TOWING TO THE TRACK: an expeariance in itself

[dinoKeymaster]

Sure we have Racin memories ….BUT getting there was half the fun. …..or was it? tow-bars, flat towing, the first ramp trucks, home built trailers, stuff it a dump truck, chains ….gotta GET there. Here’s Ken Jackson ,ready to cross the state line, Rt.6 on right in Brewster ….Oh- then you had to deal with all the law…differant townships, states …weird local “laws” …

photo from Bob Krosky

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[dinoKeymaster]

YOU GUYS MUST have some Stories about “Getting There Was Half The Fun” the breakdowns-the accidents- the “strange” Tow rigs and contraptions ,just to travel to race?

[patinaParticipant]

While going up to Dover on Sunday morning and me the good catholic boy fresh from 6 AM mass we stop at a station somewhere along rte. 22 for some ice well I get elected to climb in the ice chute since I was the thinest and grab some bags of ice 🙄 much to our suprise the owner was inside the machine loading it up with ice 😮 needless to say my friends told him that they put the quarter in but nothing came out thats why they sent me in. 😆 😆 😆

Pat

[dinoKeymaster]

This bears repeating…said it someplace else…..ONE Sunday morning….I kind of overslept..’rough night at the AFT”.My Brother hopped in the GT350 and left without me. Ouch….So I go out in front of my house…that’s North Bedford Rd. in Katonah…actually part of Rt.22 and stick my thumb out. The parade of Dover cars was always going right by. Everybody flat towing.Who finally recognizes me and pulls over ? Tom Iorrizo with that big old mean Black Impala. No room in the tow-car…”Get in the Race Car” …COOL …I get in on the passenger side …don’t want to mess with the steering wheel .Everytime we go over a bump, I hear this ‘clanking noise” coming from umder my feet. Curious as I am -I pick up the loosely layed in carpet. There…. under the carpet is….. about 100 lbs of barbell weights !

[abadwillys]

while im not as old as some of youz 😛 i remember going with friends who flat towed to the track with bumper tabs and a tow bar and free wheeling hubs, i also remember riding to the the track like that in the car being flat towed!!! try doin that these days and youll end up in jail!

[babycakesParticipant]

Dino,coming to the ‘track’ from coming across the Pok. bridge over the Hudson River was a bummer when you hit the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’,including the curves,on the mountain,on Rte.21 when flat towing your race car.Prior to having disc brakes,your drum brakes and downshifting got a ‘good’ workout to say the least! Boy did you learn quickly how to respect that stretch of road!A few times I took it a ‘little’ too fast coming down,and had to hog most of the road,’LUCKY’ no on coming traffic!

[6t5frlaneParticipant]

I had Flat Towed from New City Ny to Dover. Had a 70 Nova L78 car towed by a Big Chevy .Went down a grade ( no idea wheer ) nearing the track and the car fish tailed. Bent the bar and scared the crap out of myself.

[hvy70ssParticipant]

Back in ’77 or ’78, I flat towed my ’68 Tempest (BB Chevy 12 second car) to Englishtown on a typical Sunday. I towed it with my ’67 GTO using a tow bar and free wheeling hubs. After my second timeshot I came back to find ALL towing equpiment GONE. Had to get my my buddy with his flatbed to pick the race car up and return it to Highland Falls. Moral of the story…lock up your stuff at Etown back then. Don’t know if it still happens today.

Smitty

[dinoKeymaster]

OPENING DAY!-New York National Speedway !!! ! Just had to go ! …I had just lettered the legendary “Henry The Eighth” ’50 ford (first owned by Lou DiRubba-Built by Lagana) for new owner (JIM WINKLER-Armonk,N.Y)…Rode with him BUT….never made it ! He was flat towing it with a big ol GM station wagon with rear coil springs. It was weaving (The Race Car), all over from one lane to the next on the Sunrise Highway. Thought I was gonna die…. He wouldn’t slow down.Jim could’t hold her in control ! finally ,fish tailed so bad ,we hit both the left and right side guard rails and the car came loose. Sat on the side off the road and watched everybody go by. Limped back to Armonk and missed opening Day.

[vbobParticipant]

HEY

WOW!! I remember a looong time ago when gas was 25 cents a gallon! We deceide to go to NY National Speedway out in Centermoricess l.I.!
Here we are driving from central Ct. since 4 a. m. when all of a sudden this Chevy stationwagon pulling some 50 ish kindda race car tries to pass us .Now were going about 65 and this wagon comes up along side of us and starts taking up the whole highway ! Theres this long hair hippie riding shotgun screaming help me help me were gonna die!!!!! and get this,hes trying to crawl out the window but the weving of the 2 cars is too much!!I will never forget the look on his face !!!
Well, we hammer it and get the hell out of their way and we said a pray for them and never saw them again !!! Well we get to the races and had a great day dispite the ordeal we had on the road!!
To this day, the sight of that hippies faces screaming still haunts me!!

Oh, some of the facts in this story may not be true!!
‘V’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25TXzPuje7I&feature=fvwrel

.V-BOB!!!………….Absolutly Hilarious….if ya got nine minutes ..watch it ….Yeah Man-Ralph! 😆 😆 :lol:[Dino]

[john-sachs-srParticipant]

Insanely TRUE story……….. Did it twice.
Back in the day, when real old people bought new cars, they usually were sold the foot, or foot and a half tall bumper guards. 🙄
In a rush coming home from NY Natl.,all lanes going slow, with plenty of room for the car in the left lane to speed up, 😡 I was towing the Anglia on the trailer. I crept up on the old timer, Comet with REAL BIG bumper guards, and started to help him along. With the large diameter steering wheels the cars of that era had, I about peed myself watching the guy drive. 😆
I did the same thing with my van, going to Island Dragway on the interstate.Had my Pro-Stock bike in it. That driver got off at the next exit.I figured I was caught. 😳 Apparently he never called the PoPo. Thankfully there were no cell phones in those days. ❗
John 😉

[dinoKeymaster]

Who said Racers don’t have fun ‘Getting There” …You Bad John.Funny though!

[striker59]

Towing our 56 Dodge Hemi with a chain to Islip dragstrip, we raised the front end by stretching out the shocks and welding. That front end was bouncing like crazy. This was our car, Backyard Automotive we called ourselves. As a matter of fact Bernie Shacker made the roll bar for us. Toms Speed Shop donated slicks and his garage for us to work in.

[paul-ceasrine]

Thinking back,,,,,,,,,
Getting up early Sunday mornings in 1970….at age 13
Got to sit in the drivers seat of my fathers 67′ Barracuda, as he ‘flat-towed’ the car from Mahopac to Dover.
I could do that ride with my eyes closed.
Up Route 6, up through Lake Carmel to Route 52,,,,
hit Route 312 and go through Patterson,,,,,,and come out on Route 22.

The first stop was ‘Karen’s Lunchonette’ on the right side of Route 22 heading north,,,,,
right before the Dutchess County border,,,,,,
Man, the cars that would stop at that place for breakfast,,,,,a ton of guys from Yonkers and Mt. Vernon,
every Sunday at 7:00 AM,,,,,
After breakfast, it was amazing,,,,,,as it always seemed like everybody left at the same time….

30 to 40 cars in tow,,,,,,heading to Dover in a line,,,,,,,,,,just like a ‘convoy’,,,,,,

pc

[dinoKeymaster]

Trucks -Trailers- Flat Beds- Chains -Towbars…..Whatever It Took …we was gona get there…of course many Drove their racer to the track… most had plates….some didn’t . Lets see some of Your Hauling solutions.

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