Long Ride on a Short Track

Uncommon men in common cars, mostly Ford and Chevrolet: Here are the stories of the "real" drivers... The quiet hamlet of Riverhead on New York’s Long Island is known today as the Gateway to the East End for vacationers en route to the Hamptons. But in 1957, Riverhead, and the rest of Long Island, was a much louder place. That year, as a 10-year-old boy, Ken Spooner saw his first stock car race at Riverhead Raceway. After that, he watched many nights unfold from the stands of both Riverhead and the now-demolished Islip Speedway. As so many boys watching men with their toys, he eventually got the itch to join the fun. So it was in the summer of 1965 that Spooner raced at Riverhead right alongside some of his childhood heroes. More than four decades later, he returned to Long Island to interview those drivers. These are their stories. You will be transported right into the drivers seat, to experience the way racing was and will never be again.