THE VANDERBILT CUP - Long Island’s 112-Year-Old Racing Legacy

George Heath driving his winning #7 Panhard.
Photo courtesy of VanderbiltCupRaces.com, The Howard Kroplick Collection.

The origin of auto racing on Long Island dates back to October 8, 1904, when William K. Vanderbilt II, the great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, ran his first Vanderbilt Cup Race. The newsworthy event was a challenging competition that paired up chauffer and mechanic teams in daredevil vehicles that sped down public dirt roads at up to 70 mph. The 30.24-mile course was routed across Nassau County and looped through the towns of Garden City, Jericho, Hicksville, Bethpage, Hempstead, Elmont, Queens County, Floral Park, Mineola, and Westbury. The contest, which included cars and drivers from America and Europe, was promoted by Vanderbilt to stimulate a national interest in auto manufacturing and ownership. The winner was George Heath, an American who drove a Panhard for France. A favorite to win, Heath completed the course in 56 minutes and 45 seconds. The 1904 Vanderbilt Cup proved to be a success, establishing legitimacy for America as it was recognized by Europe to be an established international road race.

The silver Vanderbilt loving cup.

From the beginning the races drew large crowds, which posed a safety problem, as there were no barriers to prevent spectators from stepping out onto the roads and into the path of an approaching vehicle (or vise versa). The inevitable happened in 1906 when a viewer was killed, causing the race’s cancellation the following year. As a solution Vanderbilt organized a company to finance the Long Island Motor Parkway, a private road and one of Long Island’s first paved parkways. The $6 million toll road ran from Kissena Corridor in Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma, a distance of 48 miles. By 1908 enough of the highway was completed to run the race. The race operated successfully at this location until 1910, the year there were two fatal crashes. 

To compete with other prestigious racing events the Vanderbilt Cup Race was moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1911, then Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1912, Santa Monica, California in 1914 and 1916, and San Francisco in 1915. The competition was placed on hiatus in 1917, due to America’s involvement in World War I.

Revived in 1936 by William’s nephew, George Washington Vanderbilt III, the race returned to Long Island. The location for the 300-mile course was Roosevelt Raceway, a new half-mile long racetrack. Along with George Preston Marshall (Boston Redskins owner) and Eddie Rickenbacker (World War I Medal of Honor recipient and flying ace), Vanderbilt acquired land that was part of Roosevelt Field Airport, which was adjacent to the site of the runway Charles Lindbergh used to launch his flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. Due to the awkward design of the course and a lack of American car and driver sponsorship the Vanderbilt Cup only ran at Roosevelt in 1936 and 1937. Thereafter, only a handful of midget and stock car events raced at its track. 

Program from 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

In 1960 Cornelius Vanderbilt IV brought the Vanderbilt Cup Race back to Roosevelt Raceway as a Formula Junior event. Then in 1965, 1967, and 1968, its final competitions took place as part of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit.

Locally and nationally, the Vanderbilt family’s contribution to auto racing generated a huge public interest in the sport. Within the century that followed over 40 auto racetracks were operated across Long Island. Sadly, however, 112 years after the first Vanderbilt Cup contest Riverhead Raceway is Long Island’s lone reminder of the area’s interest in racing.

•   •   •

As a child growing up on Long Island I remember my dad teaching me about the first Vanderbilt Cup Race. I became fascinated after he told me that we lived close to the roads (albeit improved) that were used in the first races. I immediately went to my library and took out all of the books I could find about early race car drivers and their vehicles. This contributed to my life-long interest in auto racing.

Years later I attended Dowling College in Oakdale during my freshman year. The gem of the campus was “Idle Hour”, a country home once owned by William K. Vanderbilt I. On March 26, 1899, William K. Vanderbilt II and Virginia Fair were married in New York City. The couple intended to spend their honeymoon at the original “Idle Hour” but the house burned to the ground on their wedding night. The elder Vanderbilt rebuilt the home, which eventually became part of Dowling College in 1968. It’s said that William II infuriated citizens as he raced his vehicles through the rural towns and villages on his way to “Idle Hour”. Sadly, Dowling College closed its doors this past spring due to a declining enrollment and a growing debt.

Recommended Books:

Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island

by Howard Kroplick
Order now from Arcadia.com

Long Island Motor Parkway

by Howard Kroplick and Al Velocci
Order now from Arcadia.com








Sources:

“1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race: The First International Road Race Held in the United States”

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/races/story/1904_vanderbilt_cup_race

viewed September 20, 2106

“A 100-Year-Old Dream: A Road Just for Cars”, Phil Oattinoct, October 9, 2008, © 2016 The New York Times Company http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/automobiles/12LIMP.html

viewed September 20, 2106

“Speed-Mad Automobilists Dash Along To-Day In Deadly Race”, October 8, 1904

The Evening World, New York, NY, pages 6-7

•   •   •

PHOTO FINISH

Mark Kuczewski's 1957 Chevy Belair at the 2016 Syracuse Nationals.

© 2016 Michael Zmuda