Got a survey call

[mikelbeck]

I just got off the phone with a company that wanted to ask me about local politics. The first question was "What do you think the biggest issue facing Brookhaven is in 2007?"

My answer? "The lack of a motorsports facility, coupled with the lack of support from the town government for a motorsports facility".

The rest of the survey was about an open space issue that's going to be on the ballot in November. Most the my answers were "strongly oppose", "if Levy supports this I will not", and "a motorsports facility could be built on some of the existing open land purchased by the town".

At the end they asked if there was anything I'd like to add, I said "First off, no motorsports, no levy....". The girl said "I've seen those bumperstickers, what does it mean?" So I explained how Levy is going to be voted out of office if he doesn't support the construction of a motorsports facility in Brookhaven. Next I said that there was no way that I, my friends, my family or any of the people I speak with online would support anything that Levy supports and are planning on having him voted out of office.

Man, that felt good. :)

[thenative1]

I mentioned motorsports in general and U.F.C. fighting.

[cowbay]

As always drag racing's popularity on long island has to be one of the nations greatest kept secrets. Could be the fact were all in New jersey or upstate New York racing. Seriouly it is amazing how at one time Long Island was a hotbed for racing, but still great job on the email. At least Coleman seems interested in the sport especially coming from an area heavily into it. You never know!

[mikelbeck]

Here's some information from the NHRA:

http://www.nhra.com/content/about.asp?articleid=6566&zoneid=101
http://www.nhra.com/apcm/templates/about.asp?articleid=3263&zoneid=101
http://www.nhra.com/basics/basics.html
http://www.nhra.com/basics/index.html

http://www.nhra.com/tracks/streetlegal.html
http://www.nhra.com/apcm/templates/about.asp?articleid=3276&zoneid=101
http://www.nhra.com/aboutnhr/powerade.htm

There's also a "media'" section on the NHRA web site, but it's only open to journalists: http://media.nhra.com/login.asp

The NHRA is the largest motorsports organization in the world, with 85,000+ members and 300,000+ racers competing in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. The organization recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The NHRA claims 68 million fans in the United States. And according to the ESPN Chilton Sports Poll, 34 percent of Americans are drag-racing fans. Seventy percent of NHRA fans say they're more likely to choose NHRA sponsors'
products over competing brands. There was a 53-percent growth in attendance at NHRA events in the 1990s. The average attendance at the
NHRA's 23 national events exceeds 108,000 spectators.

[Tmac]

Andy there is a guy I think in Islip who has a motorsports museum in his garage.They did a peice on him in Newsday.His garage was rich with memorbelia.If you could find him and show Mr. Coleman how involved people were and would be given a place.This guy had info on 60 or so tracks here.

[mikelbeck]

I just got the latest S&K flyer.....guess what they put my car in the burn out section....inside page left bottom.

Somebody told me that there was supposed to be a blurb about this web site in this month's S&K... Anything in there? I didn't get one yet.

[Antisocial]

Hear ya go: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6115/history.html .http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6115/toc.html

[mikelbeck]

Hear ya go: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6115/history.html .http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6115/toc.html

Looks like that hasn't been updated in a while... it says that Westhampton is still open!

[82GT]

I grow up around the corner from there. It both scared and interested me as a kid growing up. I never got to check it out, maybe I should.

I wonder if Leggio's deli is still open.

[Supershafts]

Here is my e-mail

Why don't you cover any of the motorsports...F-1, , IRL, CART, Nascar, NHRA, SCCA, IHRA. There are thousands of these fans living here
Not to mention actual participants that have these types of vehicles....check and see where some of the indy 500 entries are from....Some of the Nascar, Craftsmen truck, Busch, NHRA, IHRA, SCCA entries are from....

I find it very strange how "local as local news gets" doesn't even report the motorsports at Riverhead...but high school sports makes the news.....

I would bet you might have a few hundred interested in those HS sports, vs the 100 thousand motorsports enthusiast/participants living on long island.

Everyone of my customers has a car that races in either SCCA, Modified's, Late models, NHRA, IHRA, Nascar events...I service customers from Nassau to montauk, i service another 200+ cars that race at our home town "local as local gets" track in Riverhead, the fans there that usually pack out riverhead raceway, more than 5000 people at each event would love to be able to see highlights, especially when some teams and fans are at another track out of town to catch what they missed there.

I can speak for those people and they would love to be able to see that then the weather every 5 minutes

[thenative1]

JUST SENT THIS OUT WITH SOME PICS. MAYBE WE WILL GET LUCKY AND GET SOME NATIONAL ATTENTION AND WAKE UP SOME OF OUR LOCAL SLEEPING POLITICIANS.?

confessions@carcrazycentral.com

Hi Guys
We want you to know, Long Island new york is car crazy. Just look at this interesting museum located here. I think you will find it quite interesting and most certainly worthy of a feature on your entertaining program.I think you will find it's most unusual and right up your alley.

PLEASE SEE LINKS TO SITE BELOW.
LONG ISLAND HAS A LONG HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS.


http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6115/toc.html


http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/6115/history.html

HERE'S JUST SOME OF LONG ISLAND N.Y. HISTORY.

THE PARKWAY'S RACING HERITAGE: The story of the Long Island Motor Parkway begins with William K. Vanderbilt Jr., a descendant of the family that presided over the New York Central Railroad and Western Union. His desire for racing stretched almost as far back as the birth of the automobile: on a Florida beach in 1903, he raced his custom-built Renault over 90 MPH to set a speed record for the mile. He frequently entered races in America and France, but was irritated at the hold the French racers had on the winner's circle. To spur American manufacturers into racing, he established the Vanderbilt Cup races in 1904. Sixteen drivers competed for the $2,000 cup, which was designed by Tiffany and Company.

During the next three years, Vanderbilt held his contest over 30 miles of local roads in Nassau County. Although the races stimulated interest in automotive design, Vanderbilt was disappointed that no American was able to win. Further disappointment came in 1906, when two spectators were killed and many others were injured by a racing car on Jericho Turnpike (NY 25), near the intersection of what is now NY 106-NY 107 in Jericho.

THE NATION'S FIRST SUPERHIGHWAY: Instead of running the race over dangerously narrow local roads, Vanderbilt conceived of a landscaped parkway, where banked curves and the elimination of grade crossings would permit speeds of 60 MPH or more. Along the course of the parkway, 65 reinforced steel-and-concrete bridges would be constructed, none of them having a span that exceeded 23 feet long. The 16-foot-wide roadway (later widened to 22 feet) would be constructed of reinforced concrete. To optimize speed and safety, commercial vehicles would be prohibited from using the parkway.*

Vanderbilt organized the reigning captains of industry and Long Island's most influential families to organize the financing and design of the road. While the incorporators of the parkway did not share Vanderbilt's passion for speed, they were receptive to the long-term possibilities of a 60-mile-long, limited-access road from Queens to Riverhead. Landowners hoped that the parkway would increase property values. Auto and tire manufacturers were eager to use the road as a testing ground for their products.

picture: 1908 in Bethpage: LONG ISLAND N.Y.(not included lidargracing, file size too large.)


OFF TO THE RACES: The first 10-mile section of parkway was opened in time for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup race. In front of more than a quarter million fans, 23-year-old George Robertson of Garden City, New York became the first American to win the Vanderbilt Cup. Driving his "Old 16 Locomobile," he won the race with an average speed of 64.39 MPH, and reached an unheard-of top speed of 102 MPH.

The races continued through 1909 and 1910, when Americans won in both years. But after the 1910 race, where four spectators were killed and 20 others were injured, the New York State Legislature banned racing outside of race tracks, effectively ending the Vanderbilt Cup races.

FROM SPEEDERS TO SOCIALITES: By the 1920's, with the Cup races and the World War I years over, the Long Island Motor Parkway was transformed into an access road for New York City socialites, who used it to travel to estates on the party circuit. Other drivers took their families on Sunday drives through the bucolic Long Island countryside.

Christian Ernst, a former parkway gatekeeper who continued to live in the Garden City toll lodge into the 1970's, recalls how the parkway changed in the 1920's:

The big cars - the Rolls-Royces and Stutz Bearcats - came through here then. People who came this way wanted to get somewhere fast, and they had the money to go in style.

During the Prohibition years, the parkway gained a reputation as a "rumrunners' road." Since the parkway was privately owned and operated, away from official police jurisdictions, bootleggers found the parkway the quickest, safest distribution route between New York City and Long Island.

To counter this reputation, and to improve traffic safety, Vanderbilt made some changes. For the first time, he introduced a 40 MPH speed on the parkway, with slower speeds posted on the parkway's many sharp curves. In addition, he replaced the private patrols with state police officers in patrol cars and motorcycles.

During the 1920's, 150,000 cars per year used the road, each paying a reduced toll of $1.00. At its peak year in 1929, the Long Island Motor Parkway had 175,000 motorists travel along its 45 miles. For $55 per year, motorists could purchase an annual pass that allowed unlimited use of the parkway.

picture:TIMES SQUARE N.Y.C.


jimmy, Long Island N.Y.

[Tmac]

Andy did you ever hear back from Mike Coleman?

[Tmac]

Andy the next time you touch base with Mr. Coleman why don't you suggest he interview him on his motorsports ideas or better yet have a townhall meeting where motorsports fans can go one on one with him.I think he might submit.

[mikelbeck]

Just got email from Mike Coleman from news 12.....

He was wondering if i was going to be at Riverhead???

I told him Riverhead was not drag racing. He will be there Aug 11th and or Aug 18th so anyone going there those days look for him and get his ear.

Still trying to set up meeting with him. He wants a place that i can bring my car to so he can film it in action. I told him there was no legal place on LI to do that anymore but if he cold get permission to use a large parking lot i would trailer my car there and we could film...

Waiting for him to decide what to do.

Let us know if/when you're gonna hook up with him, maybe we can get a bunch of cars to show up.

[Supershafts]

I told him i'll grab him out there on those days..

I could probably get you a spot in grum to use

[Tmac]

I don't know how you guys feel about it but you could bring up the idea of townhall with Levy him as M.C.and motor heads from each arena.Need to know Levy's idea of motorsports park.

[Tmac]

What ever happened to Mike Coleman?Cold feet or told to back off by his superiors?:cool: