Sorry I never got to meet you directly (I don’t think) because I was always prepping a car for a pass. My name is Peter Shields from Albany and president of Albany’s CAPITOL TIMERS. We ran several cars at Dover, mostly gassers and stockers. I believe the time frame, for me at least, was ’61-’62. In ’63 I moved to the Boston area, settled in, built a (modified production class) T’Bird, ’56, that carried several FE engine variations.
As President of the CAPITOL TIMERS, I was chief wrench for the crowd. This kept me busy. I also wrenched for Ron Abbott (Hellzapoppin) when he drove supercharged Olds (’57 J2, ’58 J3 with a factory stick 3 speed 397 cid). After I broke my back crashing a ’57 Ford F-code Ron then needed a mechanic and enlisted John Foley. With John, Ron went through running vettes to Hellzapoppin locally to Indy Nationals, losing to Big Daddy in the trophy dash for top eliminator. Yes, Ron is a good buddy. He is currently President of American Auto and Plate Glass Company in Albany.
Another friend you are probably well aware of is Don Noyes. When I first met Don he was running a deuce roadster with an Ardun-converted flathead. This was the first US MULE. This car was later fitted with a Hemi and the normal Ford big-bellhousing, 3-speed, closed torque tube, transmission. This car was retired when we built the US MULE II, the MG with the 392 Hemi, AA modified sports, national record holder. I see on your site this was sold a few years ago and headed for the left coast. Since I had moved to the Boston area and our communication had dropped off I was unaware of the MG’s sale. In that time frame I spent nearly every night helping with the car, even there when we were melting down scrap aluminum in the coal furnace for the house. He was pouring the molds for his GMC blower drive. Talk about a TRUE hot rod! Lots of others were friends and fellow hot rodders, my real intention of this letter is to ask an up-to-date question.
Question: Do you have the GPS coordinates for the track’s site, or is there someone still around there who could provide them? I read with interest the various entries on your site, especially the white 442 guy, but in studying the terrain courtesy of Google Earth, I’ll be damned if I can pick it out. After all, it’s been 59 years and the area has drastically changed. With the coordinates I can place the cursor on them and get a far better idea of what has transpired lo these many years.
Great memories, most of which are shared with friends from Albany still on the green side. Thanks from afar.
Pete,welcome aboard the Dover forum.No doubt your a ‘crafted’ and ‘seasoned’ hot rodder! This might help ya Pete with GPS settings (Dino has the address on the forum,Dover Dragstrip,3483 Pleasant Ridge Rd. (county rte. 21),Wingdale,N.Y. zip 12594.Also Dino placed some good aerial shots of the ‘dragstrip back in ’63’ you might want to check out also on the forum to bring back some memories!
babycakes.
dino