Eldon “Sy” Sidebotham, a founder of New England Dragway, died Monday night, April 6, when his pickup truck overturned on a highway exit ramp near Bedford, New Hampshire. Sidebotham’s truck went down an embankment and rolled several times. He was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. Sidebotham, 72, was a member of the New England Hotrod Council back in the 1960s when the NEHC decided to build their own dragstrip in Epping, NH. He began racing in 1956 with an Olds-powered roaders with partners Dave Crehan and Harvey Richardson. Over the years he owned several dragsters and most recently he participated in cacklefests http://www.streetrodderweb.com/milestones/0304sr_sidebotham_roadster/index.html http://www.cacklefest.com/King-Marshall.shtml
Wow! That's horrible news. Sy was an icon around here and a great guy. He'll be missed by many folks.
That is extremely sad news, he'll be missed very much around this area. Prayers go out for him and his family.
VERY sorry to hear that we have all lost Sy. I met him a few times at various events in the Boston area. A real gentleman and very much a hot rod guy. From dragsters to...well, anything hot rod. We have lost a top drawer guy. (ex-Bostonian Here)
I didn't personally know him but sure enjoyed his involvement in the Nostalgia Fuel Dragster movement.
A friend of mine sent me a e-mail last night about it.A sad day indeed.For those who didn't know Sy,one of the really great things was his mother;"Ma" was as much of a hot rodder as he was.Never forget the first time I met her.She was driving Sy's black Deuce roadster.(See enclosed picture).God speed Sy;you will be missed.
Damn, I was hoping to meet him someday. I have read so much about him in east coast hotrod books. Another legend , gone. RIP. We need to keep his memory going.Does anyone on here have good "Sy" stories to share?? These guys need to live on in our collective memories. Glenn
Sorry to hear we lost another of the old Sanford crew. He was a guy who if he were West Coast , everyone would know him. From an old "Headers of Haverhill" RIP
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class="Large Heading TopPadSmall" vAlign=bottom width="55%">Eldon C. Sidebotham </TD><TD width="1%"> </TD><TD class=TopPadSmall align=right width="44%"> </TD></TR><TR><TD class="Notice TopPadSmall" colSpan=3>BEDFORD - Eldon C. "Sy" Sidebotham, 72, died April 6, 2009, in Bedford. Born on June 3, 1936, in Newton, Mass., he was the son of Gordon and Eleanor (Work) Sidebotham. As a teenager, he lived in Reading, Mass. He was a resident of Bedford since 1972. Prior to then he resided in Nashua. The family includes his wife of six years, Dorothy M. (Woods) Sidebotham of Jacksonville, Fla.; two daughters, Laurel Carey of Wakefield, Mass., and Linda Groom of Agawam, Mass.; two sons, Darius Sidebotham of Boston and Tallis Sidebotham of Manchester; four grandchildren; three step-children, Wendy, Marc and Todd Steves; and five step-grandchildren. IN HIS LIFE: He was involved in drag racing for 60 years. His passion for hot-rods and racing began in the 1950s. In 1955, he built a crude B-modified drag roadster and in 1958 an Olds-powered roadster with partners Dave Crehan and Harvey Richardson. In 1959, he drove a gas-powered dragster at a record-breaking 161 mph, setting a record for his team on the East Coast at that time. In 1957, he founded the Orientals Hot Rod Club of Reading and in 1966 he and his mother "Ma" along with the Brock family built New England Dragway in Epping. He continued on with New England Dragway as the majority shareholder and operator until the late 1970s, when his majority share was bought out by the track corporation. He still maintained a minority share in the track. In 1977, he started Seal Tech Associates of Manchester, a mechanical engineering and contracting company. In 2000, he purchased the original frame of the 1973 King & Marshall front-engine top-fuel dragster. He completely restored the dragster and began touring throughout the country, often participating in old model dragster exhibits and racing events. He recently sold Seal Tech Associates to Eastern Bearing and was planning to retire in Florida. SERVICES: Calling hours are from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Phaneuf Funeral Home, 243 Hanover St., corner of Union Street, Manchester. A funeral service follows at 6 p.m. In the funeral home chapel. The Rev. Douglas Ricard, minister of First Presbyterian Church, will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society, 2 Commerce Drive, 110, Bedford 03110; or Breathe New Hampshire, 9 Cedarwood Drive, Unit 12, Bedford 03110. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Dana just found out this morning and told me - what a horrible loss to New England Hot Rods. Our Open House will be in memory of Sy. Great guy and always had great stories to tell.
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