) were the main attraction in its early years.  URC had two sprint shows there in ’48.  Ottis Stine won both. Stock Cars were tried in 1953 and then it closed.  After it closed, Sidney’s bleachers wound up at Fonda Speedway where they were used for many years.



Larry756

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #53 on: January 10, 2010, 08:43:24 PM »
Hi Bob, I remembered going to Glider City.
At the time I went there I was about 12 to14
years old. If you look across from Tom's Speed
Shop on Cedar St. you will see a dirt road that
goes up and over the dike, that led to the track.
The setting was on logs on the hillside over looking
the track. My cousin was married to Herb's brother
whom passed on. I still run into Herb once and
awhile, he goes to Florida every winter.
Larry C McCormick

In Loving Memory of my son
Matthew C McCormick
(Big Country)
01/16/73 - 12/30/2002


chassis works

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #54 on: January 10, 2010, 08:47:26 PM »
Tangletongue   :)
Lawrenceville race track was right in town on lands across from the current softball field on rt49, they ran sunday afternoons, check with Lew Chilson son of Gordon chilson and founder of chilson motors now named chilson-wilcox. he and don "pockets" howe ran there and corning.  Kizer ran corning for a while in a ole coope


BClapp

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #55 on: January 10, 2010, 09:02:56 PM »
The racetrack in Sidney wasn't actually where the airport is, but rather next door, where Mead is now.  If only I was born about 50 years sooner, that would have been really convenient.  I live about a quarter of a mile from there.
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Tangletongue

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #56 on: January 10, 2010, 09:45:36 PM »
Tangletongue   :)
Lawrenceville race track was right in town on lands across from the current softball field on rt49, they ran sunday afternoons, check with Lew Chilson son of Gordon chilson and founder of chilson motors now named chilson-wilcox. he and don "pockets" howe ran there and corning.  Kizer ran corning for a while in a ole coope

Ok, you got me. As I said, was born in '52, and the group you talk about were active up until maybe '55 or '56. Don Howe was a hot shoe while he was going to Mansfield Teacher's  College and I think Lew's racing career was pretty short lived. As I recall, Gordon was known as "Pappy" or some such nickname, and he was a pretty stand out driver wherever he showed up. Somewhere in my archives I've got a photo of Howe and his two tone coupe. Mixed in with that group of photos is one of Cook's Lawrenceville based Midget.(at least the back says Cook)
My uncle was pretty good buddy's with Don and Lew, and my dad bought about four cars in a row from Lew... still not sure how I missed Lawrenceville Speedway... What years did it run?


Jay Mooney

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #57 on: January 11, 2010, 08:47:02 AM »
Tangletongue or anyone who might know,

What tracks in the Twin Tiers featured “supermodified bugs” or allowed them to compete with their modified stock car divisions in the 60’s?  I’m talking about cars similar to the ones driven by Bryan Osgood and Dave Kneisel pictured below.

I think by 1970 or ’71 these cars all but disappeared.

It looks the following tracks had “bugs” for sure: Chemung, 5 Mile Point and Midstate (judging by pics)

What about other tracks?  Ithaca-Dryden? Skyline? Glen Aubrey? Towanda? Penn Can? Herb’s? Honesdale? Moc-a-Tek? Addison Hill? Southport? Corning Stadium? Hornell? Olean? Dundee?

Any others?

frontierjoe

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #58 on: January 11, 2010, 08:56:57 AM »
Twin Valley raceway in Chenango Forks, I grew up right next door. The track actually is still there. Although it is getting very over grown . Most of the outside rails are still there, when we where kids we would have of 3, 4 wheelers and bikes there racing. Great fun. Karl Spoonhower  tried to open it back before Thunder Mountain but the town changed the zoning so that they couldn't. I wish we could have got more than just my racecar on that track. It's a really big 1/2 mile with quite a bit of banking. Maybe sometime this spring I'll get so pictures. 

Nate Stevens

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Re: Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
« Reply #59 on: January 11, 2010, 10:13:57 AM »
When Karl was talking about reopening Twin Valley, my dad and I went up to check it out.  I remember we drove around the place and it was pretty big.  It also seems like the straightaways had a slope or a hill in them.  My dad said they raced it that way.
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