VICTORIA SPEEDWAY
Dunnsville, NY

     Victoria was always the poor sister to the big tracks like Fonda and Lebanon Valley. In fact. for a few years, it was the only spot where teams from both speedways could meet one another in competition [the Fonda drivers having to use racing pseudonyms to avid trouble with the repressive NASCAR]. Victoria was a paperclip - shaped affair, meant only for horse racing. It suffered from terrible luck with the weather. Finally, in the mid 1960's, the track closed forever. It has a special place in the hearts of anyone involved in the sportsman racing scene in those days. Today, the site still shows up - clear as a bell - on aerial photos.

Poster Courtesy of Ken Gypson

Layout Photos All Courtesy of Danny Ody
Backstretch view of Victoria Speedway when it was still active.

Frontstretch view of Victoria Speedway when it was still active.

Bleachers view of Victoria Speedway when it was still active.

Nephew and Baumie ended up on ebay - not that either of them would have known what it was.

From the Schenectady Gazette
From the looks of the names, this is in the period when the track was NASCAR, so the local
smaller teams and the Lebanon Valley cars did not feel welcome.

1960's Action Photos

Courtesy of the Jeep Herbert Family
A heat takes green. The 333 may be Ron Quackenbush; the 71 is likely
Lee Millington; Jeep Herbert may be fourth from left; and that is Chet Hames
on the flagstand.

Courtesy of the Jeep Herbert Family
Another heat takes green. The 40 Harold "Bugs Bunny" Betts; the 74 could be Wayne Coon:
the Red Knoblauch 13 is wheeled by Johnny Perry. The car on the inside is the
Richard Welch 77 [maybe George Baumgardner]; and Tony Villano's 37 is also
visible, with Pete Corey probably driving. Ya never knew at Victoria.

Courtesy of the Jeep Herbert Family
A 3rd heat takes green. The Bob Miller 49 is driven by Doc Blanchard;
that could be Oscar Porath in the 3; and the 111 is Ken Shoemaker.

1960's Posed Photos

Ladabouche Collection Jim Luke, Utica, NY The Pop Wilcox 32	HAMB Website Phil Spiak, Troy, NY	Cliff Wright Collection Ken Shoemaker, Westmere, NY The Cliff Wright 24	Wes Moody Collection Mike Michaels [Suraske], Oriskany, NY	Wes Moody Collection Wes "Slugger"Moody, Saranac Lake, NY
Courtesy of Steve Judd Andy Romano, Johnstown, NY	Courtesy of John Grady Pepper Eastman, Madison, NY The Bob Zimmerman 72	Ladabouche Collection Irv Taylor, Rexford, NY His own car	HAMB Website Jim Luke, Utica, NY Godfrey Wentzel's 00	Ladabouche Collection Ken Canestrari, Cohoes, NY
Courtesy of Bob Novak Jim Koehler Coventry, CT	Courtesy of John Grady Pepper Eastman, Madison, NY	Courtesy of Otto Graham Jeep Herbert Rotterdam, NY The Vince Barbuto 2

1960's Winners' Photos

Bob Novak Collection Roger Gauthier, Fort Edward, NY Chas. Habreck 53	Teresco Family Photos Jack Farquhar, Euphrata, NY Teresco & Mancini 685	Herbert Collection Photos Jeep Herbert, Rotterdam, NY The Vince Barbuto 2	Bob NovakCollection Blackjack DuBrul Shelburne, VT	Courtesy of John Grady Lou Lazzaro, Utica, NY
Ladabouche Collection Howie Westervelt, Ravena, NY The Cliff Wright 83	Herbert Family Photo Jeep Herbert, Rotterdam, NY The Frank Trinkhaus car	HAMB Photo Steady Eddie Flemke, New Britain, CT	Courtesy of Dan Ody Ken Shoemaker, Westmere, NY The Cliff Wright 24

Courtesy of Danny Ody
Cars pull off into the infield after a heat. 33, Wimble' 61, Danish; 40, George Janoski; unknown 23;
and 87 Lou Smith.

Courtesy of Otto Graham
A typical early Victoria start: 7-11, Frank Trinkhaus'; 62, Jeep Herbert; 61, Steve Danish; RU21, Link Pettit;
54, Willie Chest; and the JR Earl 1, Jeep Herbert.
 

 Photos From 8MM Movie Footage

8MM DVD - Dan Ody Spencer Parkhurst, Saratoga Sprgs, NY Red and Black car	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Don Wayman takes his turn in the Smith & Son Jewelers 00.	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Jerry Townley, Catskill, NY The Cross 47 car	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Ed Ortiz, Ransomville, NY	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Doug Garrison, Poughkeepsie, NY Martin Riiska's Yellow X
8MM DVD - Dan Ody Howie Westervelt, Ravena NY Cliff Wright's Ford	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Jeep Herbert, with the seldom - seen Chris Drellos 111A	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Pepper Eastman on the hook with the ill-fated Bob Zimmerman 72 in which he would be killed later that season.	8MM DVD - Dan Ody The Frank Trinkhaus late model Chevy coupe giving kiddie rides around 1960.	8MM DVD - Dan Ody The more conventional Trinkhaus coupe in Victory Lane.
8MM DVD - Dan Ody The driver of Welch's late model Chevy coupe climbs in.	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Chet Hames gets the flag back from Donny Wayman.	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Don Wayman, Cobleskill, NY Cliff Wright's Ford 9A	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Richard Welch's late model Chevy coupe.	8MM DVD - Dan Ody Steve Danish [left] and Ray Sitterly come down for the green.

Frame from Dan Ody's Vintage Tracks DVD
Chet Hames, the region's premier flagger, surveys the field at Victoria [probably after NASCAR
approved the track].

Herbert Family Photo
Jeep Herbert wrestles Frank Trinkhaus' heavy 1950 Chevy coupe as he tries to hold off Kenny Shoemaker
in the Chris Drellos 111. I doubt he could manage to keep the evil - handling best ahead of Show. NASCAR
had allowed bigger motors in these later  model cars; but they wouldn't handle like the pre - WWII coupes.

John Grady Photo via Dave Dykes' Website
This totally fantastic 1965 shot shows a typically - eclectic Victoria mishmash of a field. The SUPER 29 is future Cohoes car builder, Dexter Dorr, then driving
out of Manchester, VT. Also identifiable is the Floyd Wilcox car [renumbered 62], the John Cross 47, probably with Jack Farquhar, and George Proctor's #52 Hudson.
Except for the presence of the Wilcox car, I would have bet this was some sort of hobby class race because that is what Proctor drove at Victoria. Dorr had
a sportsman, but Fairmont engines were not very big.

Historic Aerials Website
The Victoria site, as it looked from the air in 2006. The track is still used for horses, apparently.

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