RACING PROGRAMS SET FOR AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM

With the unseasonable late fall weather about to change to winter, the outdoor racing season is over and the focus of fans and racers alike turns to remembering the past at the Saratoga Automobile Museum. An all-star slate of programs has been scheduled, beginning with Lost Speedways Two on Saturday, November 24th at 1 pm. Eight speakers will bring nearly two dozen speedways that no longer exist back to life, with many illustrating their topics with vintage photos. A number of historians and collectors will share their treasures, visitors are encouraged to bring memorabilia to display, a museum volunteer will record oral histories of audience members with stories to tell and Syracuse’s Don Bartlett will screen movies of the Waterloo and Watertown Speedways, among others. December 1st will find Ernie and Eddie Marshall, two of the Lebanon Valley Speedway’s most popular drivers ever, recalling the highlights of their career. The event will be held alongside the #77 Ford coupe that Ernie drove to the 1970 Lebanon Valley championship. He also won the ’69 and ’70 Langhorne National Open qualifiers at Lebanon in the beautifully restored car, on loan from collector Bruce Carman. Eddie Marshall, who lost the 2007 Lebanon Valley championship by a handful of points, will discuss his career as well, with both taking questions from the audience. January will bring a pair of exciting programs to the auto museum. On Sunday, January 6th at 1 pm, Mini-Stock Madness will feature Bob Hackel, the nation’s premier Mini-Stock racer, discussing his illustrious career. He’ll be joined by modified star Jeff Trombley, who learned the trade many years ago at the wheel of a VW mini-stock similar to Hackel’s famed #97, currently on exhibit next to the #77 modified. The introduction of the 2008 inductees to the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame is tentatively set for January 19th, with more details to be announced at a later date. Another eagerly awaited event is the opening of the Racing in New York’s next major exhibit, The Syracuse Mile. Featuring the #90 ’33 Ford Coupe with which Cliff Kotary snared one of his record six Labor Day wins at Syracuse in front of a wall of illustrations, the exhibit will include a USAC champ car and one of Super DIRT Week’s most famous winners. The opening ceremony is tentatively set for mid-December. All events will be hosted by the Racing in New York coordinator, National Speed Sport News columnist Ron Hedger. More information about the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Racing in New York gallery, hours of operation and travel directions are available online at www.saratogaautomuseum.org.