History | Racing Short Track Style

The first thing to mention about Super Dirt Week it’s location. Situated amidst of the great Finger Lakes of New York is the track known as the Moody Mile, it is the longest dirt track in America and how to one of the greatest dirt programs anywhere. http://superdirtweekonline.com/history

The above link is to the site that hosts this event each year located in Syracuse and is the New York State Fairgrounds. The website http://www.superdirtcarseries.com/ gives you as much history about this event as you could possibly want.

Seneca Lake

I went to high school not far from Syracuse and is where I entered the military in 1974. The area at-large includes Ithaca University and Cornell U. The haunts of Carl Sagan, author of the original COSMOS series and those big lakes named after the American Indian Tribes which included the Iroquois, Senecan and Oneidans.

Super Dirt Week first raced in 1972 and now 42 years later is carrying on in fine fashion. For more information please check out the main page of the Dirt Week site.

This track used to lie close to I-4 Speedway in Tampa on Fairgrounds property and I cannot even put my head around the fact that the track is now gone and for over 25 years as I recall. and hardly a trace of it remains.

There is a concrete barrier I believe into turns 1&2 and a light pole that helped to light the track. There is a also part of fence and the flag stand. A friend of mine lost his father in racing and raced at that track. He now races himself (the son) . I actually went to races there with my late father, an Air Force Veteran and buried in a National Burial Ground in Florida.

Photo: Here is what sits on top of the old Speedway. It is a music venue. Note the on ramp from the right. That ramp is in the same place. Look at Gene's pictures on the back straight and you can see the relation of the track to the ramp.

Time marches on!!!

Every time that I would pass there on I-4, I would wonder and reflect upon it’s impact on the lives of fans, drivers and family. Each track has it’s legacy drivers that eventually become heroes and like the track itself succumb to their own fateful passing away. And for the remaining tracks where new drivers drifted off to, the sounds of revving motors running full tilt with the smell of food, drinks and photo shops.

I saw here Sammy Rodriguez work his way around the track there and East Bay. Sammy was a hot shoe and now retired and owner of Dirt Devil’s Speedway north of Land O’ Lakes, Florida. I worked with him on a few projects and the track he owns races primarily go-karts but is very clean and nice appearing thanks to Sammy and former Late Model star, Terry DeCaire.

Bobby Alexander #15. A great hard charging competitor and a rival of Terry DeCaire in his USA-1 Late Model.

When I was there, the track was older and I think is part of the reason it was abandoned. But the ghosts remain and the track-side tragedies and dramas remain, until those veritable warriors left us wanting. Future generations may not see the signs but I would. It was an attraction to me and enjoyable in it’s shortcomings as it’s intrinsic value to car owners, drivers and sponsors.