Vanderbilt Cup Races

 I first met my boss Howard Kroplick in 2008 at a Gymkhana autocross event at the Roosevelt Field Mall when I was seven years old. Howard attended the event in his white 1966 Shelby GT-350H Mustang– this was before he bought the Black Beast (that moment came a year later). My dad found out about the Gymkhana event on the VCR website and decided it would be a fun day to share with his Hot Wheels and Matchbox obsessed son.

 There really was something special about the day; meeting Howard and learning more about the Long Island Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races set in motion a special relationship between me, my dad, and, over time, Howard. Since then, my family always checks the VCR website to get information about upcoming car shows and events, and we’ve all enjoyed learning more about the history of the Vanderbilt Cup Races and automotive history in general.

Click Here to see the article covering the 2008 autocross at Roosevelt Field Mall.

 But, back in 2009, Howard purchased the two-time Vanderbilt Cup Race car winner, the Alco Black Beast. I don't honestly remember how old I was when I was given my first ride in the Black Beast, but every time we saw Howard at a local car event or open house, he would encourage me to sit in the car– sometimes even taking me along for a ride– and learn more about its fascinating history. Howard (then and now!) always had a huge smile on his face and was eager to let anyone sit in the Alco and share the history of his historic race car. 

This image is from one of the first times I saw the Black Beast, this was during the 2009 Great Neck Autofest. 

 The Black Beast was the first old car I was allowed to touch and explore. Howard never employed a hands-off philosophy. He was always generous with the car and encouraging to young kids who were curious about how it looked and how it drove. This fascinated me and instilled in me a deep respect for vintage vehicles and automotive history. I learned that while many old cars are works of art, some even museum-quality works of art, it was still important to be able to touch and feel and experience the cars as they were meant to be experienced.

This image was taken during a Black Beast "pit stop" during an Autocross event in 2010. 

 In 2012, my parents and I attended the Great Neck Autofest and saw two of Howard’s cars: the Black Beast and the as yet unrestored 1933 Chrysler’s Chrysler. Howard recognized me, and immediately beckoned me to jump into the driver's seat of the Black Beast for a photo op. He even mentioned me by name in the post show coverage on his website. Along with the photo of me, there was a photo of a congressman, and also other shots of kids sitting in and enjoying the Black Beast.

In the Car Show Coverage VCR article, Howard captioned the image you see here with "Gram giving directions to his mechanician."

When I googled my name and Howard’s name for this article, I stumbled across the below YouTube video posted by the Great Neck News. The video shows Howard starting the Black Beast and letting me act as the ride-along mechanic, pretending to hand pump the oil. You can see my mom and dad taking photos of me as I’m sitting next to Howard and hear the roar of the Alco’s very loud engine.

Greg O's note: 

That same day at the 2012 Great Neck Autofest, my daughter Erica coincidently sat in the Black Beast for her first time at 9 years old. She too was influenced by her time behind the wheel and now loves that Daddy gets to work with Howard and the Black Beast full-time.

In 3 weeks, this cute, little 9-year-old turns 21 years old! Time flies!

During one of the events where I saw the Black Beast and Howard, he gave me a signed photograph of him and the car. My parents had the image framed and it has been hanging on the wall of my room ever since.

 Here are more images of me when I was a kid at various events with the Black Beast. (Note that my dad James Spina took all photos where the image is tilted.)

The unveiling of the historical marker in Floral Park.

Click Here to read the VCR coverage article of this historical sign unveiling event. 

 This was a car show near Southampton. My mom randomly noticed it as we were driving by, and just by chance, the Black Beast was the main attraction of the show.

The Black Beast getting service work at a classic car restoration shop in Garden City. 

 In conclusion, I found a perfect summary of how much the Black Beast impacted me as a kid. After an autocross event at the Aviation Museum, my dad commented on the VCR website: “The events on Saturday were AMAZING...the exhibit...the gymkhana and…topping it off...the numerous runs of the Black Beast...My son was in heaven! He told me the Beast even "smelled like the old brickyard and gasoline alley." Interesting since...he's never been to Indy.”

The Black Beast with racer Janet Guthrie at the Autocross event at the Cradle of Aviation Aviation Museum. I remember standing along with the spectators at the sidelines watching this image being taken. 

Click Here to read the event coverage article we posted back in 2010.

 The Black Beast awakened something in me and turned me into an automotive history nerd before I fully understood what it meant to be an automotive historian. For that, I want to thank my parents for supporting my dreams and desires to be around historic cars, and I want to thank my boss Howard for trusting me to preserve and document automotive history for the VCR website. If you are curious about what I do for my job, click here for the first-ever article I wrote for the website.

Here is Howard  and me during my most recent ride along in the Black Beast. 

Part two of this series will be on my childhood memories of exploring the Motor Parkway with my dad, so stay tuned!