Racing History in the Southern Tier of New York
- Thread starter blackjackracing
- Start date
Half Fast Bob
Veteran
You're starting to get good at this, Greg. 
blackjackracing
Champion
Greg...where in the world did you find the aerial photo of Glider City? Very Very cool! Can you send me a bigger copy of the photo of the Glider City aerial? Thanks Bob J.
blackjackracing
Champion
I'm thinking this was written by Bill Dowd...no byline given
From the Binghamton Press August 20, 1969
Once-Used Car In Stock
Bryan Osgood's victory in the 150-lap modified-sportsman race at Pocono International Raceway last Sunday may have signaled the beginning of a heated battle at Shangri-La Speedway.
The Elmira used car dealer, now in his 10th year of stock car competition, was using a new aluminum ZL1 Camaro engine set up by mechanic Maynard Bodine. He started 15th, old pro Dutch Hoag on the ploe and the leader until Osgood passed him about 20 laps from the finish, and showed enough endurance and over-all speed in the untested car to nail down first prize.
Hoag has won the last four modified feature events at Shangri-La (he was 15 feature wins in Empire State Racing Association competition this year) while Osgood has yet to win. But unless Bodine has guessed wrong on the type of cam he installed, Osgood will be able to get enough speed up on the shorter Owego track to challenge.
"The ZL1 is aluminum but that doesn't give me any advantage except a very slight one in weight," said Osgood. "A lot of the top drivers are using steel-block L-58 Chevy engines with aluminum heads (such as Geoff Bodine, Maynard's nephew, who finished behind Osgood and Hoag Sunday), so the weight difference doesn't amount to much."
Osgood has proven his engine is good over a long haul and Saturday's extra-distance 50-lap Shaeffer Circle of Sports feature at Owego may be just the spot for him to crack Hoag's win streak.
At Five-Mile Point Speedway, New York drivers will have to do some fancy driving to end Pennsylvannia drivers' dominance. The last win by a homestate pilot was 10 weeks back when Binghamton's Roger Beagell turned the trick.
Six different drivers have won the modified main event since then, all from below the border -- Jerry Chamberlain, Dave Kneisel Larry Catlin, Norm Norton (twice), Carl Nagle and Lester Green -- until last week's rainout gave the embattled New Yorker's a breather.
DRAG RACING at Pocono Drag Lodge, which has been plagued by rain almost every week since early July, is scheduled for Sunday. Despite rain last weekend, a full program was run. Among $75 eliminator award winners were Dick Drotak, Paul Wilson and John Lindsley, all of Binghamton. Class trophy winners included Walton's Ed Roberts (J/PS), Johnson City's Bill Hyrck (M/PS) and Vestal's Dick Watrous (D/MP)
TWO PRESS-AREA drivers are still in the top five United Racing Club sprint car point-winners. Five-time champion Earl Halquist of Sidney ranks first and Conklin's Bryant Ingalls, in his best season ever, is fifth.
SPORTS CAR RALLYISTS will be on the road this Sunday in STAR's "Turn-On Rally", a 130-mile event beginning at 1 o'clock at the old Loblaw parking lot on the Vestal Parkway. Registration begins at 12 noon.
photos:1) Bryan Osgood
2) Dave Kneisel Mark Terry collection
From the Binghamton Press August 20, 1969
Once-Used Car In Stock
Bryan Osgood's victory in the 150-lap modified-sportsman race at Pocono International Raceway last Sunday may have signaled the beginning of a heated battle at Shangri-La Speedway.
The Elmira used car dealer, now in his 10th year of stock car competition, was using a new aluminum ZL1 Camaro engine set up by mechanic Maynard Bodine. He started 15th, old pro Dutch Hoag on the ploe and the leader until Osgood passed him about 20 laps from the finish, and showed enough endurance and over-all speed in the untested car to nail down first prize.
Hoag has won the last four modified feature events at Shangri-La (he was 15 feature wins in Empire State Racing Association competition this year) while Osgood has yet to win. But unless Bodine has guessed wrong on the type of cam he installed, Osgood will be able to get enough speed up on the shorter Owego track to challenge.
"The ZL1 is aluminum but that doesn't give me any advantage except a very slight one in weight," said Osgood. "A lot of the top drivers are using steel-block L-58 Chevy engines with aluminum heads (such as Geoff Bodine, Maynard's nephew, who finished behind Osgood and Hoag Sunday), so the weight difference doesn't amount to much."
Osgood has proven his engine is good over a long haul and Saturday's extra-distance 50-lap Shaeffer Circle of Sports feature at Owego may be just the spot for him to crack Hoag's win streak.
At Five-Mile Point Speedway, New York drivers will have to do some fancy driving to end Pennsylvannia drivers' dominance. The last win by a homestate pilot was 10 weeks back when Binghamton's Roger Beagell turned the trick.
Six different drivers have won the modified main event since then, all from below the border -- Jerry Chamberlain, Dave Kneisel Larry Catlin, Norm Norton (twice), Carl Nagle and Lester Green -- until last week's rainout gave the embattled New Yorker's a breather.
DRAG RACING at Pocono Drag Lodge, which has been plagued by rain almost every week since early July, is scheduled for Sunday. Despite rain last weekend, a full program was run. Among $75 eliminator award winners were Dick Drotak, Paul Wilson and John Lindsley, all of Binghamton. Class trophy winners included Walton's Ed Roberts (J/PS), Johnson City's Bill Hyrck (M/PS) and Vestal's Dick Watrous (D/MP)
TWO PRESS-AREA drivers are still in the top five United Racing Club sprint car point-winners. Five-time champion Earl Halquist of Sidney ranks first and Conklin's Bryant Ingalls, in his best season ever, is fifth.
SPORTS CAR RALLYISTS will be on the road this Sunday in STAR's "Turn-On Rally", a 130-mile event beginning at 1 o'clock at the old Loblaw parking lot on the Vestal Parkway. Registration begins at 12 noon.
photos:1) Bryan Osgood
2) Dave Kneisel Mark Terry collection
Attachments
blackjackracing
Champion
Another Bill Dowd article and some photos that tie into it.......
from the Binghamton Press May 15, 1969
Checkered Flag
by Bill Dowd
Sidney's Earl Halquist, the only 5-time champion in the history of the
United Racing Club, has won the last three URC features at Fonda Speedway. No. 4
may be a bit of a problem if Bill Hughes has his way.
Hughes, the Greene driver who won the first two features this season, is
recuperating at home from an assortment of injuries (worst among them a fractured
knee, pulled muscles in the rib cage, a brain concussion and an ankle injury)
suffered in a Sunday flip in Hagerstown, Md. But he plans to run at Fonda a week
from Saturday.
"Right now he's hobbling around like Chester on Gunsmoke and holding
his ribs like Napolean," said his wife. "But George Nester (the car owner who is also
part owner of the Venezia Chevy Halquist drives) is having the car completely
reworked. And the doctor said Bill will be able to race by then."
THE U.R.C. PROGRAM at Five-Mile Point on Friday, May 30, will be only
part of a busy holiday weekend in the area. Fulton, Spencer and Shangri-La are
planning a 4-day stock car slate that will have prize money of close to $10,000.
On Thursday, May 29, Fulton will hold a 100-lapper with $1,000 to the
winner. Spencer has a 30-lapper worth $500 the next day, Shangri-La plans a
Saturday 100 for another $1,000 and Fulton a Sunday 30-lap, $500 event. If a driver
can win all four races, he'll have himself a $3,000 weekend.
It still isn't clear whether the three tracks constitute the entire makeup of
the Empire State Racing Association or if the suburban-Buffalo Lancaster
Speedway is also in on the action.
According to Spencer promoter Jim Vollertson, all four are in the group.
According to Shangri-La promoter Fran Gritchell, whose track runs on Saturday
nights opposite Lancaster, the Buffalo track is an outsider.
"We had an agreement among the three of us that didn't include
Lancaster," said Gitchell. "Spencer , Fulton and Lancaster used to work together
until Lancaster started running some Sunday races and cutting into Fulton.
"We finished working out a system for overall point standings (which
Vollertsen claims will be used on a four track basis) and we haven't worked out the
conflict of specifications for the late model division." said Gitchell.
Spencer, not in the Tioga County village but west of Rochester, opens
tomorrow night. The other three tracks have been open for several weeks.
Penn-Can Speedway opens tomorrow night. The Susquehanna, Pa.,
track will have defending champion Stub Stephens back along with 3-time champ
Carl Nagel. And if Jim Zacharias, who won Shangri-La's modern title in '68, returns,
the resulting races should be good ones... Fran Larkin of Binghamton, in a Copper
-Ford, will be among the horde of drivers descending on Cumberland, Md., this
weekend for the National Sports Car Championships. The big attraction will come
Sunday in the A and B racing classes with such name drivers as Bob Tullis, Bob
Nagle and Jerry Crawford entered... Vestal's Harold Linsay will drive his Jabro in a
Sunday race ay Bridgehampton, L.I. ... Lou Lazzaro of Utica has now won $3,000
with three straight Fonda Speedway victories... Ron Rivero of Haverford, Pa., set a
Pocono Drag Lodge record in his Ford funny car Sunday, hitting 198.67 m.p.h. in
7.74 seconds for the quarter mile. Triple Cities class winners were Endicott's John
McLain ('68 GTO in C/MP) and Vestal's Dick Watrous ('61 Corvette in R/S)...
Kirkwood's Don Diffendorf, currently 9th in Shangri-La sportsman-modified points,
thinks a switch in tires will put him back on top of the heap this weekend at Shangri
-La where last weekends rained-out feature will be rerun from the 9th lap, and at
Fulton where the whole program was rained out last Sunday...
Doug March of Vestal had his Formula Vee racer out for a shakedown
trial at Lime Rock, Conn., in a regional SCCA race and reports a good bit of work
still ahead. He'll probably run June 7 at watkins Glen... Increased engine sizes at
Five-Mile Point aren't creating any excessive speed hazards. In fact, it's possible
speed hasn't increased at all. The advantage is that drivers don't have to come out
of the turns as fast, having plenty of horsepower to shoot them into any openings
on the straightaways. The other plus is that more drivers who previously were
scared off by the small engine spec are now ready to run regularly- chief among
them Nichol's Larry Catlin and Port Byron's Wee Willie Allen who are 1-2 in points.
Allen is the only top 10 driver using a big engine. He's running a 427 Chevy that is
about twice as big as he is... Pocono International Speedway will run another
super-modified program Sunday. It's once again for $1,500 and 100 points toward its
Canadian-American Racing Society (CARS) championship which Clay's Jim
Shampine leads after winnning the first race in which Troy Ruttman, Jr. was killed.
PIR officials told Shangri-La's Fran Gitchell that they're widening the 3/4 mile oval
and changing the gaurd rails, lowering them to ground level. Ruttman was killed
when he went through the bottom of a 2-rail gaurd fence...
photos:
1) Wee Willie Allen
2) Larry Catlin @ Five-Mile Point
3) Lou Lazzaro @ Fonda (Lou Lazzaro collection)
from the Binghamton Press May 15, 1969
Checkered Flag
by Bill Dowd
Sidney's Earl Halquist, the only 5-time champion in the history of the
United Racing Club, has won the last three URC features at Fonda Speedway. No. 4
may be a bit of a problem if Bill Hughes has his way.
Hughes, the Greene driver who won the first two features this season, is
recuperating at home from an assortment of injuries (worst among them a fractured
knee, pulled muscles in the rib cage, a brain concussion and an ankle injury)
suffered in a Sunday flip in Hagerstown, Md. But he plans to run at Fonda a week
from Saturday.
"Right now he's hobbling around like Chester on Gunsmoke and holding
his ribs like Napolean," said his wife. "But George Nester (the car owner who is also
part owner of the Venezia Chevy Halquist drives) is having the car completely
reworked. And the doctor said Bill will be able to race by then."
THE U.R.C. PROGRAM at Five-Mile Point on Friday, May 30, will be only
part of a busy holiday weekend in the area. Fulton, Spencer and Shangri-La are
planning a 4-day stock car slate that will have prize money of close to $10,000.
On Thursday, May 29, Fulton will hold a 100-lapper with $1,000 to the
winner. Spencer has a 30-lapper worth $500 the next day, Shangri-La plans a
Saturday 100 for another $1,000 and Fulton a Sunday 30-lap, $500 event. If a driver
can win all four races, he'll have himself a $3,000 weekend.
It still isn't clear whether the three tracks constitute the entire makeup of
the Empire State Racing Association or if the suburban-Buffalo Lancaster
Speedway is also in on the action.
According to Spencer promoter Jim Vollertson, all four are in the group.
According to Shangri-La promoter Fran Gritchell, whose track runs on Saturday
nights opposite Lancaster, the Buffalo track is an outsider.
"We had an agreement among the three of us that didn't include
Lancaster," said Gitchell. "Spencer , Fulton and Lancaster used to work together
until Lancaster started running some Sunday races and cutting into Fulton.
"We finished working out a system for overall point standings (which
Vollertsen claims will be used on a four track basis) and we haven't worked out the
conflict of specifications for the late model division." said Gitchell.
Spencer, not in the Tioga County village but west of Rochester, opens
tomorrow night. The other three tracks have been open for several weeks.
Penn-Can Speedway opens tomorrow night. The Susquehanna, Pa.,
track will have defending champion Stub Stephens back along with 3-time champ
Carl Nagel. And if Jim Zacharias, who won Shangri-La's modern title in '68, returns,
the resulting races should be good ones... Fran Larkin of Binghamton, in a Copper
-Ford, will be among the horde of drivers descending on Cumberland, Md., this
weekend for the National Sports Car Championships. The big attraction will come
Sunday in the A and B racing classes with such name drivers as Bob Tullis, Bob
Nagle and Jerry Crawford entered... Vestal's Harold Linsay will drive his Jabro in a
Sunday race ay Bridgehampton, L.I. ... Lou Lazzaro of Utica has now won $3,000
with three straight Fonda Speedway victories... Ron Rivero of Haverford, Pa., set a
Pocono Drag Lodge record in his Ford funny car Sunday, hitting 198.67 m.p.h. in
7.74 seconds for the quarter mile. Triple Cities class winners were Endicott's John
McLain ('68 GTO in C/MP) and Vestal's Dick Watrous ('61 Corvette in R/S)...
Kirkwood's Don Diffendorf, currently 9th in Shangri-La sportsman-modified points,
thinks a switch in tires will put him back on top of the heap this weekend at Shangri
-La where last weekends rained-out feature will be rerun from the 9th lap, and at
Fulton where the whole program was rained out last Sunday...
Doug March of Vestal had his Formula Vee racer out for a shakedown
trial at Lime Rock, Conn., in a regional SCCA race and reports a good bit of work
still ahead. He'll probably run June 7 at watkins Glen... Increased engine sizes at
Five-Mile Point aren't creating any excessive speed hazards. In fact, it's possible
speed hasn't increased at all. The advantage is that drivers don't have to come out
of the turns as fast, having plenty of horsepower to shoot them into any openings
on the straightaways. The other plus is that more drivers who previously were
scared off by the small engine spec are now ready to run regularly- chief among
them Nichol's Larry Catlin and Port Byron's Wee Willie Allen who are 1-2 in points.
Allen is the only top 10 driver using a big engine. He's running a 427 Chevy that is
about twice as big as he is... Pocono International Speedway will run another
super-modified program Sunday. It's once again for $1,500 and 100 points toward its
Canadian-American Racing Society (CARS) championship which Clay's Jim
Shampine leads after winnning the first race in which Troy Ruttman, Jr. was killed.
PIR officials told Shangri-La's Fran Gitchell that they're widening the 3/4 mile oval
and changing the gaurd rails, lowering them to ground level. Ruttman was killed
when he went through the bottom of a 2-rail gaurd fence...
photos:
1) Wee Willie Allen
2) Larry Catlin @ Five-Mile Point
3) Lou Lazzaro @ Fonda (Lou Lazzaro collection)
Attachments
blackjackracing
Champion
Some photos from a 1995 Woodhull program...
Photo 1 Billy Vanpelt (#2) Steve Hartman (#Z8) and Todd McManus (#77)
Photo 2 Don Campbell (#31) Dave Machuga (#78) Steve McGregor(#67) Darrell Campbell(#84) and Bruce Ross(#75)
Photo 3 Don Tuthill (#8) Bill Brewer(#17) Barry Payne(#3) and Floyd Spicer(#69)
Photo 1 Billy Vanpelt (#2) Steve Hartman (#Z8) and Todd McManus (#77)
Photo 2 Don Campbell (#31) Dave Machuga (#78) Steve McGregor(#67) Darrell Campbell(#84) and Bruce Ross(#75)
Photo 3 Don Tuthill (#8) Bill Brewer(#17) Barry Payne(#3) and Floyd Spicer(#69)
Attachments
blackjackracing
Champion
blackjackracing
Champion
Shamrock 3x
Veteran
Who's the driver of the #39 at Shangri-La, Bob?
Shamrock 3x
Veteran
Thanks, Larry!
railbird steve
Rookie
hello blackjack ! can you post the driver rosters , from woodhull in 1995 ? i kinda helped brian & dave scouten on I think there super stock that they bought from dennis dixon outa painted post ny--I ill in the marines then , It wouldda been neet to so who they ran against! P.S. -I was home on leave in 88 when dave scouten ran 3 rd at dundee with a woodhull amiture(sp) car agaist dunndee pro stocks !! thanks for this awsome thread
blackjackracing
Champion
Hey railbird-steve...I tried scanning the roster but honestly it wouldn't come out. e-mail me @ blackjackracin21@aol.com and I will forward them to you.
Nate Pickering
Newbie
1st Photo: In this "staged" shot at Woodhull, you can clearly see Don Kio (61), Walt Mitchell (24), and Donald Lawson Sr. (11jr). According to Morgan Colegrove, this may have been a champion year for the "Magic Man" Mitchell; in addition, all of the Sherwood cars were in the top ten for points that year as well.
-Photo courtesy of Bobby Sherwood
2nd Photo: Taken in turn three at Woodhull, that is Gary King piloting his modified.
-Photo courtesy of Bobby Sherwood
3rd Photo: When Parkie displaying the checkered flag at Woodhull in the '70s; in addition, when the car had the 427 Ford in it, it was unbeatable, literally smoking the competition.
-Photo courtesy of Bobby Sherwood
4th Photo: Bill Layfield pictured at the Woodhull Raceway with the checkered flag.
-Photo courtesy of Red Allen
5th Photo: Basil Shutt pictured with a crowd of people at Woodhull.
-Photo courtesy of Red Allen
6th Photo: Ron Baker in victory lane with his modified at Woodhull.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
7th Photo: This is Arnie "Bulldozer" Flint at Woodhull.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
8th Photo: Arnie Flint later went on to showcase his talent in the modified division at the Woodhull Raceway after being successful in the late model class.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
9th Photo: Ron Baker displaying the checkered flag at Woodhull with his Mopar late model.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
10th Photo: Tommy Kull in victory lane with his modified. This is a blue Vega body, and it also held the lap time record at Woodhull for many years.
-Photo courtesy of Tim Deebs
-Photo courtesy of Bobby Sherwood
2nd Photo: Taken in turn three at Woodhull, that is Gary King piloting his modified.
-Photo courtesy of Bobby Sherwood
3rd Photo: When Parkie displaying the checkered flag at Woodhull in the '70s; in addition, when the car had the 427 Ford in it, it was unbeatable, literally smoking the competition.
-Photo courtesy of Bobby Sherwood
4th Photo: Bill Layfield pictured at the Woodhull Raceway with the checkered flag.
-Photo courtesy of Red Allen
5th Photo: Basil Shutt pictured with a crowd of people at Woodhull.
-Photo courtesy of Red Allen
6th Photo: Ron Baker in victory lane with his modified at Woodhull.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
7th Photo: This is Arnie "Bulldozer" Flint at Woodhull.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
8th Photo: Arnie Flint later went on to showcase his talent in the modified division at the Woodhull Raceway after being successful in the late model class.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
9th Photo: Ron Baker displaying the checkered flag at Woodhull with his Mopar late model.
-Photo courtesy of Donald Greene
10th Photo: Tommy Kull in victory lane with his modified. This is a blue Vega body, and it also held the lap time record at Woodhull for many years.
-Photo courtesy of Tim Deebs
Willie41
Rookie
In reply #732 there's a picture of Tom Whitney. I remember when Dad raced @ Shangri-la & I was in the pits with him & we were pitted next to Tom. I happened over to Toms car & & was looking @ his rear suspension & remember noticing that the rear suspension was an inboard leaf spring set up with the shocks mounted out board leaning way in @ the top. I was young then so that may be why, but I had never seen such a set up. Nor have I ever seen 1 like again. I often wondered how that particular set up effected the handling charecteristics of his car. Just an anecdote from years gone by I wanted to share.