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This should be an easy one for Dwight,but how many Long Island Modified stock car drivers left to race on DIRT, never to return to asphalt racing? A few tried but returned. A few won Long Island Langhorne (DIRT) qualifiers, but that was a one shot deal. Very few made the switch for good.
The only one I can think of is Ronnie Schwendemann. Many of the LIers raced on dirt. The All-Star League drivers raced several times on dirt. DeAngelo, Harbach, Kempster, Moon, Winters, Jarzombek, etc. Harbach and Kempster raced dirt frequently as did Jim Malone. All were regulars at the Eastern States 200 at Middletown for years. They also raced at Langhorne when it was dirt. Malone had the best ever finish for a LIer on the dirt at Langhorne when he finished 6th in 1964, the last year for dirt there. He also was 6th at the Trenton 200 that year on pavement. Harbach was one of the only LI drivers to ever race at Stafford when it was dirt. Bruno Brackey was a semi regular at Reading for a while recording an 8th as his best finish. Real old timers will remember Tom Nolan and his #250 coupe. He took that to Reading once and flipped it down the backstretch. All of this was in the days when you could run one car on both surfaces. Those days are gone forever.
You are correct with Ronnie Schwendenmann. He left for good to run Middletown in his #1 and his X cars. Two others that I know of were Billy Deakin Jr.,in a nice little yellow #88 coupe,and Richard Evans ( not Richie Evans #61) From Freeport who ran a # 416 at East Winsor and Flemington after he left Freeport.They ran very well on these bigger tracks.
I had forgotten about Deakin and never knew about Richard Evans. Deakin was a nice guy. His father was a good racer. I'll never forget the night at the Island Gardens in West Hempstead when Bill Sr. won a 100 lap TQ feature and won a full size refrigerator that was bigger than the car!
Dwight
Do you have any memorabilia from the Island garden? Programs Etc?
I attended many shows there.'
Dwight
Do you have any memorabilia from the Island Garden? Programs Etc?
I attended many shows there.'
No, unfortunately I don't. I used to ride from Bay Shore to W. Hempstead in the back of Harry Hebenstreit's Ford pickup and I was too busy keeping warm to hold on to any programs.:) I wish I did. I collect programs and have many from places like Stafford (1949), Trenton, Langhorne, Indiana Fairgrounds, Duquoin, etc. And Indy programs and Clymer books from 1946 to present.
I was just a lad of about 10 years old back then. I wish I would have known to keep some of it myself.