Can't believe no one mentioned the Connecting. This was the hottest street racing spot in Queens.. and possibly
the whole city. You got on at 69th and Northern.. and stayed off the main highway which led to the Grand Central.
Just before the 6 lanes (3 in each direction) got to the Grand Central there was a straight stretch going a reputed
1/4 mile. This stretch was marked by 2 overpasses. Above was a service road with a railing that looked down on the 6 lanes
of traffic the railing extended across both overpasses.. and then along the opposite side where another service road existed. That provided viewing for 1/4 mile on two sides plus the overpass railings to watch the action on mainly Friday and Saturday nights. Thursday was also a big night. There were nights when you couldn't find a spot to stand along the railings... suggesting 1000's of young folks with every imaginable kind of car, rod, and bike. At the time (1959) I had a 1958
Harley FLH.. the large famous hog. There were amazing races there... I remember a Nash Rambler with a Vet engine. In 1958 Chevy came out with the Impala.. and the new stock 348 Engine. The kids would buy the Chevy Delray the most stripped down Chevy at the time (also the Biscayne and Bellaire were around) and the new Impala.
An extra 4 barrel carb.. and bore and stroke on that 348... and you have the 409... made famous by the Beach Boys song.
We had about 8 or so bikes in our crowd. Now surely some of you went to the connecting during the late 50's and 60's.
What were you hauling around.. and did you line up under one of those overpasses... rev it up and pop that clutch turning
the place into a street version of West Hamption racetrack. The connecting could have well influenced Bruce to write his wonderful 'Racing in the Streets'.
Topic: The Connecting Highway (Read 5240 times)