By Evan Walsh
Contributing Writer
MARLBOROUGH – The roaring engines, the acceleration, the competitive spirit.
In the 1970s, drag racing at the A&M – an unofficial-but-popular track once located near Hayes Memorial Drive in Marlborough – was all the rage. The races were competitive, and technically illegal, but today, they’re the type of memories that bring people together.
In October, about 100 former racers gathered at the Marlborough Fish & Game Association for an A&M reunion. The event, now in its eighth year, features dozens of vehicles, food and drink, music, and the opportunity to swap stories with friends from decades ago.
“Drag racing is like that – everybody gets along, everybody helps one another,” said Steve Bush, the lead organizer of the event. “It’s just to get all the guys who used to race at the A&M back together. You get down there Sunday at 11 a.m., race all day, then the cops would show up at 4:30, 5 p.m. and say it was time to go – they were really good.”
Standing by their cars – some with pictures of what they used to look like on the raceway years ago – former racers shared memories of the A&M. For many, it represented joy, adventure, and rebellion; the feeling of high-speed competition has been impossible to forget.
“Here’s the routine: On Saturday night, you cruise through Main Street at about 8 p.m. – there would be cars on both sides, up and down, Camaros, Fords, Mustangs. You’d go by and pick out a car you want to race. At 11:30, you’d head to the A&M – just as the police were switching their shifts,” said Chris Mutti, one of the reunion attendees.
Added Rich Felix: “It was a fun place to go.”
But despite the competitiveness – and the fact that racing at the A&M seemed to go away, or at least fundamentally change, in the mid-to-late ’80s – the bonds made at the racetrack have withstood the test of time. Sure, there were cars, pictures of the track, and more.
But what many were there for, they said, was the community.
“It’s our heritage and way of life. It’s more than just the cars,” said Bob Laptewicz, another attendee.
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