THE LITTLE TRACK

And so, on December 7, 1941 the United States was at war with the Axis - Germany, Japan, and Italy. By 1942, factories were being converted to full wartime production of armaments. The military might of Our Nation was stirring. Troops were training while Cadillac Motor Division was building tanks. Pearl Harbor was recovering while Ford was tooling up to build B-24 bombers.

In spite of the declaration of war, the American Racing Drivers Club was getting ready to race at a brand new track in Middletown, NY...

On the day the letter below was written, racing had not yet been suspended "for the duration." Eleven days later (July 31, 1942) auto racing was, in fact, prohibited until the war's end. Supplies of rubber, gasoline, aluminum, and steel were strictly rationed, and none were available for recreation or sporting events.

What happened during that eleven-day window is anyone's guess. Ray Martin, in his book "The Hard Clay in Orange County - Fifty Years of Speed," suggests that "some form of racing took place in 1942." Could the ARDC have been the first to officially race on the new little oval on July 26? Nothing I've found confirms or denies this. No records have been found to indicate that a race did, in fact, take place. During the war, high school track events were staged on the little oval.

Contrary to what I was led to believe, the 1/5-mile track wasn't paved until 1946. That year, the ARDC raced almost every Wednesday night at what was now being called "Victory Speedway."

I found this letter in one of Nick Fornoro's many scrapbooks. Many thanks to Ace Lane, Jr. for making a beautiful color copy of the letter.