DOVER’S LAST DAY: May 23,1976….the story unfolds

[vindicatorParticipant]

😆 😆 😆 HEY MIKE…YEAH..IT’S ME…MAYBE LIKE A “BAD”(OR IS IT “LUCKY”?!!**) PENNY…”NEVER KNOW” WHERE IT’LL TURN UP…I “KNOW”…I” KNOW”.. YOU MARRIED JOE’S NIECE…HE INTRODUCED ME..BEFORE.. MIKE THE “WHITE KNIGHT”…CAME ALONG…I THINK HE THOUGHT IT WAS A “GOOD IDEA”…FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES…AND YOUR NOW…LONG-TIME WONDERFUL WIFE…WAS GRACIOUS FOR…ABOUT 30 SECONDS…I THINK BEING A “PAL” OF THE MODREN ERA…ABOUT TO BE… “WILLY LOMAN”…WASN’T EXACTLY OF INTEREST…TO YOUR WIFE…I’D SAY…SHE SURE COULD “SPOT” A WINNER/LOSER…WELL…HEY MAYBE NOT…SHE MARRIED…YOU..HA’..HA’..I’M SURE YOU’VE HAD A GREAT UNION…40 YEARS…OR SHE’D SENT YA’ PACKIN’..A LONG TIME AGO…U GET THE IDEA…I KNOW YOU’D NEVER DIS-RESPECT JOE OR CHET…ME NEITHER…I DIDN’T HARDLY AGREE WITH MUCH OF THEIR DRAG RACING “PHILOSOPHY”…BUT THEY LIKE MY DAD WERE OUR ELDERS…RESPECT & REGARD…AND KEEPIN’ YOUR OPINONS (AS A YOUNG “BUCKEROO”) TO ONE’S SELF…”WERE THE RULE”…IN THAT SAME “VEIN”..THOSE THREE “AMIGOS” (JOE,CHET,MY DAD) HAD A LOT OF VERY SIMILIAR “THOUGHT PROCESSES”…HAVING GROWN UP AROUND THE “GREAT DEPRESSION” (HEY “FIDO”…I THINK WE’RE “ABOUT” REAL CLOSE TO THE REAL “GREAT DEPRESSION” OF THE MODERN ERA…SURE HOPE NOT…BUT @ PRESENT..THE CAR BUSINESS…IS “WELL”.. INTO) ALL LIVED THROUGH/SERVED IN WWII…TO THE BEST OF MY ALMOST “TOTAL RECALL” (I “LIE” A LOT…USED CAR SALESMAN…REMEMBER) MEMORY…THEY ALL CAME FROM SOMEWHAT IMPOVERISHED BEGINNINGS… (MY DAD WAS OLDEST OF 8 BOYS..IMMIGRANT PARENTS..COULD BARELY SPEAK ENGLISH)…SO WHEN HE OPENED THE GAS STATION…RIGHT AFTER GETTING OUT OF WWII SERVICE..IT WUZ’…”LOOK MA’… MADE IT..TO THE TOP OF DA’ WOILD!!”…SHORTLY AFTER, THE FORD GARAGE…30+ OR SO YEARS LATER..SO MUCH LIKE JOE & CHET…A “POLITICAL” PAL APPROACHES HIM…AND LIKE JOE & CHET…WE’RE STARIN’ “DOWN THE BARREL”…OF A 7 FIGURE OFFER..IN 1980’S DOLLARS…SO FOR MY FOLKS…ALL THOSE YEARS OF TURNIN’ WRENCHES…YADA’…YADA’…THE “SHIP” HAD COME IN!!!…SO MUCH LIKE JOE & CHET AND THE HUMAS/SOIL/PEAT..PROPERTY SCENARIO…A LIFETIME OF LONG HARD WORK…COMES TO “FRUITION”…WAS SORTA’ LIKE WINNIN’ THE LOTTERY FOR THEM…AND SO WENT CARMEL FORD…STILL GOT THE GAS STATION THOUGH..”TOWEL HEAD” TENANT…BUT HE’S PAYIN’ ALL THE MONEY (HE’S FROM A “OIL RICH” COUNTRY…DON’T YA’ KNOW…)…KEEPS MY MOM @88 COMFORTABLE..MY FATHER DIED IN 2002…ME, I HAD A LONG TERM VESTED INTERESTED IN A FORD STORE IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY…PACKED IT IN THE YEAR MY FATHER DIED…CAME DOWN TO CAROLINAS’ IN ’06…SOLD OUR HOUSE IN PAWLING AFTER 30+ YEARS…MAYBE GONNA’ HAVE A NEW “GIG” HERE…ORDERED MY NEW WHITE JUMPSUITS AND PINKY RINGS…”PRAISE THE LORD”…IN THE CAROLINAS’…ALL WEEK LONG I CAN “CARRY ON”…U KNOW “HOMOGISIZE’..MIDASIZE”.. “SODOMIZE”..U GET THE IDEA..JUST FIND A CHURCH ON SUNDAY..(THERE ARE MANY).. ASK FOR FORGIVENESS OF MY SINS…AND START AGAIN ON MONDAY…CARRYING ON LIKE A MAD “DAWG” IN A MEAT MARKET…ALL OVER AGAIN..THE SUIT/PINKY RINGS ARE THE “PROPER” ATTIRE FOR THE “TRUSTED ONE”…U TRUST ME.. DON’T CHA”??!! JIMMY SCHWEGGERT…AND A NUMBER OF OTHER BOYS/GIRLS DOWN HERE…OFFER THEIR “HELP” TO MANY…IN EXCHANGE FOR … ONLY.. ALL ONE’S “WORLDLY POSSESSIONS”..HEY… I CAN… DO THAT…LOVE YA’ “BROTHER”…MAYBE THE JUMP SUIT/RINGS WILL BE IN FOR THE “DEAL” @ THE OLD GENE’S 1900…I COULD MAYBE…$$$AVE…YOU ALL!!..I’LL TELL YA’ ‘BOUT THE RACIN’ SIDE..IN THE “NEXT” COMMUNICATION…IT’S BEEN ALMOST 50 YEARS…EVERY YEAR…NO YEARS OFF…OF RACIN’…IF THAT DON’T KEEP YA’ ON THE “EDGE” OF THE CLIFF…IS IT THE “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN”…OR THE “HIGHWAY TO HELL” ??!!** U… CHOOSE… 😀 😀 😀 DRAKE…P.S ADDRESS OF SOON TO BE “FAMOUS”….”THE GOOEY DI$COUNT HOU$E OF WOR$HIP” (DRIVE THRU…FOR “EXPRESS” $ERVICE… IN A RAPIDLY… EVER CHANGING… WORLD..)…LOCATED.. RIGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD..RIGHT.. NEXT TO BOJANGLES CHICKEN IN MOOORESVILLE (“RACE CITY” USA) N.C….FOR A LIMITED TIME AND A LIMITED ONLY…FOR ONLY $19.99..99…INCLUDING POSTAGE & HANDLING…I “PERSONALLY” CAN HAVE YOUR NAME “INSCRIPTED” ON OUR GRAND OPENING COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE..A “MEMORY” CERTAINLY TO “CHERISH” FOR GENERATIONS TO COME…….YOU’LL BE THE “TALK” OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD…FORGET “BOB”…IT’S ALL ABOUT …YOU… “BIG” GUY!!…I “FORGIVE” YOU… FOR “ALL” YOUR INDISCRETIONS..

[dinoKeymaster]

WOW…He do have a way with words……………someone check his dosage

[jmb442]

Brother Drake,….. With your gift of gab,you may just be coming into your “true calling”
Why not have an old time revival right at the track nearest you on a sunday morning
and start saving some souls !!!!

[gaspumpchasParticipant]

Bossguy was recently telling me that somebody set up a cable across the track at the end of the shutdown lane, maybe 3 or 4 feet high; the NHRA (??) found out about it and promptly yanked their sanction. Guess it all figures in. Guess the peat moss / gravel deal was a financial disaster after all, but they sure took a **itload of material out of there!!!

Will try to make the jan reunion~~

gaspumpchas 🙄

[dinoKeymaster]

Don’t know if the cable story is valid…that would decapitate someone..know ol Darwin didn’t like the cable -post guard rails or extreme drop off the left side . Hey …We need “Time-slip” Ron’s LAST name to track him down in the Rehab someplace .

[bossguy]

Dino and Charlie, just to set the record straight, the story I relayed to Charlie was about the post and cable guard rail that Dino is stating that Darwin didn’t like. I moved to Dutchess in Sept 1975 and with new job, family, house etc I think I only got to Dover once in 76. I remember it was 76 because I had a black 76 Ranchero demo and I hung the pit pass on the radio knob. Monday morning a salesman was showing my demo to a potential buyer. The salesman came back and handed me the pit pass and said, “the next time you race your demo be sure to remove the evidence”. I hadn’t raced it but of course no one would believe me. I worked with Richie Schott at Heritage Ford in Beacon and he relayed the story of his encounter with the shut down area that wrecked his dragster. When Richie and I worked together again at Pleasant Valley Ford in 1980 he told me that Pleasant Valley Ford had sold a F700 dump truck to the peat moss facility that took over after the track closed.

[dinoKeymaster]

THAT REMINDS ME of all the Hertz Shelbys that showed up…Like what was Hertz thinking? nobody would DO THAT?

[dinoKeymaster]

Bossguy has relayed NEW “local” info and phone numbers to do a Dover CSI hit.

[super-sport-pete]

hi dino.ss pete here. maybe someone can do csi on this post. i don’t think i missed one sunday in 76.opening day i think snow was still on the hills. i raced my 67 SS in bk 1. one week only 3 cars in my class (20-40) was avg. i was at sams before 3 , so this was unusual for dover.so here goes. i “MAY”have been the last car to make “an offical timed run ” at dover. here’s the deal. i won bk 1 then ran koh against a 65 chev wagon 18.0 vs 12.0. i got r/u according to my time slips.brackets were usually at the end unless hot car pits needed time etc.and when i got to the trophy booth i got my one and only dover check and 2 trophys in one day with the same car from joe and talked for a while about the closing and no one else came in.does anyone know the bank where the check came from? 33 yrs of files? it was a memorable day for me. can anyone shed some lite on this one?

[dinoKeymaster]

Checks Came out of ” Dover Drag Strip of Ct. Inc.”–Account.. Chet & Joe did “Banking ” in home town- Brookfield or Danbury. …see Carl Spiedels check sub, down in the “chronicals “I think.

WHAT DID JOE “TELL” YOU about the Closing ?

[super-sport-pete]

dino, ss pete again.joe told me for what i remember,car count,rich land was very profitable at the time, track wasn’t.they were digging while we were racing.i don’t remember when it started. he put up a big building to store the equipment.the rest is history. P S i watched you letter the ad man cars at towne body in strfd ct in 1974. i was on call with the wrecker,i think.you also did a sign for my streetrod for the armory car show.i think i still have it,can’t find.keep up the good work.

[dinoKeymaster]

33 years Ago ON THIS DATE…..”the Day the Music Died “….”Drove my Chevy to the leeve ,but the levee was dry”

[vbobParticipant]

HEY

Everybody sing ——

a one and a 2—– BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE DROVE MY CHEVY TO THE LEVY BUT THE LEVY WAS DRY ,,come on you know all the rest ,lets hear it !!

‘V’

[dinoKeymaster]

Super Stock Pete !….last man Standing ? got a ’76 win decal you can scan & post ? My latest Question is…If It closed May 23 -1976…how many weeks did they get in previous?….as we Usually opened in April, weather permitting . Why anything with ’76 on it, would be a real collector item.

[super-sport-pete]

hi dino, yes i do.YES it is the genuine,orignal article!it is on my tool box.i also have 3 trophys from 1976.(no year on them).i brought them to marcus,to show brian but i don’t know who he is.had to leave early to go to work.will try again.i can’t send pics on my computer,it is a 1992 hand me down.however we will get them to the site soon.dover always opened after easter,so in 76 april 18-may 23 short season

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