While the Department of Sanitation dropped the ball with their snowplowing efforts after the blizzard of 2010, the Town of Hempstead had their own troubles getting their snowplows through the 2 feet of snow we had on Long Island.
12/27/2010
12/05/2010
12/03/2010
New Front Page for www.yorknostalgia.com
Visit www.yorknostalgia.com for more info on the 10th Annual Musclecar Madness at the 2011 York Reunion hosted by Darwin Doll at the York Expo Center in York PA July 8-9.
11/15/2010
The Pacers AA/A at Roosevelt Raceway August 1962
George Snizek in The Pacers "Tasmanian Devil" AA/A at Roosevelt Raceway August 1962.
Courtesy of the Nick Carbonarro Collection.
11/08/2010
10/16/2010
2010 East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion
Cacklin' The Pacers Auto "Tasmanian Devil" AA/' Fuel Altered and Billy Lynch's Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragster at the 2010 East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Car Show in Henderson, NC.
09/26/2010
Highlights of E-town's 2010 FCR & SummerNationals
RACEWAY NEWS, September 26th, 2010
http://www.dragracingonline.com/features/2010/xii_8-etown-3.html
RACEWAY PARK-Special awards went to Brian Beattie for his outstanding restoration of Jim and Alison Lee's Great Expectations AA/FD, the Pacers Automotive group for their beautiful recreation of the historic AA/FA 23T roadster, and lastly to Honorary Starter, Cris Mirabella of Mirabella Guitars, along with his two young crew members.
The Pacers Team accepts the Best Original Race Car award sponsored by Mirabella Guitars in memory of Frank Mirabella. © John McCartney 2010.
Pacers Tasmanian Devil AA/FA © Mashie Mihalko 2010.
© Mashie Mihalko 2010
Brian Beattie accepts the Best Display Car Award presented by Raceway Park for his restored Jim and Alison Lee Dragster. © John McCartney 2010.
Jungle Pam presents the Rocky Pirrone Girls with the winning plaque for winning the Jungle Pam Backup Girl Contest. © John McCartney 2010.
Rocky Pirrone accepts the Jungle Jim showmanship award presented by Raceway Park from the beautiful Fabiana, Miss Summer Nationals. © John McCartney 2010.
09/12/2010
Pacers AA/FA Cacklin' at the L.I. Cruizin' for a Cure Show
Pacers Fuel Altered during its Cackle' with co-owner, Roy Miller in the car at the 2010 LI Cruizin' for a Cure Show in Melville, NY. Proceeds support free Prostate Cancer Testing and Education on Long Island.
Above: Roy Miller, behind the wheel of the Pacers Fuel Altered during its Cackle.
L-R: Billy Lynch, George Snizek, Juan Pachardo, Roy Miller, Bobby Lynch, and friend.
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L-R: Dennis, Kenny Franzen, Don "Figgie" Figliozzi, Doug Cooper, George Snizek, Roy Miller and Juan Pachardo beside the Pacers AA/Fuel Altered.
Photos and video © Scott Snizek 2010.
09/03/2010
2010 LI Hot Rods & Race Cars Show & Cacklefest
East Neck Auto's 3rd Annual Long Island HOT RODS & RACE CARS CAR SHOW & CACKLEFEST was another HUGE Success!!!! It is the ONLY place on Long Island where you can see, hear, and smell a group of Top Fuel cars up close and meet the guys who built and raced them.
For the past three years, a unique group of custom and competition cars gather together at the end of the summer for a free car show which supports the Wound Warrior Project. It is held at the HSBC bank and host, John Careccia's East Neck Auto Service in West Babylon, NY.
Each year the show is highlighted by the firing up of the featured competition cars so people can experience what 4000 plus horsepower cars look like and experience all the sounds and smells and sensations that come with it. No rock concert beats through your chest the way the sound of a top fuel motor does when its throttle gets cracked open. It takes your breath away, puts tears in your eyes and gives you a sting in your nose and throat, but that is exactly what delights motor heads. Out west this kind of event is known as a Cacklefest. You can not imagine the full-sensory impact it has on you. You just simply have to experience it.
Those who attended were treated to two of the most famous Long Island race cars in the main showroom: The actual 1909 ALCO-6 Vanderbilt Cup Race winner, otherwise known as The Black Beast, and the brand new stunning recreation of the 1963-1964-1966 N.H.R.A. National Record Holder, The Pacers "Tasmanian Devil" AA / Fuel Altered.
A new feature inside the showroom this year was the photography display representing the rich history of Long Island auto racing dating back to the early 1900's. It served as a perfect backdrop for the interviews that CARS & US television host, Dennis C. Tate, conducted with the Long Island racing personalities who attended the show. A special side highlight was seeing the smiles that came from the reunion that sports car racer, Frank Dominianni had with drag racer, Mike Sforza, who haven't seen each other in fifty-one years.
Cris Mirabella returned with the original restored Kenney Goodell Wynn's Stormer Top Fuel Nostalgia Funny Car and the Wilko Brothers had 3 of their blown alky-burning cars there. They brought a 526 ci Keith Black Hemi-powered '65 Mustang, their 451ci Whipple-charged Wounded Warrior Project "Undercover Hemi Monza," plus a dual engined Honda CRX with a 4 cylinder in front and a 14-71 supercharged Olds in its hatchback!
Dennis Quitoni's "Plain Vanilla" fuel altered was displayed without its body and was pasted with clever notecards to inform the crowd about what each part of an active race car is or does. The "Widow Maker" 91 Carpenter rear engine dragster was displayed next to both the F500 of Jeremy Morales and a SCCA Formula Vee giving the public an idea of just how diverse the size of race cars and sport of auto racing can be. The "Fontana Speed" 48 Dodge and "Dragnasty" 62 Corvette were old-skool cool drag cars and Jimmy Reutter's Outlaw SS Nova and Ed Haase's 95 T/S Pontiax gave an idea of what stock cars look like when they are turned into 7.5 sec-185 mph pro race cars.
The quality of cars was impressive and the lots were filled tight with high-end immaculate stock and custom street rods, plus a few low buck rat rods. Everyone was free to come-and-go as they pleased, so there was always a smooth turnover of cars during the day.
At 2 pm, the show started to shake the air of Suffolk County. The gasoline powered race cars heard earlier were loud on their own level, but the alcohol powered racers of the Wilko Bro's. raised it another level louder. Then came Nitro time. The Nitro-Alky fuel percentages were carefully mixed and measured which drew the crowd in with anticipation around the fuel cars. One after the other, the cars were then fired up and run for approximately 2-1/2 minutes at a time. Everyone assumed the "elbows out" stance and made good use of their fingertips as ear plugs.
Former Top Fuel Team owner, Billy Lynch, was first to fire-up. He masterfully tuned his fueler to crackle with claps of thunder and made the crowd jump in unison each time he made it bark with the throttle. Brian Beattie, went next and filled the air with The GEII's thunder as he switched from alcohol to 100% Nitro. Billy Lynch then roared The Pacers Tasmanian Devil to life on a rich, 90% Nitro mix. It was crisp and clean and crackled with precision. When he blipped the throttle, the blasts of Nitro through its signature weedburners scattered everyone from behind the car and sent them scurrying back inside the showroom. It was great to have Charlie "Dodge" Hagenmayer's family on hand to hear the new car, and to see its original driver, George Snizek, back in its driver's seat with his original fuel mask on. Last time that happened it was 1967.
The running of The Pacers Fuel Altered at the show celebrated the car's 50th anniversary and so much more. Back in 1960, Charlie Dodge & George Snizek, conceived, constructed, and raced, what became known as one of the Fastest and Most Beautiful Fuel Altereds in drag racing. The "Snizek & Dodge" Racing Team's roadster (aka "The Tasmanian Devil") running out of their Pacers Automotive shop in Oceanside NY set national speed records, won major events, and took home best appearing awards wherever it went. Their immaculate blown-injected, hemi-powered, white and gold-leafed 23T quickly became a favorite of the fans and the magazines and became a feared competitor at drag strips nationwide.
50 years later, in 2010, a group of former Top Fuel drivers from Long Island got together and decided to recreate that Icon of Speed. In just SIX months time, ROY MILLER, BILLY LYNCH, BERNIE SHACKER and Pacers' original driver/co-owner, GEORGE SNIZEK, his son SCOTT, and DENNIS QUITONI, combined their energies and built a stunning, authentic recreation of The Original Pacers AA /Fuel Altered. Seeing this car lets you experience exactly what that car was like in the mid 1960's and what can be done when racing friends get together with a plan and common goal.
The East Neck Auto show has another tie in to The Pacers' car. The "HOT RODS & RACE CARS CAR SHOW" actually came to be 3 years ago when a "Tasmanian Devil" Tribute car to the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame racing team of The Pacers' "Snizek & Dodge" was going to be heading to the East coast for two weeks. It's owner, Jerry Joaquin, a former neighbor of George's, who now lives in Arizona, was on a tight time frame and needed a way to allow friends and family to see the Tribute car on his short schedule. While talking about it at a family Christmas party, George and Scott Snizek, Otto Qualliotine and John Careccia kicked around some ideas which led to the idea of creating a car show. John said he would host the show at his shop, which led to setting a date in the summer and asking a few friends to bring their cars.
The East Neck Auto show has another tie in to The Pacers' car. The "HOT RODS & RACE CARS CAR SHOW" actually came to be 3 years ago when a "Tasmanian Devil" Tribute car to the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame racing team of The Pacers' "Snizek & Dodge" was going to be heading to the East coast for two weeks. It's owner, Jerry Joaquin, a former neighbor of George's, who now lives in Arizona, was on a tight time frame and needed a way to allow friends and family to see the Tribute car on his short schedule. While talking about it at a family Christmas party, George and Scott Snizek, Otto Qualliotine and John Careccia kicked around some ideas which led to the idea of creating a car show. John said he would host the show at his shop, which led to setting a date in the summer and asking a few friends to bring their cars.
Through the incredible efforts of both Dennis Quitoni and John in co-producing the event, it has grown each year to become one of the most talked about car shows on Long Island...and the only one with a Top Fuel Cacklefest.
See you next summer at the 4th annual Long Island HOT RODS & RACE CARS CAR SHOW & CACKLEFEST at East Neck Auto!
EAST NECK AUTO
Full Automotive & Truck Repair Service.
89 Route 109, West Babylon, New York 11704.
Home of the HOT RODS & RACECARS Show.
(631) 321-7434.
Full Automotive & Truck Repair Service.
89 Route 109, West Babylon, New York 11704.
Home of the HOT RODS & RACECARS Show.
(631) 321-7434.
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"One of the best shows I've ever attended! "
-Ted Pappacena
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"I can't begin to describe the warmth, the hospitality & friendliness I experienced from all those on the "Island". Once again, The Pacers Team & John Careccia from the Goodyear shop at East Neck Tire & Auto, put on a STUNNING event. For me... it's always great to be in the company of the Snizek's, Dennis Quitoni and all the legends and pioneers (Too many to list) of automobile racing from Long Island and all points. For anyone that missed the show and the "reunion" of those VIP's I would strongly suggest you put it on your calendar for next year. I would personally & publicly like to thank everyone for the welcome they provided Cars & Us."
-Dennis C. Tate
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