From:
Bob Millett
To: Steve Newman <speedway.weldingsupply@verizon.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 1 1:00 AM
I was at Lee Sunday for the Bush North show and John Spence (announcing)
mentioned your site. I couldn’t wait to check it out. Lots of memories for me
too!
I moved to Groveland in 1950 on a
street across from the cemetery beside the Pines. Every Sat. night I could hear
the roar the engines and then when I was 5 or 6 my dad & mom brought my
sister & me to the races. I was hooked. I wanted to go every week but Sat.
was dance night for mom & dad, so I could only sit in the back yard &
listen while my sister baby sat me. My sister was 4 years older than me, and one
Sat. night when she was 14 or 15 she proposed a deal. She would go on a date and
I could go to the Pines, "BUT" we both had to be home before mom &
dad. Every week I'd take a silver dollar from my coin collection and go to the
races. The popcorn vender (Joe Amore, I think) also collected tickets at the top
gate. It was 50 cents for kids under 12 and that left me 50 cents for souvenirs.
As I got older (and out of silver dollars) I would go through the cemetery and
sneak into the pits. I couldn’t wait till I was old enough to race. I don't
know if dad ever caught on or not, but while in high school when I mentioned
building a race car it was totally forbidden.
Then at a high school party one night I met a guy named Jim Cheney. He said he
had a class 'B' car but with a blown motor. He was in the navy but would go AWOL
next week if he could race. The next Sat. A.M. we went to Tommy Tidds junkyard
and I bought a 292 cu in engine for $10.
We stopped at Georgetown Auto and picked up a set of rod bearings, installed
them, put in the engine and went racing that night. I think Jim finished 5th.
Jim couldn’t get home for a few weeks and the next time I saw him was at
Hudson Speedway during warm ups. He complained to me that the 292 didn't have
enough power.
From my years of hanging in the pits and listening to his car during the heat
race, I knew his carb vacuum secondaries weren’t working. During intermission,
with the aid of a sheet metal screw and a screwdriver, I converted the carb
secondaries to mechanical. Jim went out and won his 1st ever feature.
It was the beginning of a long (but not long enough) friendship.
Steve, I don’t remember you from Pines, however I do remember you from Star
Speedway.
I may still have a pie of Jim Cheney's # 15 class B car. I may also have some
early Paul Richardson photos and some of my early cars. Both Paul & my 1st
class ‘A’ cars were built by Al Riley.
I hope I haven't written to much, but I have so many early memories from Pines
& Hudson I don’t know when to quit.
From:
"Flyin Frank": Foley
User
Email: usdkargy@aol.com
User
Tel: 603-474-5177
User
FAX:
603-474-7966
Sent:
Sunday, April 27, 2003 9:37 PM
I attended Lee Raceways opener today and I learnt about your web site and I couldn’t wait to get home and check it out and here I am. My Dad took me to the Pines back in the early sixties and I’ve got to tell you what a flashback it was for me seeing your site you know I had hundreds of photos from that era; however, as I grew I lost track of them. I use to replicate models of all the cars back then and sell them at the souvenir stand at both pines and Hudson speedways. My all time favorite was The Flyin School Teacher Mike Murphy and still am today; in fact I’ve seen the Mr. and Mrs. At Lee today, I was mesmerized at that flashy pink #28, in fact I started my racing career at Hudson with the pink #28 however it was a camaro in the strictly stock division not in the A division I wished. However, I am holding in my hand 3 pictures of me standing next to Eddie Santizi's 44x, Bob Powers #33, and Brice Haskell’s Bonnie-Rick Special #213. You know over the years I became good friends with Bobby Luz who has since passed away you know I remember Kenny Small having the guts to stand in front of those cars to start the races and then he would run like hell to get out of the way to avoid getting hit and then there was Glen Gadbois who was the announcer, I think I spelt it right, boy you sure have brought out some old memories of my childhood days! I use to chase Mike Teach Murphy all over Pines and Hudson and what can one say about the big "O" Ollie, he was and still is the best damn super driver I’d ever seen. The other drivers would cringe when they saw his car being pulled into the pits along with names like Don McLaren, Eddie West, Howie Brown and Paul Richardson. In fact, I remember the night Paul was in his rookie season and built a brand new car and went right off into the woods and was hanging from a tree… I could go on and on but I would love very much to chat with you in length sometime feel free to call or anyone else who would like to reminisce a little feel free to give out my e-mail or phone.
From: Skip
To: Steve at Speedway Welding Supply
Sent: Saturday, January 04, 2003 4:49 PM
Found
your site on a link on North East Mods. I was really excited to see it, cause
yours is truly the northeast modifieds. My dad took me to my first stock car
race in the mid 50’s at the West Peabody Speedway and then in the 60’s we
went to the Pines. Like yourself, I have been up to the track site and it is sad
to pull into the parking lot and look down where it once stood. But thanks to
you it still lives on. I’ve taken my boys up to Hudson and Star, and they
still go, sometimes I get to go. I hope the short tracks go on for a long time,
that’s what weekends are for. I can’t contribute anything to your site but I
hope others can. Good luck with this site and Ollie’s car. Wasn’t there a
driver at the Pines named Mo Farmer? Thanks for the memories. Skip
From:
John Spencer
To: Steve,
Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 2:2E) PM
I have too stopped by the Pines and tried to find my way back in time to that little old dustbowl of a speedway. Tried to picture the parking lots, the announcing tower, the Yellow light bulbs that adorned the place, the signs, the hill down to the bathrooms and concessions, the pits, the night McLaren sailed over the pit road and into the river... Wow. What a racetrack. I have a lot of stuff packed away here in Milford NH. I still have not caught up with he rest of the world and purchased a scanner but it is in the works. I have felt it sort of sad when you go online and there is nothing on the web that recognizes the sport from this corner of the world. Its is all vintage mods and Bugsie this and Bugsie that.. It would be nice if people jumped on your wagon and helped you get this off the ground. Good luck with the project
And yes I do remember you racing with NESMRA back in the "Good ol Days!'
From: "LeBaron Hazen, Jr."
To: <speedway.weldingsupply@verizon.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 10:30 PM
Subject: Great Site
Hey
guys. Great job. Brings back a lot of memories for me. I drove in my first real
(spectators race) there in 1971. I think my father took me there for my first time at the races around 1961 or so. Than, maybe in 76 or 7, I was out riding around one day in my 260 Datsun, and drove by the track, and as I drove down into the pits, I noticed the track was open, so I drove in and did a couple of laps around the track. Great memories. Thanks. Baron