Vanderbilt Cup Races

Construction of the track begins

Here is the sign that promoted the first event and the creation of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit. You can see track directors Henry Austin Clark Jr. and others posing for the photo.

Note that although the sign indicates the track will open in 1955, it wasn’t until two years later in 1957 when the track became operational.

– Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

It took a little over a year for track developers to purchase each plot of land for the property. Some of the plots had “last known” owner deeds that traced back 100 years, but eventually the committee found the rightful descendants/owners of each plot and the land was acquired.

Here we see the final track layout plans on a topographic map dated 1957.

– Map from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

A Jaguar testing out the graded but unpaved Bridgehampton race course. It looks like the driver got a little too excited and dug themselves a bit of a hole in the sand.

– Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

The early years 1957 - 1959

Bridgehampton officially opened on September 28th, 1957. The inaugural weekend event featured a mature sports car race. Here is the cover illustration by Bob Powell that depicts the track opening.

While the track was technically complete on opening day, there was still a great deal of work to be done, including the construction of permanent grandstands for spectators and refreshment stands.

– Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

You can see here that even the pit lane area was incomplete with no guardrail to separate it from the track’s main straightaway.

– Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

Inside the program for the inaugural races, the track promoters write about future plans and ironically, they mentioned that a golf course was slated for the adjacent land the track wasn’t using. Little did anyone know that by the early 2000s, the track would close and the land would be entirely taken over by a golf course. But that isn’t for quite a while in the history of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit.

NASCAR held its first race at Bridgehampton in 1957.

– Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

REMEMBER THE BRIDGE
Bridgehampton Race Circuit
SCCA Inaugural Races, September 28-29, 1957
By Daniel F. Stanfill III

The moving car show “parade” laps made a popular return at Bridgehampton. Here we see the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup-winning Locomobile  "Old 16", with owner Peter Helck's son Jerry Helck behind the wheel.

– Image from the 1958 Bridgehampton program.

And because we all love Duesenbergs, here's  Henry Austin Clark Jr.'s 1914 model flying past spectators on a parade lap.

– Image from the 1958 Bridgehampton program.

The gasoline sponsor ESSO provided racing fuel to all the racers at Bridgehampton. I was unable to find out if the racers had to pay for their gas or if the sponsor provided it. If anyone knows, please share.

– Image from the 1957 Bridgehampton program.

Bridgehampton allowed spectators to get very close to the racing action. Here, you can see many people lined up on the sandy dunes that bank the race course.

– Photographer unknown, VCR archives.

The peak years 1960 -1969

Here is a drawing of how they improved spectator amenities and parking for the Bridgehampton Race Circuit. Note that this is exactly how everything stayed until the closure of the track in 1999.

– Map sourced from the 1965 Bridgehampton program.

During the 1960s, Bridgehampton began holding more professional race driver series such as Can-Am.

Here we see Jim Hall driving his Chaparral to the starting grid and a view of the Long Island Sound in the background.

– Photo sourced from Stephin Roullier

1963 Bridgehampton front row grid. On the pole was Ken Miles, followed by Dan Gurney, and Bob Holbert (closest to the camera). Carroll Shelby is seen in the middle of the picture giving a pep talk to these all-star drivers in their Shelby Cobras.

Dan Gurney won and Ken Miles finished second. Bob Holbert had a DNF due to an axel problem.

– Photo credit Albert Bochroch.

Bridgehampton was not an easy race track by any means. Loose sand could easily blow onto the race track, making the surface of the course slippery.

Along with double apex corners and the unique “light bulb” corner, it was a challenging run to cross the finish line.

– Photo sourced from Stephin Roullier

Here we see the start of the 1967 Can-Am race at Bridgehampton. Note that the striped red and yellow flag is being waved, indicating to the drivers that there is oil on the track.

– Photo credit John McGinnis

A Shelby GT500 Mustang going flat-out on the main straightaway.

– Photo sourced from Stephin Roullier

Can-Am cars swarming the race track on the opening laps of a late 1960s race.

– Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

NASCAR made repeated returns to Bridgehampton during the 1960s with much fanfare.

Here's Richard Petty winning the 1963 NASCAR race.

– Photo sourced from Getty Images.

The return of the Vanderbilt Cup series to Long Island happened in 1965 at Bridgehampton. There was no trademark attached to the Vanderbilt Cup Races name, so it made financial sense to rebrand it as a recognizable and historic racing series for Bridgehampton.

Inside the program's first page were details on where the original Vanderbilt Cup trophy was preserved and located.

The racing cars that participated in the 1965 Vanderbilt Cup Race were far ahead of technology compared to the early 1900s racing cars that raced along the Motor Parkway.

– Images from the 1968 VCR Bridgehampton program.

Marc Donahue is crowned the winner of the Vanderbilt Cup Races at Bridgehampton.

Cover art for the 1968 Vanderbilt Cup Racing series held at Bridgehampton.

No Alcos or Locolmobiles to be seen here, just a bunch of Lolas and McLarens.

The downturn of the track 1970-1999

After the 1960s, racing at Bridgehampton became more sporadic and less frequent for the professional racing series. The Bridgehampton track still hosted amateur racing events and the occasional professional racing series, but the days of endurance road racing and NASCAR at Bridgehampton faded into the history books.

– Photo credit Pual Rozek.

Mark Donohue, driving the AMC Javelin, leads Parnelli Jones in the yellow Mustang during the 1970 Bridgehampton Trans-Am race. Mark Donohue won the race.

– Photo credit Jim McCarthy.

More Trans-Am action at Bridgehampton.

-- Image from the book Bridgehampton Racing From the Streets to the Bridge by Joel E. Finn.

A Formula-Ford racing event at Bridgehampton and a fantastic looking spectator parking lot. It's hard to believe that those C3 Corvettes were basically considered old used cars during the late 70s and early 80s.

– Photo credit goes to one of our viewers Earl Gandel.

Motorcycle racing became a new event for Bridgehampton in the mid-1970s, and it was a popular spectacle for riders and spectators alike.

– Photo credit: Earl Gandel

Events like the Vanderbilt Cup Races were still held at Bridgehampton from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Here is the program for the 25th year anniversary of the Bridgehampton race track.

A rare 1994 dash plaque from Greg O.when he used to race his Porsche 944 in the Vanderbilt Cup Time Trials with the Eastern Motor Racing Association (EMRA) in the early 90’s.

Inside the program was a full history of racing at the track, as well as a call to action to save the race track from becoming only a memory.

The track surface itself was still smooth and somewhat grippy, but the amenities and technology hadn’t been upgraded since the 1960s. Additionally, noise complaints from local residents lead to a limited amount of times per year that the track could host races.

Combine all of this with how much money it would have cost just to keep up maintenance and security at the track, and the writing was on the wall. The track remained in use for about another ten years.

Here is a program for the 35th anniversary of Bridgehampton. I love the cover art for this particular program, showcasing a selection of race cars that mark the different decades the track was in operation.

Inside the program, it was very clear that the team of enthusiasts who operated Bridgehampton did not want to give up hope for their beloved track.

By 1999, however, the track was closed for good and the land sold for redevelopment.

"Bridgehampton Race Circuit" Tribute/Photo Montage

Bridgehampton Today

While the race track no longer exists in the real world, it has been featured and recreated in automotive racing video games like Assetto Corsa. So while you can't actually race a car today at Bridgehampton, you can relive the memories and racing lines through a simulated experience.

– Image sourced from a review of the track in the video game.

Today, the main straightaway of the track lives on as an access road for the golf course; the pedestrian foot bridge goes across it.

– Image from The Bridge 

Yes, it's sad that the track closed, but with increasing property value and the abundance of homes built in the area, the writing was on the tarmac. Historic cars still travel from far and wide to the site of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit for  The Bridge event held every September.

The Kroplick Collection’s Tucker, Mustang III, Alco Black Beast and Holman Moody Challenger III have attended this event in the past. The Duesenberg will be doing the same on Saturday, September 13, 2025.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at Bridgehampton’s glorious history. Stay tuned for my next article on another Long Island race track. Not as world famous as Bridgehampton, but one that will still capture your imagination and racing adrenaline.