Sanctioned drag racing left Long Island when the Westhampton Raceway closed 15 years ago. They had money problems and neighbors complained of the noise.
Advocates like John Cozzali want the motorsport to make a comeback. John is the founder of the group, Long Island Needs A Dragstrip. The group partnered with the U.S. Motorsports Association to release a 22-page report this month, making the case that a new race track would promote tourism and offer other economic benefits for Long Island.
John, thank you for joining All Things Considered. Where would this drag strip go?
Well, we’re looking at property in Riverhead town and the Brookhaven town area to get a racetrack put in.
And what do you see as the benefits of doing this?
The economic benefit would be bringing money back to Long Island where it’s well-needed for the counties and the towns. It will also help schools, and keep illegal street racing down to a minimum, and bring back a family atmosphere to racing back on Long Island.
How much would this development cost? And, the big question is, who would pay for it?
Well, there are private investors that are willing to invest in this once the land is acquired or the piece of property is negotiated that we can get this done. We’re just the advocacy group trying to get the politicians, which we have on board, and the town with the investor to make everything happen and go full speed ahead.
How are local residents responding to the idea of having this in their backyard?
Some local residents are fine with it, and then obviously you have the ones that are against it. You have to educate the people that are uneducated as far as noise and pollution and traffic studies that are done. So that’s what we’re up against right now.
How many people do you have in your group right now?
We have over 16,000 members on our Facebook page, our group, that are supporting us constantly for getting a race track back on Long Island.
What’s the next step for your organization?
We are trying to set up meetings, while we have set up meetings with certain town boards, and we’re just waiting for outcomes to see what will bring us to the next step.
Suffolk County says an old airstrip in Calverton is the best spot for a race track because it isn't near any homes. The problem is the property isn't for sale – at least for now.
Long Island dragstrip advocate John Cozzali, thanks for speaking with us.
