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jrussole
11-03-2007, 12:27 PM
Does anyone remember any women that raced the circuit during the 1970's and 1980's? My mother was Ann Zima, she drove a Grabber Yellow 1969 Mustang, Mach 1 302. Thanks.
Jules
www.myspace.com/meehanschild

Tower Man
11-08-2007, 01:49 PM
The Ladies Division ran at Islip late 70's early 80's. I remember some names...Pam Harrison, Lurene Lohman, Doris Feola, Pat Dentrone, Kay Walston, Peanut Taylor, Dottie Hedley, Sue Smith, Mary Galvin, Renee Denton...

There were about 10 or 15 drivers before it became the Novice division.

jrussole
11-12-2007, 02:04 PM
Tower Man!
Are you in touch with any of these women? I am hoping that one of them would remember my mother. My Mother, Ann Zima had many trophies. Yet, they are in my Uncle Jimmy's attic and he will not let me have them, or see them. He is reclusive and will not even answer my calls or letters at this time. So, I am at a loss. I am told by my Aunt Patty that my mother- even left rolls of film undeveloped in her attic bedroom! And many items of memorabilia of her racing days. I have previously spoken with Marty Hines, yet he doesn't remember her....I cannot imagine no one remembering her. She raced for 20 years with Sam Scibelli and his crew!

I am hoping that one of these women could share a memory of my mother with me. Or even share a picture of her racing car?
You see, Ann Zima aka Anna Marie Meehan-Zima died in 1987 of Breast Cancer. She suffered with the disease for 10 years prior to her death. Yet, she continued to race like it was also a race for her life.
Please, if anyone is out there or Tower Man if you would be kind enough to help me in this endeavor "for just a memory", I would be eternally grateful.
All I have of her is someone's memories.
Thanks for your reply.
Jules
www.myspace.com/meehanschild

The saddest part of my journey was that she missed me too.

Tower Man
11-13-2007, 02:46 PM
I really haven't seen any of these people in over 20 years. Maybe Neal the Wheel can help.

RickFigure8
11-22-2007, 08:09 PM
Judging from the type of car I bet she drag raced, either at the Islip 1/8 mile or Westhampton or National. I sent her a message on myspace. Might help to find an old time drag racer. Possibly Joe B Sr.
Rick

jrussole
02-27-2008, 09:08 AM
Tower Man and RickFigure8,
Thank you for trying to assist me in my attempts to find any information related to my mother's racing days. I appreciate it. Alas, I believe if I am ever to hold one of her trophies it will be up to my Uncle Jimmy to allow me that priviledge. Not everyone in this world had a mother who was a race car driver. One day, it is my hope to be able to know more about her racing days. I just wish she was around to tell me herself. I wish I would have been granted the opportunity of knowing her as she had wished me to. And those that loved her understood and cared to help me hold one and about nostalgia. The pride I have in regard to her accomplishments in racing and her life in general. I believe that if I remarkably- wasn't so very much like her, it would not have been such a strong endeavor of mine to just hold one of them, even once. Yet, I am sure that anyone who is or has been competitive in sports will understand my desire to hold just one of them, someday. Thank you to all in the racing community who have tried to help me through the years. Your kindness is and has been heartfelt and appreciated. I was told she may have drag raced due to racing against Shirley Muldowney. But my Aunt and Rosalie Pascarella informed me that she did the Crazy 8's and or circuit. But if I am not mistaken, Shirley Muldowney did the circuit before going drag. My mother never went national. She wanted to stay close to home to raise her children.
Jules
ps: if any of you could/would open Scibelli's heart to share with me, memories of my mother and her racing days I would be eternally grateful. He sponsored her and was a close friend of hers for years. But because of her secrecy and embarassment pertaining to me he has not granted me a memory. Neither, has my Uncle. Maybe they didn't even know about me. I have been told by one of her friends that she wished me to find her first or vice versa. Otherwise, "why go through all the fuss." Than she would have explained and divulged to them, her secrets. I have also been told that my father was a man called Tommy Yates. At first they told me it was Scibelli, but she did not have that kind of relationship to him, I was later informed. I do not know if he even knew or knows about me. Or if he was affiliated in the racing community as well. I do not wish to disrupt anyone's life. I just wish to know about my first life and possibly hold a trophy of my mothers.

debster
02-28-2008, 08:47 PM
After reading you request for information about a womens division in the late 70's early 80's I could not remember any womens divison at islip and I was at every race there from 1971 till Islip closed. Most Long Island tracks at that time sometimes would have a race where the regular weekly drivers let women drive there cars, but this only would happen maybe 1 or 2 times a year. To be sure I called my father who raced at Freeport and Islip for many years and asked him about women racing divisions because he was friends with a women driver Jan Craw (I believe she raced mostly at Freeport) he said if there were any women division it might of been in the 1950's he said Marty Himes has pictures of women drivers on his website which are from that era or she was a drag racer he seem to think a drag racer because of the type of car you said she drove and he had never heard of any of the women drivers you mentioned. I hope this was helpful and good luck on you search.

capitalcity300
03-03-2008, 02:39 PM
#1. Go and check the Main or Local Library of your mother's home town. :cheers: :wave:
See if it has micro-film machine and micro-film of the local area newspapers (Morning Newspaper and Evening Newspaper).
Check out micro-film newspaper dated for ?/ ?/1987 Death Notice of Ann Zima aka Anna Marie Meehan-Zima and the 1987 Sports Section (check out time frame: date of day of death through next 7 days.
Check out the micro-film newspaper dated for ?/ ?/1970's and ?/?/1980's News Section and Sports Section (check out for advertising drag racing, oval racing, and figure 8 racing or listing of winners and finishing order of auto races.

#2. Go and check out the Main or Local Library, that is located in the area of the NY race tracks, that your mother may have raced on. :cheers: :wave:
See if it has micro-film machine and micro-film of the local area newspapers (Morning Newspaper and Evening Newspaper).
Check out micro-film newspaper dated for ?/ ?/1987 Death Notice of Ann Zima aka Anna Marie Meehan-Zima and the 1987 Sports Section (check out time frame: date of day of death through next 7 days.
Check out the micro-film newspaper dated for ?/ ?/1970's and ?/?/1980's News Section and Sports Section (check out for advertising drag racing, oval racing, and figure 8 racing or listing of winners and finishing order of auto races.


"Racing History is like looking for Gold, finding it in Bits'n'Pieces" :cheers:

Tower Man
03-07-2008, 07:12 AM
The Ladies Division was formed and raced at Islip Speedway from 1979 to 1981 when it became the Novice Division. I believe Renee Denton was the first Champion and Lurene Lohman won the other years.

Some of the other drivers were , Pam Harrison, Pat Dentrone, Jessica Zell, Dotty Headly, Peanut Taylor, Toni Rogers, Sharon Howard, and Kay Walston.