NEW YORK STREET RACING 60'S & 70'S ~ story found

Those were the days for sure. Crossbay Blvd and the Big Bow Wow drive in restaurant was the place to cruise to and to see and be seen. The street races on Crossbay and the near by Connecting Hwy had it all. The real action started in the early 60's when 409's, 389 Pontiacs and 383 Mopars could be dealer bought. We also hung out at Schorrs drive in restaurant in Rockville Ctr. and raced on Sunrise Hwy and the Jones Beach Causeway. As I said before it was just like American Graffiti. I feel sorry for the younger generation who never experienced real street racing.

 

My favorites.

Jimbo

 

just "Falcon" around

 

Was there 2 c it all.The best street racing was at connecting hwy.where u look down over the guardrails 2 c the action.Once in a while u would c a flatbed with a racecar or one being towed in.Another good spot was the Marina next 2 Shea Stadium where I actually saw one of Sox and Martins cars being towed in but not fired up.A lot of local race cars being towed down there and racing with slicks and open headers.Cops would drive by sometimes and we would tell them 2 throw the lights and siren on 4 a goof.........and they would comply with a smile.Fountain Ave.,had steady racing but Laurel Hill and Review were quiet as long as Connecting was still racing.But the best night was at 150th.st. at the Conduit where I actually counted 7 flat bed trucks with race cars and 1 being towed in by bar.Saw 3 big money races 3 ft. from the action and also saw Dino's 68 Camaro from Speed World run........High 8 sec. car on the street.Great times ,fun times and it still puts a smile on my face.The funny thing was I worked 4 a parts manufacturer and guess who calls.........Dino from Speed world now in Florida.Iasked him about the car and had a flashback about it..............Just great times.................

 

Hey guys new to the forum , I found this post while online love it ! I'm originally from Staten Island and would love to see some pix Of Late sixties cars from the island some stick out in my mind such as seventh sun 56/57 Chevy solid axle , jeep with 327 n 4 speed , Anglia that ran around , silver 69 Hemi charger 4 speed , eliminator , bosses a guy Ronnie had a 427 4 speed vette black , ect any memories of honeywood diner and lounge ,Weston's Arden ave drag racing hylan blvd ect...before it all was bulldozed and crowded with semis and developed land , I have some great stories of the south shore street racing days late 60s any of your stories or cars you have pix of would be awesome thanks guys looking forward to being a member here . Keep up the great posts

 

Just found this video and it rules ! Thank you for posting it.

 

Hello found this post on accident I actually was looking for vintage pictures of Staten Island to reminisce a bit... I remember the cars you speak of and the diners and bars what a great time we had ! I remember the corvette too and the "seventh son "," aggravation" and so many others my god what a great time to be alive except for NAM.
As far as the cars you wrote about the silver Hemi charger believe it or not is back in Staten Island I beleive the original owners son or relative tracked it down and owns it again . I saw the car at a local show here and poked around it a bit and saw a matchbook in the car and as ironic as it sounds it was a honey wood diner book....!!! I was quit shocked I hung around till the owner came back and we bullshitted a bit now I remember the car vividly as being a car we didn't want run unless you had something worth while my buddy ran him a few times and lost to the charger on Arden and Hylan blvd he had a blue 67 GTX , the guy's name is on the tip of my tongue but cannot remember it , if I see the car again I'll take some pics sure he won't care , wow so weird finding this post and if anyone else has memories of these days or any pictures post them this old guy would love it.
Too cool

 

I remember Rt 5.. Central ave, in the 60s. Went to Union College there in Schenectady.
I heard that it was still running in the 70s - The NEBA roast beef turn, they called it!
Bought a ton of corvette 'glas pieces at Marsh Hallman when they were thinning out
their parts warehouse.
Getting ready to use it now, 50 years later, to do a Southeast Gassers '62 vette build.

 

Thunderbolts... Elwood Benker?

 

my name is nicky moestang I street raced in bklyn&queens for big money,my car w/67mustang 428scj tow car I street raced w/the best in 70s&80so if you want to talk street racing call me 917 309-0583 e-mail [email protected]

 

from what I read on this web site, most of you never hung with the big boys,I AM ONE OF THE BIG BOYS. NICKY MOESTANG 67MUSTANG 428SCJ if you want the big stories call me (917)309-0583 or e-mail me [email protected]

 

Go ahead and write your story(s) out big boy and we will read !!!!!!

 

These stories Bring back a lot of Memories, since I had
my Speed Shop no to far from the Connecting Hyway
in fact I towed my Race Car downed there, to do some Burn-outs
and Met a Freind of Mine from South ozone Park & he had
his Car there Called The American, which was a Hemi cuda
10% engine setback Automatic 9 sec. car
I would not run down the Conecting because the Car was Fully Lettered
and the Cops would just wait by my shop for Me.!
upper Laurel hill Blvd. was another Place we would Race,
and in front of Shea Stadium the 1/4 mi. was Marked off
and the Exit ramps is wear the Flat Beds waited for the Cars
to finish the Run.
that was in the late 60's-early 70's

just my 3.5 cents

 

Well, the thread has been posted to as late as 2017... so I don't feel bad posting..
Wow, the nostalgia! Can't resist chiming in...
Wonder if any of the early posters are still around...

I had forgotten SO many of the details...
REALLY grateful to all who've refreshed these very old memories!
It's gone from a truncated blur to many many memories returning in a flood.. Can barely think of anything else right now..

For me it began around 1976...
(might have gone to the connecting in 75 with a year older buddy the first time)..
Drove in to spectate in 76 having finally got my license... but it became a regular thing in 77 once I got my Z-28...

It was the waning days of Connecting Hwy by that point... I'd missed the best of it I guess...
It was still going though... vivid memories of standing at the guard rails..
Tooling around the service road looking for parking... pulling into the gas station at one side of the overpass was it?

I remember pulling in late-ish the first night they opened the hydrants.. cop cars all around.... took a sec to figure out what was going on, then do a 180..
Standing water 6 inches deep in a few spots I recall...
That did it.
So the action moved somewhere else...
Though half heatedly at first.... and it never got AS crazy again... but there were moments... in places....

What came next? I seem to recall the word getting out that it moved to somewhere on the Clearview?... Place had a raised service road too, I recall..
Traffic was fairly heavy there though, even at 11 pm and later...
Vividly recall standing at the guardrail as a race was about to go off..
Seems it was a route for city bus drivers deadheading back to homebase...
Just as the flag was about to drop.... one busdriver, half asleep and speeding about 75mph, comming around the curve....
I can see his face right now..... yawning and stretching... almost plowed right into the back of them..
Bus fishtailing all over the lanes as he panic braked....

I recall using CB radios to keep up with where the scene moved around to...
Seems that once the cops had had success shutting down the connecting.... they kept at it...
A sort of rolling curtailment..
After a brief "chilling effect", people started coming out again.. and got used to the scene moving around... from location to location.

I remember Fountain.... Crossbay.... Conduit..

In my case, it was cars from 76 till the early 80s, then motorcycles..
Still had the car for 2 yrs that I had a bike.. so that overlapped a bit.
Seem to recall it was different nights though.... bikes were wed?
So for those cpl yrs... I'd go to both.. lol.........

Eventually, with the cars........ Connecting had been dead for so long, after getting kicked out of Crossbay and/or fountain some nights, the most serious racers went up to the Connecting on the QT.

After I sold the car...... I wound back at all the old haunts (except for Connecting) from around 80 till 88.... pretty regularly.
It gets hard to separate out the memories.... which vehicle at which point in time...

I have very clear memories now (thanks to this thread) of each location...
Many hours in the lots of Big Bow Wow and Pizza city...
The "pits" along the sides of Crossbay...
And racing racing racing............
(by the time I sold that car all the frame welds were pulling apart.... and why I sold it LOL)
Even ppl getting hit by a car going astray...
Hours along the side of Conduit...
The smell of jet fuel added to the vibe...
Coffee at the diner when it got late....
Surprised bus drivers there too....

Fountain too....
Before it moved to the side street............. the garbage trucks careening...
(seems to be a theme there...)

I now remember many of the cars mentioned over the course of the thread...
A few of the people too...
The trailer-ed in cars...
I could go on and on.... Reply to so many posts..

I remember "Highway One"!!!
(the one cop car that got respect)

I remember getting on the Belt after leaving BowWow/Pizza city on a crackdown night........ On my bike (82 Suz 1100)
Cop behind me had just put his cherries on but I pretended to not notice....
He followed me onto the Belt.... to my surprise...
I gassed it and WENT!
He kept comming.. and comming....
Pretty soon, I could see in the rearviews... several cop cars up on the service road... "leapfrogging" the intersections..
(one car closing it off so another could speed through)..
So I gassed it some more!!!!
Weaving between cars at 130mph..
It was a race for the big-sweeper, fast left hand curve
(where Sunrise/27 began?) (I left the area in 88 never to return)
No more service road after that point....
I made the curve at around 95mph... went a couple more miles, got off at an exit, and disapeared into the neighborhood.
Small local roads took a long time to get to Nassau county..
Where I got back on the highway.

I'd race anything that seemed a reasonable match..
NOT the trailer-ed in cars.... mine was my daily driver..
(seems almost laughable now, that a car like that could be a daily... lol)

MAN oh man.... huge fun! Thought it would never end.....

 

Back in the 60's and early 70's everyone who raced had kill stickers on their windows to show how bad their cars were.
Here are a few from the New York area.
Jimbo

 

Hly Snit! Port Washington Auto Parts!!
I remember all those stickers...

 

Another newspaper clipping from around 1962. Bob

 

LMAO!

 

I went to Gompers HS on Simpson st and Evander for my last 6 months. I hung out at the Allerton Castle from about 1959 to 64. I had several cars that could hold there own. A Red 60 Biscayne with the 335hp version 348 I had done by Dick Simoneck out in Patterson NJ. that I bought from the guy that rebuilds crankshafts there in the Bronx. I understands he's still there doin that.. Hung with My buddy Rupie from Ely Ave. had a Red Impala with a 335hp 348ci. He eventually ran a pro stock up at Dover. I met him when I worked for Dirty Mike on the post rd. Then I got a 1930 Model A coupe with a 327 that was pretty quick I eventuall took to Les Dunham in Bontoon in NJ to get channeled and painted Candy Tangrine. and a 40 Ford Sedan with an Olds V8 and then I got a red 63 Ramcharger with the 426 wedge with crossover rams and didn't hardly lose on the thruway or Conner st, or up on the Sprain Brook or up at Portchester against their Vettes and GTO's. I lost once to a guy at Islip with a 64 Hemi 4spd car. Used to be a guy at the Castle that worked for GM and always had spare Muncie 4spds and posi rears for sale. I got one of each. After getting Back from Vietnam I was in The Chariots for a while and I raced my Harley sportster all over NYC and was only beat once, by a Norton Commando out in Queens. Then rode it up to the Woodstock concert in the rain. Great times, lot of memories. Lots of fun, girls and weed, but we lived thru it.

 

Fun stories! But I'm a little skeptical about NYC being the biggest scene in the US. Car and Driver magazine had an article (in the 70's?) about the street racing on Woodward Ave in Detroit, with the automaker's engineers racing factory experimental cars. And SoCal doesn't take a back seat to anyone. But, who knows? Nothing can be proven at this point in history.

 

My 1966 Fairlane GT/A

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