Vanderbilt Cup Races

LIMP Bridge over Central Ave and the LIRR in Bethpage.  Just north of dead man’s curve.

From Mystery Friday Foto #9 Solved; The Central Ave Bridge Being Built

  Overpass at Central Avenue in Bethpage

From Mystery Friday Foto #9 Solved; The Central Ave Bridge Being Built

Loved seeing all the supporting materials that were added after the “mystery” was solved. The Marty Himes memorabilia is a rare treat. Thanks for sharing it.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

My first guess was this would be the Polo Grounds where the Dodgers played.

The track looks to be wood planks. My dad took me to a race once in Garden City South on Hempstead Turnpike, indoors in some arena. I believe there is still an arch from that place fronting the Cherry Valley Marketplace. Dad called the race cars “Midgets.”

That’s all my failing memory, eyesight, and Google could dig up.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

I believe the picture shows Dexter Park which I think was off Woodhaven Blvd in Queens.
Was never there because I was not allowed to drive out of Nassau County

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

A little clearer picture.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

New York’s Polo Grounds - New York Giants

“During the summer months, while the Giants baseball team was on the road, the             facility was converted into a racetrack that hosted Midget cars. The $150,000 one-fifth-mile board surface was laid over an aluminum frame so as to not damage the playing field, and took 18 hours to construct.” (Getty Images)
 
1948/1949

Article is from Billboard, April 17, 1948.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

From James King

Polo Grounds

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

From Wayne Carroll Petersen

Thanks to Howard Kroplick http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com for Keeping my Great Uncle Barney Oldfield, Master Driver of the World & America’s Legendary Speed King Legacy Alive! American Automotive Racing History at its Best!

From Book Reviews: The Master Driver of the World- The 1914 Cactus Derby

That’s the iconic Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan, NYC. Remembered mainly as the home of the NY Giants baseball team, it also served (at various times) as the home field for the NY Football Giants, NY Highlanders (later NY Yankees), NY Titans (jets), and NY Mets. The track was a portable wood board track. It was used by midget racers (sometimes called sprint cars). I believe the date of the photo is 1948. The track was designed to be portable by Lionel Levy and consisted of 2200 separate pieces weighing a total of 325 tons and needing 30 semi trucks for transport. It took a team of 200 workers about 14 hours to set it up using aluminum supports with stainless steel fittings.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

The Polo Grounds at155th Street and 8th Avenue,Manhattan, home of the New York Giants.  (also used at various times by NY Yankees, NY Mets, Titans-Jets) torn down in 1964. Only remains are staircase from Cogan’s Bluff.                                                  Track is banked wood board track for ARCD (American Racing Care Drivers) piloting Offenhauser type midget racers
First race on board track June 8th 1948, Due to low attendance only 2 races took place of the scheduled 15.( previous earlier races on the warning track tore-up part of the baseball field)
Track was 1-1/2” tongue n groove board on aluminum frame with metal fittings, 30 semi trucks of materials, set up and then dismantled in 14 hours by a crew of 200 men.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

NY Giants (baseball) Polo Grounds . Manhattan NY
Year 1948
midget race car driving. Very popular at the time.
Horace Stoneman ,2nd generation owner of the team ,Needed some extra pocket money. Same man who moved Giants to west coast (SF) after 57 season, after Dodgers also announced relocation to La La land.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

I believe this is the Coogan’s Bluff Ballpark- The Polo Grounds

Home of the NY (baseball) Giants

The Mets played here their first two years I believe,

If this helps

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

Polo Grounds
Home of the NY Giants (baseball),
also the Metsies for a while before Shea was built

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

Congratulations to the you for the wonderful tribute I will stop by soon

From Damianos Realty Group pays tribute to the Long Island Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races

Back in 1962 1 attended my first ever Met game at this stadium.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

It’s the Polo Grounds, of course. But then, again, I’m 75 y/o and my father took me there in the ‘50s and I went to see the Mets w/one or more of my friends when they had to use the field starting in ‘62 before Shea was completed in ‘64.
I recognize the midget cars. And the track was probably made of wood. But to discern the exact year is hard. First, night baseball started to be used in 1935 during the Depression. And the event might have been held during the War. But It just seems to outlandish for me that the event would have been held during either of these eras. So, my conclusion is that the races were done after the War. However, I don’t know how they would have been run during the baseball season. I imagine that they would have been run either shortly before or shortly after the baseball season. When?  I haven’t a clue. However, I was born in ‘48 and I started to read at four; my closest aunt was a school teacher. But I didn’t start to read newspapers regularly until I was in 2nd grade at PS 162 in Bayside where each parent had to buy a student subscription to the old NY Herald Tribune. And I never heard it mentioned on the radio. So, the way I figure it, the races must have been between the end of the War in ‘45 and ‘53.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

1958 Stock car racing at the Polo Grounds. I think the track was made of wooden boards.

From Mystery Friday Foto #8 Solved; Midget Racing at the Polo Grounds & The Marty Himes Collection

Love this and look forward to seeing it, especially that “racer” reception desk!

From Damianos Realty Group pays tribute to the Long Island Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races

Really enjoyed this article. Glad to see a local business keeping the history alive. Especially liked the old panels from Newsday.

From Damianos Realty Group pays tribute to the Long Island Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races