Racing has been a big deal in the Empire State ever since a newspaper promoted a wacky New York-to-Paris stunt nearly 103 years ago that still exists as a benchmark of grueling early competition. The history that’s followed since then is revered. Each year, the Saratoga Automotive Museum sets aside the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend for its Lost Speedways gathering. This year, motorcycle racing acolyte Mark Supley will make a presentation on board track racing, which Hemmings contributor Greg Rickes will team up with prototype sports stalwart Rob Dyson for a talk on the IMSA Camel GT series, along with other talks on local racing.
The Saratoga museum is also the permanent home of the New York State Stock Car Association’s Hall of Fame, which has just named its latest class of inductees for short-track superiority. They include eastern New York stock car stars Dickie Larkin and Jack Cottrell, along with Modified car owner Paul Emerick, who most famously fielded cars for Canadian star Denis Giroux; and the husband-and-wife officiating team of Marty and Herta Beberwyck. The NYSSCA induction is January 22-23, 2011, in Albany and Saratoga Springs. Full details are at 518-587-1935 or www.saratogaautomuseum.org.