ISLAND DRAGWAY CLOSING FOR GOOD !!!!!

[67gt428Participant]

Is it true that Island Dragway closing for good ????? Alot of people are telling me that it is..

Tommy D

[bobby-s]

Just read a message on face book about it, bummer to the racers that likes that track.
Hope the reason is told so everyone knows what really caused it & if true.
Just like English Town is sold every year.

[hvy70ssParticipant]

Sorry to say this IS true…not like the annual E-Town rumors. I received a phone call from the track manager on Sat. Reasons, let’s just say financial and a little politics. Regardless of opinion this is not good for the northeast area. Many great memories and always great place to get ALOT of runs in on T&T days. Glad we had a few Dover races there. As Hank in the tower would say….Dover was our “sister” track back in the day. RIP Island, gonna miss that place. 😥

Bobby Smith

[babycakesParticipant]

WOW!!! That’s ‘shocking’ news that really hits close to home! When ‘Island’ first opened in 1960,it became my ‘local’ track (prior to that it was Montgomery ).I lived in Jersey at the time,before I moved to N.Y. State in 66,after I got out of the Army.I can’t begin to tell you all the ‘fond’ memories I have from there,till I got drafted.I still made the trip down there to run up to the mid 70’s with my drag cars.Another shock was seeing ‘Duke’ Snyder ( Official Tech Inspector since 1960) still working there when we had our Dover Nostalgia Drag event there a few year’s ago.It was ‘great’ to talk ‘ole’ times there with him.No doubt,it had alot of ‘twin’ features like ‘Dover’. Very sad and heartbreaking to hear it’s closing;however,it can’t take away the priceless memories I have of Island Dragway! Another farewell to a ‘great’ memorable dragstrip! 😥 Pete.

[wizeguy1320]

Is there anything any of us can do?,….sign something? write something?

we can’t just let the current most nostalgic dragstrip go away without causing a ruckus,….. at least thats how i feel about it

[dinoKeymaster]

Don’t think there’s much you could do except find a ‘sugar daddy’ to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse to take it over. But it’s a private property and land package. Maybe She just wants to retire. I saw the writing on the wall at our last race in 2010.That weekend the “mom” died,transfering ownership to the daughter. Tony was Not in the mix for control or inheritance,and was promptly “Ousted”, I was told. So would it be Closed?- Sold?- leased?’ run by “her” just in the same condition?- Upgraded?-….I didn’t like the odds, so I called Mr. Commander,and We now have a new “home” at Lebanon.Too bad….one of the Northeasts founding Drag Strips and where Garlits ran his first 200.Plenty of History and achievments.

[dinoKeymaster]

Great info and commentary Here:
http://www.dragtimenews.com/

[mikey]

I used to run there once in a while in the late 60s and early70s. Sometimes Englishtown, and once in a while Epping, New England Dragway. But my home track was always Dover. The only bad memoriey I have of Island, is that I blew up my first engine there, final round of Modified Eliminator. I won, but puked the motor just as I hit the lights. The money was not even close to the damage. Oh, well, such is life. This is the car, and the pic is at Island. ………………Mikey 😆

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[bobby-s]

just got these e-mails, no more island dragway,
——————————————————————————–
Bobby,
It is Island Dragway, closed due to back taxes and epa issues
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and they were saying island is closed for good because of back taxes owed and D.E.P. shut them down for raw sewage into the brook.
another one with a LOT of north east history GONE.
BUMMER

[dinoKeymaster]

Opps….Can’t be poopin in the creek 😯

[vindicatorParticipant]

🙁 🙁 🙁 Hey Guys…the reality of Island Dragway (the “Cabbage Patch”) closing…for NY-NJ-CT “cats”…ain’t good…yeah, yeah I know it’s “short”/bumpy,etc….although we’ve run 185-90 there plenty of times way back when…U…just hadda’ pay attention ‘eh…ala’…Dover… the late Ed & Kay Kowalik were real good people..their “word” was their bond…no lack of integrity there…they booked us in many times with the East Coast Fuel Funny Car Circuit…always insisted to Tom “Smoker” Smith…they had to have “the” Ford (us) car…no matter a match race,4-car,8-car,16 car “show”…Tony Demarky married Kathy (their daughter)…is a straight-up guy…a lil’ rough around the edges 😆 😆 😆 …but…you could take his word…to the bank (or anywhere else) too…sadly…he & Kathy have had a pretty nasty divorce situation…mom/Kay died (keeper of the finances)…the “rest” is evident…taxes…EPA…Hank Dinger is a great guy…been announcing there for eons’ too…it surely shouldn’t “end” this way… 🙁 🙁 🙁 …have some $$$ readily available…could possibly arrange purchase…depending on the “real” numbers…but…the EPA…yikes…those “folks” can make the “thought” of such…a instant “memory”…taking nothing away from Lebanon Valley/ Howard (he…& Don Kline booked us several x a season for years too!) Island wuz/is far more real “grass roots” Dover “like”…but as Dino stated above…it all works (Lebanon Valley) for the annual Dover “digs”…(a good “thing”)… 😀 😀 😀 …just a another sad day to witness added to Dover,Connecticut Dragway/Islip, NY National,Westhampton,Utica Rome,Glens Falls,Pocono Drag Lodge (many more)…and a ever increasing big “pile” of others…here in North Carolina…we have 6 tracks within 45 minutes max (of Mooresville)…3 within 10-20 minutes…that race 2-3x a week about 9 1/2-10 months a year…our hearts always will be in the Northeast…sadly…the “ez” regular racing opportunity…ain’t…’nuff said… 🙁 🙁 🙁 Drake

[dinoKeymaster]

Drake got me thinking…first ..I’m Inviting Hank to guest announce at our Nostalgia Drags…we had such a great time manning the mics together at Island those two years..sharing and trading stories for the folks…He’s a true historian of northeast racing even before my introduction to it all ‘in ’67.Second …a little sewage in a creek is probably from the old Concession stand restrooms…That could be just eliminated by a little upgrade. Back taxes ….don’t know the liability there…will the potential new owner get stuck? don’t know…don’t know IF they’ll be a new owner…but ….a little research could uncover a possable remedy. Sounds like a Tax and EPA problem that might be too much for anyone to cover. Need more info. Maybe it will just become a bigger cabbage patch.Too many tracks have not been an investors choice to keep open when housing developement brings in more profit…ala New York National Speedway….or selling peatmoss and gravel compared to weekly track income (DOVER).

[vindicatorParticipant]

😀 😀 😀 Hey Dino…think you have a very “noble” thought about Hank Dinger…that would be a neat deal having Hank on-board with you…he’s a genuine “good guy”…has been announcing at Island all these years…not to get “rich” for sure… simply because he has a true passion for drag racing/drag racers/people…tax people generally can be worked with…depending on length & amount of arrears…but “hoss”…EPA in general think in very large “term$”…when comes to rectifying a “problem”…overkill…might be a much more realistic (accurate) term 😆 😆 😆 …these “factors” as you said may make purchase prohibitive…the real “facts” may well present themselves shortly…hopefully…that’ll tell the tale ‘eh…again…thank you for your consideration of Hank Dinger…he’s always been special…and deserves better “closure” to his long loyal announcing “career”… 😀 😀 😀 …I can sort of close my eyes…and hear ol’ Hank’s well “modulated” voice tone…that never semed to change much even over all the years… 😀 😀 😀 just another…on this long “road of life”…a most memorable “cat” 😀 😀 😀 Drake

[dinoKeymaster]

EPA “could” be the cost factor in shutting it down instead of paying to fix.But we don’t know the details….My little pea brain says call a plumber…maybe install a septic tank or recycling thingie and dredge out the stream….knowing them, they probably hit the track with big fines and penalties that would have to be paid…then the problems fixed -THEN they give you the OK to reopen. Bet ther’es some kind of Sign on the gates now prohibiting entry “by Order of the Gov.” Almost sounds like ‘someone “ratted’ or complained ‘downstream’ on them…why now?

[babycakesParticipant]

My personal opinion of the demise of Island Dragway was caused by never updating and improving the strip.It got ‘stale’,and never updated to the way drag strips are nowadays! When we had our Dover Drags there a few yea’s ago,hardly anything ‘changed’ from 1960 ( the rough roadway in,snack bars,and restrooms were antiques).It was a sin to see the spectator side closed down (used to be packed).Yeah,it was a nice ole feeling if your into ‘ole’ time nostalgia drags (which i love),however,things have changed,and so has the times with the ‘new’ generation of drag cars who run every week (even test and tune nights) that bring in the bucks to keep drag strips alive.My belief is that if Howie Commander didn’t invest and update Lebanon Valley Dragstrip (it’s come a ‘long’ way baby!) that too would have fallin to the wayside also,like Island. I hate to be negative about the ‘fall’ of Island; I have many fond memories from it,and only hope there’s someone out there that can invest and bring it back to life!

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