Vanderbilt Cup Races

Did you identify the National Midget Championship race track in Westbury, Long Island?

Identify;

• Location and orientation of the photographer

Over Westbury, looking east over Roosevelt Raceway

• The race track in the photo.
• Race and date

This is the second midget oval track built over Roosevelt Raceway for the National Midget Auto Championship on August 12, 1939. Two other known events were held at the abandoned Roosevelt Raceway built for the 1936/1937 revived Vanderbilt Cup races. The first was a small club event held on 9/25/1937 and utilized the layout of the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Race course, (see YouTube video below). The second event was midget racing in 1938. The event was not that successful as drivers complained that the oval track was too small and speeds didn't even break 50mph. In 1939, this larger 1/2 mile oval was built for the championship race that year. If you look closely at this mystery photo, you can make out the earlier, and smaller, 1938 oval track.

Be on the lookout for an upcoming InstaGram Report post on the 1939 race and track.

• What other races were held at this location before and after the date of this photo?

-As mentioned, Roosevelt Raceway was originally constructed for the 1936/1937 Vanderbilt Cup revival

-1937 ARCA Club meet racing on 1937 Vanderbilt Cup course

-1938 Midget racing on the small oval track

-1939 National Midget Championship on new 1/2 mile oval (Mystery Photo)

-1940 Original harness track built for horse racing

-1960 The June 19, 1960 event was yet another Vanderbilt Cup Race revival

• Are there any Motor Parkway structures in the photo?

While the resolution isn't quite good enough to see, the locations for the Meadow Brook Lodge and Merrick Ave parkway bridge are indicated by the red arrows in the photo below, with the yellow arrow pointing to the curved 'hump' of the Meadowbrook parkway bridge.

Congrats to James King and Steve Lucas for identifying the 1939 National Midget Championship race.

Greg O. 

1938

The first, smaller oval track built in 1938 for the first midget racing.

1939

The second oval. now a half mile in length for the 1939 Midget Championship.

(Note; the smaller oval can still be seen inside the larger oval.)

locations for the Meadow Brook Lodge and Merrick Ave parkway bridge are indicated by the red arrows in the photo, with the yellow arrow pointing to the curved 'hump' of the Meadowbrook parkway bridge.

1940

In 1940, the property was sold and converted for horse racing with this third oval built for harness racing. The harness track can always be identified by its slightly askew position and the presence of the 'U-shaped" horse paddock next to it.

The August 12, 1939 article on the National Midget Championship race in the New York Times.

Pictured, the 1939 National Championship winner Morris "Babe" Bower. Joe Garson finished second, and Perry Grimm was third.

Photo from the Marty Himes Estate

ARCA Club Event Roosevelt Raceway,  9-25-1937

Note the original Roosevelt Field hangars 1:27