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Ed Pope

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[yatescountyhistorycenter]

From horses to horsepower

By Jonathan Monfiletto

The first time I ever set foot in Yates County – intentionally and knowingly, though I cannot think of a time when, or a reason why, I would have traveled through Yates County before then – was to attend a stock car race at what was then called Black Rock Speedway. At the time, I had a friend-of-a-friend who competed in a late model touring series, and the closest the series was appearing to where I lived at the time was Black Rock Speedway – the four-tenths-of-a-mile clay oval located on Route 14A just a stone’s throw from downtown Dundee.

So it was that I found myself hanging around the pit area and sitting in the grandstands at Black Rock, taking in not only my first race at this particular dirt track but also the prestigious Dutch Hoag National Open Weekend. Despite an event and a track surface that were hampered by rainy weather, I recall being impressed by both the action on the track and the uniqueness of the track itself compared to other dirt tracks I had visited. Even still at the track, I looked forward to my next visit for another race, although I’m chagrined to report that next time hasn’t come yet.

What is now known as Outlaw Speedway recently celebrated its 67th season opener, meaning the Dundee racetrack has hosted stock car racing continuously – except for the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, I presume – since the first time it did so in 1957. Perhaps the research I conducted, and the memories and moments I read about, in the course of putting together this article will inspire me to finally make my return visit to the speedway.

According to a September 2019 article in the Dundee Observer – when the Dundee Area Historical Society, up the street from the racetrack, hosted a program honoring the speedway’s history – what was originally called Dundee Speedway (and has been called at least four different names since) hosted its first stock car race in June 1957 with 1,000 fans in attendance. Penn Yan’s Glenn Reiners – who went on to become a legend at the speedway – won the inaugural 20-lap feature, besting a field of 14 cars. The track was located at the Dundee Fairgrounds, which had previously held horse races and continued to host horse racing, along with stock car racing, throughout the decades.

The first reference to Dundee Speedway that I can find in the Yates County History Center’s digitized newspaper collection is a May 1957 advertisement in the Observer, announcing the opening of the racetrack at the fairgrounds on May 31 and boasting 40 cars taking part in eight races (likely a main feature with a series of qualifying races leading up to it). On August 1, the Observer reported that 1,500 fans witnessed the first-ever championship race at the speedway, with Reiners once again coming out on top in a field of 20 cars. On August 16, the racetrack conducted a push car race for local youngsters and their homemade “hot rods,” as they had the chance to compete on the same track as their heroes. Horses and horsepower shared the slate of events for the Dundee Fair that year, and who else but Reiners won the stock car race held during the fair.

As the racetrack prepared for its second season in May 1958, the Observer reported the inaugural year of stock car racing had drawn the attention of several local enthusiasts, who built cars to compete in the races. With Reiners once again leading the point standings at the speedway, Dundee Speedway announced it would once again host a race for homemade push cars for a soap box derby and also hold a “powder puff” race for women driving local stock cars. Elmira’s Ethel Buchanan, whom the Observer described as “the top woman driver in this area,” was among the female competitors. Newspaper advertisements reveal some of the other special events held that year, such as a 50-lap mid-season championship race, motorcycle races, quarter midget races, late model races, and jalopy races. The speedway once again hosted its championship event during the Dundee Fair. Reiners won the race and the championship.

Ahead of the 1959 season, the Observer carried a profile on Reiners, Dundee Speedway’s two-time and only track champion. At the time, Reiners – who owned a repair shop and bulldozing business away from his auto racing pursuits – was also the track champion at Maple Grove Speedway in Waterloo the previous four seasons. For the coming season, the Yates Stock Car Racing Association – which leased the racetrack from the Dundee Fair Association – announced rule changes geared toward bringing in more competitors, increasing the limit on car models from those made in 1948 and before to those made in 1953 and before and allowing anyone with a valid driver’s license to compete in races, whereas the previous age limit was 21 and older. The rule changes didn’t slow down Reiners at all, as he seemed to either win the race or finish in the top three on the way to his third-straight championship in the speedway’s three years of competition.

However, Reiners seemed absent from competition at Dundee Speedway during the 1960 season. That opened the door for the likes of Hoot Gibson, George Schenck, and Dick Karlnoski to claim checkered flags in the races and a place atop the point standings. It is unclear from newspaper reports who won the track championship that year. Nevertheless, so went the first few years of Dundee Speedway’s existence, and so go the following years and decades of its history. At some point, the racetrack split its competitors into classes of sportsmen – older model cars – and late models – more modern cars. Later, modifieds were added to the slate. Stock car races continued to be a part of the Dundee Fair along with horse races and other competitive events. Stuntman Joie Chitwood also put on exhibitions at the speedway during the fair.

In September 1970, the speedway staged the Richard Karlnoski Memorial stock car race after Karlnoski, a Dundee man and speedway favorite – nicknamed The Flying Polack – died in a traffic crash. The proceeds from the event supported the Karlnoski family, and drivers also donated their prize money to the fund. Local businesses also contributed to the event, and drivers from the other area tracks at which Karlnoski competed – including Chemung, Addison, and Woodhull – joined the Dundee field for the event. It was expected the largest stock race ever held in the speedway’s history.

In March 1971, Dundee Speedway introduced snowmobile racing to its venue, and it continued to host motorcycle racing alongside its slate of stock car races as well. During the 1970s, the speedway also attracted racers from Drivers Independent Race Tracks (DIRT), a sanctioning body and racing series that began earlier in the decade. The speedway marked 1979 as the oldest club-owned racetrack in New York – under the auspices of what was then called the Dundee Stock Car Racing Association – and by joining forces with DIRT to sanction the late model division. Amid a gas crisis that saw a spike in prices both for racing fuel and regular gasoline, and many racetracks shutting down as a result, Dundee Speedway continued to attract 70-plus competitors each Friday night and a capacity crowd to cheer them on.

Entering a new decade, following a series of rainouts in 1979 and track improvements that left the association in debt, it appeared the speedway would close after 23 seasons. However, through off-season fundraisers and volunteer support, the speedway opened as scheduled in 1980. While the track continued operating, at some point its name changed. The Chronicle-Express of May 9, 1985, offers the earliest reference to Dundee Raceway Park that I could find. That appears to be when Steve Wetmore took over ownership and promotion of the speedway from the Dundee Stock Car Racing Association. The following season, the racetrack marked its 30th season and its fourth under sanctioning by DIRT.

Wetmore concluded his run at the helm of the speedway at the end of the 1994 season, as Lin and Cindy Hough, of Bath, and Sam Kelly and Margo Miller, of Dundee, took over the racetrack and renamed it Black Rock Speedway. Dean Hoag, the son of legendary dirt track racer Dutch Hoag, took over the speedway in 2005 but kept the name. Andrew Harpell leased the racetrack from Hoag in 2014 and called it Yates County Speedway, but Hoag regained control the following year and reverted the name to Black Rock Speedway. In 2016, Tyler Siri purchased the racetrack from Hoag and gave the speedway its current name, Outlaw Speedway.

The cars, the drivers, the track, and the times have changed since that first Friday night in 1957. What hasn’t changed is that for the last almost 70 years, the roar of stock cars can be heard from the Dundee racetrack on Friday nights from the late spring through the summer to the early fall.

[letstalkracing]

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[numbdarkjedi66]

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Tail light Tuesday from the @hotroddirtdrags last year. See y’all soon. KustomCarPhotography.com #kustom #car #photography #colorado #denver #automotivephotography #carsofinstagram #americanmuscle #Tuesday #latemodel #hotrod #teampentax #ricoh #pentax #taillighttuesday (at Monte Vista, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/kustomcar/p/BwDBpaCh7Fg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2bz5axhm1sms

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[xforis]

An incredible photo taken by my sister last weekend. #💕 #RaceCar #AmericanRacerTires #Team28 #WESCAR #LateModel #TravellingSeries #🏁 #LetsGoRacing (at Penticton Speedway) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjBYxWXPhZi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[alyssaruffin]

Hey y'all!! If you're in Montgomery this Saturday, grab you some tickets to the Southern Super Series 🥊Rumble By the River🥊 at the @montgomerymotorspeedway 🏁 featuring Super Late Model races🏎 I will be singing the National Anthem for opening ceremonies. I recommend arriving by 6:30pm if you'd like to see me perform! Hope to see y'all there! #letsgoracing #Montgomery #alabama #alyssaruffin #nationalanthem #womeninmusic #femalemusician #recordingartist #singersongwriter #aurallyrecords #aurallyrecordsartist #sonymusic #theorchard #america #openingceremony #vroomvroom #latemodel #superlatemodels #races #racetrack #racecars #rumblebytheriver #southernsuperseries #racing (at Montgomery Motor Speedway) https://www.instagram.com/p/CerEf6VO0zm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Late Model CARS Tour racing at Langley Speedway 8-29-2020, #awesome #race #latemodel #driveitlikeyoustoleit #carstour #racing #howtogofast #hot (at Larry King Law's Langley Speedway) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEh0mZKh9D9/?igshid=k2jzo2nyg7mc

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