Brooklyn, NY Infamous Street Racers Back in the Day

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Wow, that vette rings a bell......purple flake, straight axle....."61 or '62, I remember the car racing at Islip Speedway....I worked there as a kid. I saw a lot of these guys mentioned at Islip over the years. I miss them good old days

 

I remember as a kid of a big money run, we're talking very late 60' or very early 70's between two heavy hitters, a chevy and a mopar, dart and camaro if memory serves me, one was from NJ the other from NY, there was a bitter rival I was told. I heard the run was for $250K..... that was stupid money. Years later I seemed to remember reading an interview with a speed shop owner telling the story.

Two friends of mine worked for Brooklyn Heavy during that period. A lot of his cars came to Islip Speedway where I worked at the time. I heard the stories, but was born about 10 years too late to be in the middle. I did my share of street racing on the LI. Small stuff, had a great record though. I wound up tuning and driving for a guy that raced a lot by the docks in Brooklyn. He raced a 55 chevy Dennis the Menace. Zul was a local hero too. His Blue Max nova was a killer. Great days, greater memories......

 

Is the Russo mentioned in this pic Tony Russo who ran a C/Gas Willys?

 

Another insanely cool thread. This stuff is NUTS. HEAVY. Slim

 

John I think that caption is a misprint of some sort "Russo and Sanzo"

Pat

 

Pat, probably but I'd like to know if that's what Tony raced after the Willys. He told me after he and Bob sold the Willys they stopped racing.

 

I know this is all east coast, and way too cool, we had our own gang here, at the track all the time "soulful strutters" colorful as hell and there were no color line drawn in mn at the strips they owned some x landy cars and the like they just loved dragracin but most dead or in jail kinda sad a very colorful crew!!!!!! ah the good old days

 

Great thread, and I agree it would make a BA movie....especially about Heavy and his life.

 

This thread is bad ass !!!!!!! Jimmy White, where are ya buddy ?!?!?

 

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I remember my first visit to the BK on Hempstead Tpke......I thought I died and went to heaven. There was something there for everyone. It was like a car show, T's, coupes, muscle cars, race cars on trailers, race cars driven in, hot street cars, customs and bikes. Like I said..... something for everybody. I miss those days.

 

i have a memory of when i was a kid and saw street racing going on under the "L" in the bronx outside of morris park ...i dont know if that was a regular thing but there was a big crowd

 

also anyone have any old skool pics of vanderbuilt or "motor pkwy" long island or any of the old tracks not including the hampton track that would be bad ass

 

Those pics are dynommite!

 

Bill

I was talking with a friend the other day about Dennis - he used to tune their cars when he worked at the station in Inwood - any idea where he is now?

 

I two have a few Issue of this mag. and the one he is talking about the NY street race, I want to say it is april 86, vol. 4 Issue 1. I now know the why there were so many strip/street race cars in the mag. from jersey and that area. LOL

 

Oh and if a movie were to be made of this, I'd be there, this would be a bad ass movie, set back in time.

 

150th near JFK seems to have been one of the most popular spots in NY to race. After looking at a map it seems there's several 150th's right around JFK & South Conduit (one section dead ends, then continues on the other side of the airport, for example). Which stretch of 150th did they "conduct" the races on? Someone highlighting the stretch on a map in MS Paint would be great as well

 

Great thread! Was the 'Flying Mile' on the East coast?

 

Tony DeFeo has spoken in this thread:

It now has godlike status!

Off-topic, but Tonys "writing" and his little black stang warped a 16-17 year old and to this day i want to thank him

Cars Illus. and Street/Strip SuperCars....ahhh if only they were still around.........

Carry on with a FANTASTIC thread

 

What a great topic. These days you would be a lot more hard pressed to pull off some shit like they did back in the day and that is too bad. I'd go as far as to say there are probably a ton of brilliant racing minds who prefer to keep it underground due to the NHRA being a bullshit factory trying to be the next nascar where they are more concerned with the drivers looks and marketability than of the drivers skills and balls and the inginuity of the car. Thanks for posting this one....even though I'm a few years late on reading it hahaha.

 

Though it was called 150<SUP>th</SUP> street, that actually was the finish line. You raced on S. Conduit from a marked starting line under the Nassau Expy overpass to the 150<SUP>th</SUP> St overpass. That was a measured ¼ mile. When they revamped all the roads around JFK they changed S. Conduit – it’s not the same anymore.

The worse part of racing there was the almost 2 miles you had to travel to get back to the starting line – all on major streets. Running a car with no exhaust / lights / plates, etc could get a little hairy if the cops wanted to break balls. Luckily most nights they turned a blind eye!

 

Leave it to Glenn to fill me in on the hardcore NY street racing history! Much appreciated!

 

Easy there Mr Blue with that Godlike status stuff...last time I checked I was still a poor working shithead hanging out on the same message board as you are!
But, I appreciate the good words, and it's nice to know the hook set and held.
What's the story with the car in your sig?

 

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Wow, I can't believe you had this photo. I worked at his station in Inwood, the Sunoco on Bayview Ave. I had that car by me trying to sell it for him. I did work on that car as well as a few of my friends as well. I sold it to a guy that put a pontiac motor in it.

I was in touch with him a few years after he quit racing. He was involved in a few different things along the way. I lost touch with him I'd say in the early 90's. I was just in the area where he lived in Medford the other day, and left my card with a note to call me if any members of the Houck family still lived there. I saw a school bus in the driveway, and Elaine drove a mini bus way back...... I hope I got the right house.

A few years back a close friend of Dennis, Pat Leno said he saw him for a minute and said he looked pretty bad shape. Not much more. Elaine was looking to track him down way back, she needed him to sign some legal papers, I have no idea if they got together. So, I guess the bottom line to your question is....I have no idea to his where abouts today. I'd like to track him down.

 

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If I ever get back on my feet again, I want to build a tribute car of this. This was the first 55 that I liked with the front bumper still on it. Maybe over many years I saw 4 or 5 more maybe with the bumper still on that I liked. I think I knew as much about that car as Dennis did. The car was sold years back by the guy that put the pontiac in it to someone in PA.... I tried to get leads on it, but nothing yet.

 

You must know my brother-in-law John Licurse - he was partners with Dennis in the Sunoco station

 

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I think I remember him......I think Dennis told me that he was his accountant. I worked at the station in 77-78-79

 

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I was just informed by someone on here, they were talking to Willie Hasak,
and he was told by Willie that Dennis had died a couple years back. I lost the email, so I don't know who it was.......shame......RIP

 

My two friends that worked for/with Brooklyn Heavy were Bobby Caron and Vinnie Crawford....both did their share of street racing. Bobby I found out died about 3 years back. Vinny I lost track of. He worked for A&N Speed or Performance back in the 70's. He got seriously hurt when a tire he was mounting exploded......it almost killed him. I saw them with the heavy cars at their shop and at Islip. I remember the '69 Camaro on the back of the old transporter and the '66 chevelle with the '67 nose.

 

These photos of Dennis the Menace was the way it looked in '68 or '69 when I first met Dennis. This photo is at Westhampton. If you have any other photos of the car, I'd like to see them if not too much trouble. Over the years I lost a lot of my old stuff. Thanks again for these, they bring back fond memories.