Lot of history buffs here.I have more than one thousand magazines and racing papers mostly from 70s and 80s including stock car racing Circle Track,National Speed Sport News and others.Also race books and race programs.Much more.Call Ronnie 716 685 1196
In a lot of the pictures I'm finding there is a LONG barn behind the back-stretch...Is this Mid-State?
Sorry it's taken so long to reply...I thought someone else would have answered the question long before now.
Midstate's "LONG barn behind the back-stretch" was the horse barn on the fair grounds. I remember sitting in the grand stand as a kid and watching someone lose it off turn 2, go in the door on the turn 2 end and out the door heading for turn 4. They just keep racing like nothing had happened.
I also remember the day someone hit the tower on the home stretch and drove the car into it up to the windshield.
Ahhhhh the “good old days”!
here's one I messed up posting.... #A5
#A11....Cliff Kotary in the #60X.... Mid-State?
That pic might be older than me.. but I'm bettin Syracuse.. Great pics!
Thanks guys...I wasn't sure as I'm not familiar w/ a lot of these tracks...As Utica Mike pointed out, the H.A.M.B. is an awesome treasure trove of old racing pics. The unfortunate thing is that many of the images are not identified... There are also threads for "stock cars" ie NASCAR and full bodied cars and also a thread for Open wheel cars, ie sprints and midgets....... As for the car going into the tower. that is posted on their site and when I get back to that point (going through it again) I will lift it and bring it here.
This picture is from the Ford Easton collection...He is in the process of writting a book on racing in the southern tier of Ny. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
This shot is of Don Belzile @ North Collins Speedway outside of Buffalo.
Midstate's "LONG barn behind the back-stretch" was the horse barn on the fair grounds. I remember sitting in the grand stand as a kid and watching someone lose it off turn 2, go in the door on the turn 2 end and out the door heading for turn 4. They just keep racing like nothing had happened.
Now that's a good story right there.
Here's two Gater News photos I found recently that were taken during Midstate's final year of racing, 1972. You can see some of the horse barns in the background and how close they were to the track.
What caused the demise of Mid-State?
Mid-State pic w/ Pete Cordes in the # 68 and Joe Donahue in the #tc9
Pete Cordes w/ Chuck Akulis' car in the background
Picture captions are self-explanitory.....
A couple for Mr. George.... Johnny Oblinski @ Mid-State
...And the resulting hole
Some may remember a similar judge's stand at Maplegrove in Waterloo. The bottom of that building was set up as a concession stand for the pit area. Yes, a car hit that one, too. I didn't see it and do not remember which driver had the honor. I remember the look on one concessions worker's face. She was terrified. Her face was, as they say, white as a ghost. She moved her labors to the concessions on the back of the covered grandstand. Smart girl, that one.