Closure of Long Island Dragway will hurt island's racing industry

Rick Montana and his brother Chris have built drag-racing cars on Long Island for 20 years, turning speedy Mustangs and Monte Carlos into one-seated, 1,500-horsepower road tigers. Those souped-up cars, which can make it down the quarter-mile in less than

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For years, the Montana brothers loaded up their best car each weekend onto a trailer and headed out to Long Island Dragway in Westhampton to go head-to-head with the best drag racers in the region.

As their reputation for building cars grew, the brothers began picking up side work. By 2000, they had decided to make race cars their full-time jobs and started Montana Brothers Race Cars in North Bay Shore.

But now, with the dragway slated to become senior housing, Nick and Chris are thinking about moving the business down the coast.

I'm looking out of state - New Jersey, Pennsylvania, where there are multiple tracks, said Nick Montana. I have to go where the business is. The only remaining track is Riverhead Raceway. At one time there were four drag strip and four oval tracks. We've lost a lot.