’Tis the season to rev engines at Riverhead Raceway

At Riverhead Raceway, the smell of gasoline and burnt tires fills your nose. The heat of the sun beating down on the asphalt track and stands warms your skin. The buzz of stock cars whizzing by at close to 80 miles per hour, or eccentrically decorated school buses crashing into each other, pierces your ears. 

When the weekend hits, families, friends, vacationers and NASCAR enthusiasts alike fill the stands of Riverhead Raceway with an appetite for burnt rubber and spectacle. 

Since 1952, six years before the Long Island Expressway was completed, all eastbound pedal-pushers with a need for speed have found that nexus at the Raceway. And there’s a visceral reason it’s lasted over seven decades, through fads, trends, wars and even the advent of the almighty TikTok: The energy and electricity during a day at the racetrack is so special, you just have to experience it for yourself, live and in person. 

The love of the sport

Bob Finan, a former announcer at the 73-year-old track, was first drawn to the pageantry of racing in 1971. His mother had spotted a newspaper ad calling for “100 men not afraid to die” for a demolition derby, modified and figure 8s divisions at Islip Speedway—and from then on, he was hooked. 

“It’s something that, once it gets in your blood, it’s very difficult to turn your back on completely,” Mr. Finan said.

He never proclaimed himself a “stick and ball” kind of sports fan and would come to be commonly known as Riverhead Raceway’s very own historian. The roar of stock cars racing around the circuit, their metal bodies shining in the stadium lights—it brought something completely different to the table than backyard sports like baseball or football. 

The speedway experience for fans at Riverhead Raceway also differed from major-league events where players are typically only accessible to a handful of people. Instead, competitors stood right on the other side of the wall, an arms-length away from enthusiasts ready to congratulate them on a win.

Some might describe the sport as a “niche” passion. Mr. Finan, general manager John Ellwood and Riverhead Raceway co-owner Tom Gatz would consider it one that creates a found family. 

“As you go through a racing life, everybody becomes family,” Mr. Finan said. “Dysfunctional at times—but more often than not, a family. And you know, when there’s 100-plus cars in the pit area at Riverhead Raceway on a Saturday night, that family gets quite extended. There’s bickering and debates, and there might even be the odd fight every once and again, but at the end of the day we’re family.”

The “summer camp” vibe of a season at the raceway, spanning from April through September, was a notion that drew Mr. Finan back in time and time again. 

“I think what’s really kept racing going through the years are the generations of actual families that participate,” he said. “There’s just a camaraderie that, to me, was always second to none. And you still find that every Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway.”

John Ellwood had been a racer himself until 2008, when he passed the baton to his then 13-year-old son, Kyle. Seventeen years later, Kyle remains a competitor at the track.

“There’s generations upon generations of grandfathers and great-grandfathers that have raced on Long Island that have that tradition,” John said. “And those are the children and the people that keep this place going.”

Mr. Gatz’s daughters, 9-year-old Alexis and 11-year-old Emily, are some of the younger racers who take to the speedway today, in the bandolero division. 

“Every Saturday, they can’t wait to get to the racetrack whether they’re racing or not,” Mr. Gatz said. “My kids have been there basically since they were born.”

History of the track

In 2015, racing legend Eddie Partridge, his wife, Connie Partridge, and their nephew Tom Gatz bought the raceway from longtime owners Jim and Barbara Cromarty for $4 million. The Cromartys had owned the property since 1984 and received many offers to sell, but all of them would have led to the facility being developed as something other than a raceway. 

“Thank God that Connie Partridge, Tom Gatz and John Ellwood still have the drive, the desire to keep that racetrack alive on Long Island,” Mr. Finan said.

Ground was first broken on the facility in 1949 before its inaugural race as a clay track in 1952. The facility was bought by Ed Hawkins of Suffolk Raceways, Inc. in 1955 and Hawkins converted the track to the asphalt that fans see today. 

Riverhead Raceway is the only racetrack standing on Long Island after Islip Speedway shuttered in 1984 and Westhampton Raceway gave up the ghost in 2003. Riverhead Raceway was also the only professional sporting event in Suffolk County until Atlantic League baseball team the Long Island Ducks played its inaugural season in Central Islip in 2000. 

The impact Eddie Partridge left on the sport of racing and Riverhead Raceway itself is indelible. He died in September 2021 on a trip home from Richmond Raceway in Virginia, having just celebrated his race team’s win in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race, the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 150. 

Eddie won two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races in 2011 and 2017, respectively, as a car owner. His drivers found success at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Richmond Raceway.

“He had a heart for racing, and he’s a racer like myself,” said Mr. Gatz. “He wanted the racetrack to be around for years to come, and that’s what the intent is.” 

A mural preserving Mr. Partridge’s dedication to the racing community decorates the track wall of Riverhead Raceway, there to celebrate every victory and exciting moment.

Racing to summer’s end

The raceway has a schedule chock-full of fun activities to keep you busy. 

“When you’re done with the beach, you’re tired of sleeping all day and you want the hair to stand up on your arm, you come to Riverhead Raceway,” said John Ellwood.

Fans sit right near the action at Riverhead Raceway, something Mr. Ellwood said isn’t commonplace at other NASCAR-sanctioned stock car tracks. At bigger stadiums like Daytona International Speedway, cars whizz by and, in the snap of a finger, they’re just a small dot rounding the track. 

“But at Riverhead, as a fan, the cars are right on top of you,” John said. “So, the excitement is always there.”

Up next is Juicebox Night on Aug. 23, and future events include Monster Trucks Back to School Night on Aug. 27 and A Tribute to First Responders on Aug. 30. Grandstands are typically at 4 p.m. and ceremonies are usually held at 6 p.m.

Fans will find concession stands with a variety of offerings and two beer gardens to satiate their snacking and sipping needs during the excitement. For younger fans, families can purchase ear protection at the facility to ensure everyone has a good time at the track. 

“It has entertained hundreds of thousands of race fans and families who are not race fans over the years,” Mr. Finan said. “And it continues to do so in an economic climate that is just not as easy or comfortable as it used to be.”