1/18/00 Death of a Racetrack

A friend of mine e-mailed me this picture of an old racetrack. It’s what is left of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit in eastern Long Island. I’m left with such a sad feeling with it’s passing and conversion into a golf course because I, like many, have spend many days here driving this demanding track trying very hard to stay out of the sand dunes!

I’m not a Historian, so I can’t list all the famous racecar drivers that have driven here, but many people remember it’s heyday fondly. Its death came from a number of reasons, but most importantly the community did not want a racetrack. Real Estate in the Hamptons became too expensive and too much money was at stake not to develop it. We’ve heard rumors for years that “this would be the last year of racing” but the following year, we’d get another season out at “The Bridge.” This picture, however, shows it’s OVER. You can see the remnants of the track, but more importantly, you can see the greens laid out in the dunes. Very sad. I’ll miss that Track.