Islip Speedway Drag Strip
Nothing leftNothing left No longer racing, and nothing of the track remains.
- Islip Speedway held the world's first demolition derby in 1958
- Shutdown area ran out into the dirt parking lot
- Raced
- 1961-72
- State
- New York
- What's left
- The site was redeveloped and nothing of the strip remains.
- On the site today
- Mixed commercial area
- First race
- mid-June 1961
- Track
- 1/8 mile
- Location
- Behind Islip Speedway, between the concession stands and the oval
- People
- Larry Mendelsohn, promoter (1961-)
- Elevation
- 28 ft (8 m)
- Coordinates
- 40.75030, -73.21237
Speedway promoter Larry Mendelsohn started running eighth-mile drag races behind Islip Speedway in mid-June 1961, on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. They usually drew about 150 racers, with trophies for class winners and jackets for top eliminators. The strip had a flag starter, a short shutdown and a dirt return road. It ran from the back of the property between the concession stands and the oval, though the drags themselves had no concessions. The finish line was at the oval’s pit entrance, and the shutdown ran out into the dirt parking lot. The .2-mile oval operated from 1947 to 1984. A figure-8 track built on the oval in 1962 was a big hit, and Islip held the world’s first demolition derby in 1958. The site is now mixed commercial.
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