Celebrating the History of the Syracuse "Moody Mile"
This episode of The Logbook, our History of Motorsports series, revisits a 2015 IMRRC “Syracuse Mile: A Look Back” program celebrating the New York State Fairgrounds’ famed dirt oval, the “Moody Mile,” after its final season. Moderators Joe Marotta and Gary Montgomery lead a driver panel with Wes Moody, Glen Donnelly, Alan Johnson, Gary Tompkins, Danny Kapuschinski, Johnny Birosh, and Mel Lane, sharing stories of record-speed laps, unique innovations like the Gary Ballou car, wide-open sprint car runs, pit strategy, crashes, and the culture of Super Dirt Week. Donnelly recounts launching Super Dirt Week in 1972, weather battles, and future plans for new facilities and track surfaces. Historian Dr. Gary George traces the track’s history from early 1900s auto races and AAA/USAC champ cars through stock cars, special events, and tragedies, underscoring the Syracuse Mile’s legacy and irreplaceable significance.
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00:00:00 Moody Mile Tribute
00:01:52 Welcome and Introductions, Meet the Panel
00:06:15 Wes Moody 100 MPH Lap
00:10:45 How Super Dirt Week Began
00:15:05 Donnelly Vision and Grit
00:17:18 Danny K First Time Magic
00:21:35 Birosh Sprint vs Modified
00:26:08 Tompkins Racing Memories
00:35:21 Mel Lane Two Car Perspective
00:37:42 Sprint vs Modified Times
00:38:21 Knoxville vs Syracuse
00:39:11 Alan Johnson Takes Stage
00:40:05 Survival and Strategy, a Non-Qualifiers Comeback
00:44:48 Early Driving Myth
00:45:38 Turn One Crash Memory
00:47:29 Offseason Shop Grind, and "Syracuse-Only" Cars
00:52:04 Aero Tricks and Fords
00:53:58 1900 Letter Origins
00:54:55 Famous Cars
00:58:22 Future Track Vision
01:00:49 Unsung Heroes and Jackets
01:03:07 Afternoon Session Setup, Joe Marotta Childhood Memories
01:10:55 Dr. Gary George History Slides
01:14:22 War Pauses Racing; Roaring Twenties Motorcars
01:21:36 Postwar Return 1949
01:22:12 Fifties IndyCar Glory
01:24:05 Date Changes, the 1974 Crash and Stock Cars Take Over
01:27:39 Women And Early NASCAR
01:29:28 Innovation And Big Wrecks + First Night Racing
01:35:41 Salt City And USAC Disaster
01:37:29 Motorcycles, Trucks and Snowmobiles
01:41:11 Supermodifieds & Outlaws
01:44:58 4th of July Tragedy
01:48:07 Break And Thanks
01:48:38 Tom Thumb Autograph Story
01:51:03 Gary Tompkins Takes Ride
02:01:25 Ballou Car Shockwave
02:05:51 Hochman Dirt Week Journey
02:18:02 Legacy Farewell Sponsors
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This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.