The search for lost and forgotten speedways continues - Rochester 1925

[Half Fast Bob]

oldguy and Rocket88...

Were you guys told that the Vick Park A + B was part of a "speedway" as in they ran CAR races there?  Look at this topographical map from January of 1895 (the same time frame as the invention of the automobile). The map shows no track off Park Avenue. Before you close it, look in the upper left corner. That big oval is the Rochester Driving Park, where Driving Park Ave. got its name. I'm using that as a reference point on this map because the Rochester Driving Park is shown here, but this Vick Park situation isn't, and suggests that it wasn't even a driving park when the map was drawn up.

http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=rstr95se.jpg&state=NY

I've got roughly 8 hours invested in trying to put a racetrack at that location. I've been to every historical society website associated with Monroe County and Rochester, I've searched newspapers all the way back to Lincoln's assassination (literally), and used Bing Maps to survey the houses along those streets now. The architecture is that of late 1800's and early 1900's. I'm not going to close the book, but I don't see any reason to keep looking. Unless someone produces an ad, newspaper clipping or photo that tells me to look again, this one seems to be a wives tale.

 

[aa33]

There was a quarter midget track in Perry NY in the 1950's off Standpipe Road behaind the Old Gates trucking terminal. Later the terninal was bought out by Shay's Service ( another local WNY trucking business out of Dansville NY) and Now is the current Home of the" Hole in the Wall "restuarant. Behind that building was the track - I did an arial view but no sign of outline as its all now cornfield.  I saw some info on this in the Perry Herald about 3 -4 months ago with names and a picture.  I am sure Thewackyracer may know this info and that the track did exist. 

 

[thewackyracer]

Yes it was there, shortly after WW2, my Dad used to take my Brother and I to the micro midget racesthere. It might have been as late as 1949. If I remember right, no bleachers, no fence. Engines of choice were the 8hp out of a cushman scooter. I think Durfee trucking was based there at the time.

 

[aa33]

Man and I thought I was old !!  haha WACKYRACER !!

 

[Rocket88]

Bob,
close the book, no car races:
Vick Park A and B, were originally a driving park laid out by the noted horseman Joseph Hall in 1856.  In 1865, the driving park was purchased by James Vick for use as a seed nursery.  In the early 1870's he subdivided it into modest building lots. Vick himself resided at 12 Vick Park A, (now a city landmark) and retained nursery grounds south of Vick Park B for many years. The curve in Park Avenue at this point is the only reminder of the street's original use.

 

[Half Fast Bob]

Well, that explains everything. I started getting skeptical when I got to 1905 and still hadn't found anything about it being at least a driving park. That topographical map from 1895 pretty much put the icing on the cake for me. I stopped hunting when I got to the Lincoln assassination - April 14th, 1865.

 

[Half Fast Bob]

I hope everyone appreciates this 

Let's start with Crittenden Speedway. Not much is known or written about Crittenden and that's probably because the facility didn't run all that many car events. Motorcycle race ads in the newspaper took up the bulk of the advertising and got most of the attention back in the day.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n13/Halffastvideo/Vintage%20-%20new/CrittendenPark.jpg

On to Webster Driving Park. Somewhere out there are pictures of cars on this track and I plan on finding them, even if it kills me. I did find close to a dozen pictures of the track with various horses and buggies on it though. I am including one from 1922 here to show that the track actually existed.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n13/Halffastvideo/Vintage%20-%20new/WebsterDrivingPark.jpg

This next picture was taken in 1903 at Tomkinsville, Long Island. The Webster Driving Park started life pretty much the same way as what you see in this picture - common folk like us, cruising around the track in their grocery getters. "Racing" as we know it today probably evolved shortly after 2 guys with goo goo eyes for the same chick tried to impress her with their hotrods.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n13/Halffastvideo/Vintage%20-%20new/TomkinsvilleNY1903.jpg

And that leaves us with the Dewey Avenue Speedway. When you open this picture, notice a few things...

1.) The spectators have their eyes focused on whatever is racing on the track, but we can't tell what it is. There is a water wagon in the infield, which leads me to believe this was a motorsports event because horses wouldn't kick up too much dust.

2.) The grandstands have collapsed. I'm going to dig into this a little deeper and find out when this happened, but judging from the lumber in this picture, it looks new.

3.) Notice the lumber wagon parked at the far end of the grandstands. This picture was taken in 1922...

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n13/Halffastvideo/Vintage%20-%20new/DeweyAvenueSpeedway1922.jpg

Remember the lumber wagon? This is a picture of my grandfather in 1920. Could it be? I really don't know. I can HOPE, and that would explain where my addiction to racing came from.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n13/Halffastvideo/Vintage%20-%20new/1920GrandpaSmith.jpg

 

[Half Fast Bob]

Does anyone here know anyone that attended the indoor midget races at the War Memorial? I'm told this could have been as recent as the 60s.

Saturday, January 25th, 1964 was the first time Midgets ran indoors at the Rochester War Memorial.

 

[Half Fast Bob]

Pulling this one back out of the toilet for a bit.

Anyone know if Jim Vollertsen is still around and reads this forum? If so, does anyone have any contact info? I was hoping to pick his brain about the War Memorial midget races, and also the proposal he gave to the City of Rochester about holding stadium stock car races at the old Aquinas/Holleder Stadium at the intersection of Mt Read and Ridgeway.

 

[John_unaman]

Jim was at Spencer two years ago.

 

[raceannouncer]

Bob:

I might have missed this in one of your previous posts on "lost tracks" but I was told by more than a few folks that there was a track tucked into the corner of Scottsville Road and roughly parallel to where I-390 is now.  It supposedly existed on the site of the former steelyard across from the airport...Are they right?

 

[Half Fast Bob]

Airport Stadium Speedway was on Scottsville Road in that general vicinity. This first picture shows the track just after it closed...

This next picture is a "then and now" combination...

And finally, the property today...

 

[billt]

just a quick reply on the war memorial races... bobby hamilton won most of the tq midget races I believe dutch hoag and bob hudson had rides also . I have two of the race programs and a poster for the show that says it would be  on wide world of sports. the admission price was $1.50

 

[todd52modified]

As jus a youngen compared to you old guys.... Jus kidding! But i do appreciate all of the hard work in finding these.  Again thanks for
looking this up for us young people!!
Todd

 

[Frasson118]

Funny you mentioned Aquinas/Hollander Stadium. I grew up maybe 3 miles from there, but was only there twice. 

Once for a football game I barely understood, and a Grateful Dead concert I barely remember..!

 

[Half Fast Bob]

I didn't know anything about this until I stumbled on an article about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but apparently in 1973, the stadium was donated to the city of Rochester. Vollertsen proposed a weekly stadium stock car racing program around the outer track, with something like $140,000 (I don't have the exact figure in front of me) in annual revenue due to the city in exchange for use of the facility. The article went on to say that the offer was declined, but that Vollertsen wasn't done yet. It was his belief that the city was given erroneous information and that he believed they based their opinions on that. Obviously it never came to fruition because motorsports events were never held there. I remember driving truck in the city right about the time they tore the joint down, which would have been about 1985. I just thought it would have been cool to have our own version of Bowman Gray.

 

[Rochny_fans]

Hi, Half Fast Bob - -

Talk about coincidences - I was checking out RaceNY on the laptop a few minutes ago, and my wife called out from the living room "Didn't a Jim Vollertsen live down the street from us?" Yup, what about him?

The short version of the rest is that he seems to be the President of the Board of Trustees of a performing arts organization in downtown Rochester, RAPA. They've got a website www.rapaonline.us/ Maybe you can contact him through their info address.

Hope this helps.

 

[wgr83]

HFB  keep up the great work !!

 

[oneill71mod]

Rapa is across from delta sonic on east main.they ususally open later in the day.jim is there sometimes,but contact judy who runs it.she will get you in touch with Jim,tell her its a racing thing...

 

[Half Fast Bob]

HFB  keep up the great work !! 

I don't know if I would call it "great." I just have this crazy addiction for the history of local racing, and I can't get enough of it. My thought is this... If I can find this stuff interesting, then so can a lot of other people. I'll never claim to know all there is to know about local racing, but I want to know as much as possible. That's why I bring it here to RaceNY and Dirt Track Digest. A lot of you people who read this stuff were part of that history and getting you to talk about it has become my job.

Rochny_fans...

I will start tracking down Jim later on this week. I am just now recovering from a wicked, nasty cold that has had me basically flat on my back for about 4 days. Thank you.