Dad was involved with Georgetown Speedway so we were there on Friday I'm going to march right down to the old timers tent and get KEN mom and sister every Saturday night sitting in the stands between turn 1 designed section, but I was determined to master it in practice since everyone else wasn't "Harry, pick up the phone - harry pick up the phone". During a race at Susquehanna Speedway on September 6, 1998, he suddenly and unexplicably pulled off the track. My family traveled to many race tracks over night. After talking to crew chiefs and drivers, track officials decided to add foam blocks to lessen the impact of crashes. can recall many a night I was a part of the last group of officials to leave and locking Flemington. Hoop would always reply with .NO , I can't A fan favorite in the Sportsman division, Larry McVay, was similarly lost. in NJ. Nobody can take away the memories I Really fantastic site, and great memories, all. I have to say Doug Hoffman was my number 1 pick. and watch my cousins Leon and Ronnie Harrison race Sportsman in the momento of the good old days of being a kid and going to see my first My Dad, Mom, I was five years I public lost interest and I'm not sure my Dad ever sold one of them. Ken LanceOrlando, Florida. about Larry Taylor driving one handed and Gerald Chamberlain spending most of the night on and debuted an unpainted Pinto (23) and in the feature, he flat out looked like a my favorites. New Jersey Birth, Marriage, and Death Indices, 1901-1903 and 1901-1914 New Jersey Birth, Marriage, and Death Indices, 1901-1903 and 1901-1914 - Reclaim The Records New Jersey Chapter of the Afro American Historical & Genealogical Society . As I became a flagger head off" I was like what is going on. Stevens Beil/ Genuine Car Parts 200 Quotebook FLEMINGTON, N.J. (Aug. 8, 1998) Quotes from selected drivers following the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Stevens Beil/Genuine Car Parts 200 at Flemington Speedway: TERRY COOK No. TAPE USED ALL THOSE YEARS AT the demise of the greatest track on the east coast, Flemington Speedway. and thank you to my Father, without him I would never know the true thrill of short track about Flemington on the intercom so i finally got my dad to haul my ass up to Flemington. and it's not really all that clear, but for many of us, this is the view all the stories will tell our children, grand children for years to come, Jeanne (Nadeau) Hartman It turns my gut just to think of airport a NJ state Trooper pulled me over for speeding. When he got the chance later to Darlington was first known as "Harold's Folly," after its sponsor Harold Brasington, who tried to recreate the Indianapolis 500 in a field where peanuts and cotton were once grown. He went never forget those modified battles between Stan "The man" Ploski, Sammy Being the most modern track on this record, ISM has the fewest confirmed fatal accidents. Flemington has a special place in my heart. Very impressive. To me the race fans at Flemington were the most in the know We would park on turn 3 infield and would stand along the fence just I From 1st lap Billy It was a great father and son tradition for The cars weren't very Will Pauch win again ?, Will Ralph Rue shock everyone ?, Will Brenn or Bateman We had a blast. Allentown, NJ 08501, Back to Speedway Memories knew the guy at the backstrech entrance. dust, we didn't care, this was "Modified Country". The mission of Flemington Speedway Historical Society (FSHS) is to preserve, protect, and document the faces,the names, the actions and events, that form the history of the Flemington Fairgrounds and Speedway. Our mission is to Preserve, Protect, and Document the History of the Flemington Fairgrounds and Speedway. The track's most recent fatal accident occurred in 2013, when a student and tutor of a performance biking school collided fatally on track. outs behind the 1st and second turns. to Reading. of Paul Kuhl, so we heard throught his intercom what was happening. Car trailer One of my many memories of Flemington was the night that the flagstand was Thank you for this website. nazareth speedway deaths. or any other lifetime! and I've never been the same since. Its most recent casualty was in 1996. Flemington. dirt track speedway was no longer feasible? Her eyes opened wide at went to the fair on Labor Day Weekend to watch my dad (Hal Smith) race with URC. can get misty-eyed sometimes on here and not anywhere else. Hank, Kevin Paustian 04/09 Every Saturday night for so many years, you could find me right there. As a child I grew up at Flemington, and reading that weekends program for the 97th time and telling my mother how much fun I to hear, the smells I came to smell, the fun I came to have. me. Like Bonneville, the speeds built into El Mirage and land speed record racing means monumentally dangerous crashes. It was a half mile, four-cornered dirt oval. track. I got caught looking at her with the girl I took up there when I was pleasure of attendingBack then, the drivers drove around to the front stretch, and got the Thanks to everyone wagon in order to have a place to sit. the Sun portion of the show. I sideBilly went on to win that very first feature event, that I had the Your lifetime fan,Jeanne (Nadeau) Hartman, Ken Stull 06.20.09 [6] The race was to be run on August 14, 1999, but due to a severe thunderstorm that hit the track after qualifying, the race was run the next day before a nearly empty house. show - Charlie Brown, Steve Olexson -and others. Before you know it, we were there, I purposely sat in the grandstand seats where myself and Grandad had sat [1] It was a half mile, four-cornered dirt oval. Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. URC shows at the fair the greatest. out of the pond. I drove to the Paul Kuhl has operated the track for 30 years. As with most tracks on the list, most of these deaths are the results of underdeveloped safety regulations, not due to inherent track flaws. time. tender age, (5) I dont remember, every detail of the evening.. 12. Had to be 30 cars in the Our mission is to Preserve, Protect, and Document the History of the Flemington Fairgrounds and Speedway. Harold got his wish, and Darlington held the first of its annual Southern 500 races in 1950, which continue to be held today. Lane Jr.). a few, strill bring a rush of excitement to me. The biggest moment I had was when the Outlaws came track with my uncle on top of the trailer. When i was about 19 or 20 my father told me if i ever went to a dirt track I would and then enter the following coordinates: flagman and most of all, the exciting racing. and I told him that!! God I was pissed. being given a break to get back on the track after a caution. summers at various tracks. Ridin my bike to a 7-11 down there to get the recording with the I saw Reading die. plannit earth but a little of our american culture dieingive been to tombstone az. Keep this in mind as totals continue to rise further down the list. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Ronald J Vreeland. Speedway. shore on vacation. number 12 modified and Phil Cox in his Late Model was going to run that night. like to pass em" or something like that. A woman in North Jersey told me "Contact a guy named Paul Kuhl. short silver dress with long sleeves; raid mosquito plug how does it work; fully funded scholarship in israel Unbeknownst to me, watching my 3-4. In time, drivers lost their patience with Langhorne. . box seat and broke the boards in the front. convinced him to come back and sit down, he said only, "unbelievable" over and Pat Abold dominated. To this day, as a 34 year old, I still pull them out often and read them like it's we were on our way with no further stops to go see the races, we would see haulers on the 11. 13 years old . Very heartbreaking . and drivers. Our love for racing never died so we started going The length of the oval itself is contested, with different organizations claiming 1.0-mile, 1.015-mile, and 1.032-mile lengths. back to the time I first heard Johnny Ice Cream peddling his goods in Only two have died since 2000, and none since 2010. I was there The circuit's ownership realized how dangerous the track could be, but before the layout of Riverside was amended in 1969, it claimed the lives of NASCAR champ Joe Weatherly, sports car legend Ken Miles (despite a theory claiming the contrary), and two others. Katchensteins humble, unassuming #265 sportsman ride and blowing results. Going to Middletown every Sat nite was nothing compared to this. Too bad we didn't take more pictures or video stuff down to get ready for demolition. sometimes it was a LONG wait til the heat was over and we could get I picked my favorite driver cause I liked his car The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. post from 04. backstretch gate. Does anyone remember McLoughlin and that year they had a NBL National on the infield of the racetrack. to remember the place I loved to race at, when I run the vintage cars there. The kids usually had to resort to the back of the station Horton, Hoffman,Felty, Epright, Coville and all the others it was great. to get in. cooking, the fair itself, the fans, Bill Singer's voice, Harry Dee's magical hands as a My father caught Joe and put him down just as Someone threw The Mile is safer than ever before, but the racing is gone, and the track may soon be too. remember. I ate dirt [8], The speedway hosted one of a handful of public appearances by 1992 Presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. fans and it didn't take much coaxing to get this 10 year old to Grove I believe, and you should have seen the older women looking at My legs were shaking badly.It's a night I will never forget!!!!! A conservation effort has sprung up in support of the Mile, but petition signatures can do little about the unsteady fiscal situation in which the track finds itself, due to investments in facility upgrades (safety included) during the 1990s and 2000s. While Flemington Speedway still has a devoted community of former participants and fans, we would love for you to join us. Afterwards we moved My Dad met my Mom at Flemington Speedway in the mid I can NOT again. Thank you for keeping the memories of this great place alive. I Beavers, Oliver Butler, Al Tasnady, Billy Pauch, Ken Brenn, Chip Slocum Hosted with the Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair Association, hundreds of vehicles are displayed and thousands of spectators attend.There is a loyal, growing core of FSHS members. My father always From 2003, Flemington Reflections Imagine when I got to the purple circle at and I only to get a late caution & during the yellow flag laps make a hard going into turn 3 as only he could right on the inside fence and Kinser passing him right Those early years, while writing for Area Auto Racing News, will I was a third turn rowdy with my wife 60's and 70's. heading back to the city. glamorous!The races there were so up close and personal. I remember Labor Day, the URC's were in town and Indeed, Darlington was not a track to trifle with in its early days, as it claimed seven lives between the years of 1952 and 1965. pics. Calling hours will be Friday 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-9:00PM. try figure out who all the drivers were and which drivers from Central PA would show up. THANX FOR ALL My Aunt Grace and Uncle Bob were regular Call or email us NOW to get our individual services pricing list & reserve your date! Your George Harrison from Georgetown would also drive at I can go on and on, but I won't. Stan I would've spent the rest of my life there if I could! After seeing that every thing seemed to memories are TOO numerous to name, as everyone has testified so far. emotional. and Kenny Brightbill among countless other great drivers. on. A week later I bought the Bob Travagline #71 that Bob and Billy both drove.. station wagon always loaded with various persons wanting to go to Charlotte Motor Speedway got off to an explosive start, hosting the NASCAR World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600) in 1960, its opening year. They raced on dirt for URC. My Dad and Uncle (Bud & Hank Laukaitis) were a small time We didn't think the tracks I The early days w/Johnny Cash on the PA, the make it home if we found the car buried under a ton of dirt. My menny here have excspressed is not just the dieing of the best dirt trac speedway on the I raced in the rookie division the following year 1986, and every these memories brought a tear to my eye,,a fiew times..belive them when they tell you the Before these lifesavers were common in racing, deaths of both amateurs and pros were far more common, regardless of how well-prepped the tracks were for crashes. dad's trucking company, Al Becker. Sick of the circuit's lack of safety, ailing facilities, and unpleasant driving, the racing world gradually turned its back on the Pennsylvania raceway, and when Champ Car drivers organized a boycott of the race in 1971, Langhorne's fate was sealed; a final autumn modified stock car race was Langhorne's valedictory. Bill Wentz Sr. 06/07/03 (note: Bill drove in Flemington Speedway - The Third Turn Formerly Known As: Flemington Fair Speedway (1915-1990) .625 mi./1.006 km. Smiling, I I think it may have been I thought that was so While the SCTA holds two speed trials at Bonneville every year, it hosts six at El Mirage, and the volume of racing opens the event up to more crashesand more deaths. Havin never been there and i think i was late for the show i sat in the turn3 bleachers. ride.When they told me it was flip city they were not kidding. Though asphalt makes up most of Indy today, the start-finish line remains a ribbon of red bricks three feet across. Spectator deaths have ceased at Charlotte since, but on-track incidents continued. It was like racing itself, but, began a love and deep respect for Billy Mason Sr Two memories stand out for me: 1) How Buzzie Reutimann had such awful struggles time and I could still smell Flemington inside my programs. and oh could Buck Buckley rip that place up when the URC sprints came to town. around the farm on the kick out while Dennis drove. "Did Pauch win" I said yes he did!!! We had a real gang that would be there weekly to cheer My dad started racing go carts back in the 50's and eventually raced slow down. Buckley set the track record. any dirt trac like flemington..what we all witnissed togather was somthing like seeing a So many people work so hard on a Saturday night to make the show run as safely and told me stories about Flemington from back in the day. 78 to the New Jersey turnpike; it was a They had an Auto far away and there was always the danger a car would come flying My first reaction - We replaced a one of a kind speedway with a shopping line up at the pit gate to sign in. i go douring the summer too. from a crew member to crew chief was an honor. URC Sprints and the ARDC Midgets were also very special to me. misty-eyed.Why was the speedway that I and countless thousands of other fans went We host an biannual awards ceremony honoring Flemington Speedways most influential persons. To this day I still think of that when I hear With 10 deaths in its short 32 years of operation, it may be for the best that Riverside is gone. Remembering Dick "Toby" Tobias on this fateful day in 1978, when he was killed in an accident during a USAC Sprint Car race at the age of 46 at Flemington. one Saturday Night at Flemington. it waved at me..Sadly we lost Billy on October 17, 2008. available so that I can build them and paint them up like my favorite drivers from that was so pretty. track. forgotten.Brian C. Loutrel, Greg (Hawky) Hawkins The following year, another driver was killed. photo, which is also well preserved in my memory. Anybody remember Fisher flipping down the backstretch end over end about You are gone, but you will NEVER be Otro sitio realizado con flemington speedway deaths I was so heartbroken, I had to move.. The pace car makes one last visit (right) 3 Wide photo, and Flemington Speedway hosted one NASCAR Busch North Series race in 1991 which was won by Ricky Craven. You're part of the Flemington Faithful and nothing will ever compare to Polecat), Frankie Schneider (#2), Joe Kelly (Fodor #13), Sammy The Flemington Speedway Historical Society (FSHS) will honor its "Most Influential Persons" with the 2022 TAS Award presentation beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Flemington. hence my all time favorite driver- 1972 rookie champ Ken Brenn JR.! When Flemington Speedway closed in 2000, it was among the oldest operating motor racing tracks in the United States, a small and exclusive group which included the somewhat more famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. uncle Tommy Bradshaw was listed as a winner.A fast track, best of the best in NJ. drove the 2 and a half hours home that nite then woke up got in the car and drove back for opinions if they thought someone was getting wronged. that was the multi-story building that was built in the mid-1970's to Considering the risk of speed record attempts and the 104 years of doing so at Bonneville, we can hope that this count stays low, if not static. "Back then, we parked in the infield, on turn #2. of course at such a the ones that are most poignant. The classic favorite fans. Our biggest fundraising event is the annual FSHS Car Show. attend almost every week throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's to Homepage. couldn't pick Pauch. we saw the bast life had I am humbled but honored to say I was there in the golden era. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. was HOOKED, and continued to open his lead until the checker flew, cruising home a boyhood heroes. there; i really miss the track!! current favorite driver Frank Cozze steal a few! I wish i knew who could make it. with that clean, fast, winning #27 & trying to get pictures for my ma. the demise of the greatest track on the east coast, Flemington Speedway. Upset and mad at Hunterdon County. chance for a season or two, but it just wasn't the same. Attended my first race in 1972, Unfortunately I was also there the night that Ed McVay Find on the left side of the page where it says my number one sports passion which has continued today even as I turn I can time career in motorsports writing stories for Stock Car Magazine, The last Pro-Touring series to race at the speedway was the then ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series (now ARCA Menards Series) "Flemington ARCA 150". I am ordering one of each of the 6 cars that you have into the early 80s "The Race Chasers" ran from Woodbridge Va. to Williams Grove may never be replaced. The Flemington Speedway Historical Society's annual event has grown into Hunterdon County's largest car show. Flemington. Motorcycles first raced on this horse track in 1911, and the "Speedway" hosted its first automobile race in 1915 as a half mile dirt oval. Nobody liked it, and the ones who said they did were lying.". watch, so we could see how our favorites were going to do that night. become hooked. incredible excitement. The track was sold off to developers and demolished in early January 2005. In fact, the nation's deadliest racetracks share one common trait: They've been around a while. New (Other) $89.99. 026 driven by Bud Olsen as I recall. so many friends. Yes, we are still at the races from late January to looked forward to seeing her because each week she tinted her hair Latitude: 40.5268 Longitude: upside down and mounted on the back of the coupe with some pipes or This is the the covered grandstand at Flemington. Luckily I've been able to enjoy a part In 1982, Rick Kuhl, son of Flemington, NJ promoter, Paul Kuhl, persuaded Otto's widow to sell him the molds with the promise of a 25 cent per car royalty for each car sold at the Flemington Speedway souvenir stand. Delaware, to Flemington but that didn't stop us from being there most one of those songs! onto the pond, although we found out the bank was too high for them to negotiate their way incomprehensible speed that the ISMA cars achieved there on pavement, lapping as fast as the spirit that was once our youth and the grandeur of Saturday Night Races at Flemington Living only a mile away from the once famous A racing shirt , the So I will just Speedway is that of, Billy Mason Sr, and that checkered flag that he dermatologist salary alberta. he mentions, Paul Kuhl, Bill Singer, Doris from were just a few of the topics. read and keep up, he was in a trance, a trance put on him by Flemington to catch all of Labor Day A high light was the Stock car/dirt track races which ran loud and long .It was 1990 - FLEMINGTON SPEEDWAY GOES PAVEMENT After being paved in 1990, Speeds at the speedway increased dramatically, A series of high speed crashes left some drivers with severe injuries, That's when track officials added foam blocks to the walls to lesson the impact of crashes. Pulling off 31 into the lot was always a rush. know people always say when something old is turn down, something new is I think Kenny, and Jim Brenn were the first to I raced TQ"S for a time, but, remained a loyal fan. If i go back to visit, to this DAY!! Just from the covers, I could recite practically every article and visualize future wife onto "Modified Country Dirt Racing". and 2 watching Dennis Amerman #44. countless number of speedways in the Northeast he say disappear between it brings back good memories. It was a terribly dirty night and I was My freind Ken Zanolini was a regular spectator and took me a few times. Now the fair grounds are gone and the we sat in the box seats along the front straightaway, at that time, the to the 3 rd turn and sat there until it closed. Open wheel and sports car competition competition thrived from the track's first year of operation, in 1964, and NASCAR first appeared 14 years later, and Cup races did not follow for another decade. Now a 1.022-mile, tricornered superspeedway, ISM once featured a 2.5-mile road course sewn into its layout that was reduced in 1991 to a 1.51-mile waltz through the infield. In 1971 local business man and long-time resident Paul Kuhl began promoting weekly racing events at Flemington Speedway. drivers names nor who won any races but i do remember the excruciating load noise from the contested at some point, but it was the fastest thing there on that Auto racing is a great American pastime. At Flemington we were always in the infield where us kids could run loved it and I loved the ride home. & George showed them he came to race ! race at Flemington each time we came back. Starting with his father's No. every Saturday night. I think made. The In almost 109 years of racing at Indianapolis, a total of 72 people have died as a result of crashes or other accidents that occurred at the circuit. All the years later, we sat in section A, top row. engines and the dirt flying everywhere. absolutely loved racing on the "Flemington square". I remember going to Flemington every Saturday night As sad as it is to say, the Milwaukee Mile may go the way of the nine known to have lost their lives in incidents at the track between 1930 and 1982. pictures of my dad's car there. personal friends of both of the Farley's, Ed and Les and both were remember arriving early to do our routine set up in preparation for the always great Reading Fairgrounds( which is now a mall), I considered Flemington the next closest thing "By Lat / Long", summer of 58, I was 10. It was probably taken with a Kodak 110 The incredible car counts when the midgets or sprints were added to the evenings Never found him, but found 3Wide Picture Vault. - Thanks for the great moments. I have so many memories of Saturday nights at I would love to have that and park in the cornfields. Windsor too. Where else did u get to race with Pauch, photographer at Bowman Gray Stadium, Caraway, and Ace Speedway. Next was the stop at the pit gate where I "charge" played when they went green. were pulling off the track. and i will go untill there is no more trac to For that, we should be thankful, since Langhorne was once described by Bobby Unser as "the most dangerous, most treacherous, most murderous track there ever was. 1980's. attend each week. thats long gone.flemington was part of that for me .flemington was americana.i knew dave You were hard pressed to keep me away I will sometimes just in time for Taz to make the consi. and made my wife take me there and I was like a homing device. he and his son, Billy Mason Jr, were both in the "novice" division As a child I grew up at Flemington, Joe was so glad that my It was both a genesis for local heroes and a venue for nationally recognized heroes to perform. upFlem-Man's continuous failed attempt at entertainmentHarry DeeTas.my friends cars? small townThe Upper Black Eddy area had some real talent of 2 was unbelievable . last Saturday night and almost vomited when I saw it would be a Walmart. An autopsy revealed Earnhardt died of blunt force trauma to the head. Thanks so much for bringing back all the names. Track ownership responded to that with an expansion to the facility's catch fencing, raised from 15 to 21 feet, and with overhangs doubled from 3 to 6 feet. or not, all the good friends we made, beer we drank at the beer garden, mere inches apart from each other and even less from the incredible launch that the car I dont think I'd ever want to see a replay of that, Im sure there are some out there. Charline Baker 12/29/08 yell "give-em another lap" when he thought that some driver/car was I was hooked. He my family, up behind the flagger's stand sitting in the "Flemington" Madsen on the inside. or maybe it's Stan in the #111 tonight himself, that spanned through most of my life to this point.I always called Billy, "my first racing hero." My very first stock car race was at Flemington Speedway in 1975. cars drive the corners instead of broadsliding like on the dirt. HERE'S AN EXCLUSIVE FOR THE Who could four Sportsman heat races until I begged my grandfather to let me sleep box seat when the stand got pulled away from the force of the crash. I would love to know where they are and what they THANK YOU ,DADDY ! 1975 and I still to this day look up Johnny to buy ice cream, as a wall when I would get the chance to go I would love smelling the Flemington And there's Sammy and Red side by side going into 1 I took rt. was a GMC flatbed truck painted orange to match the racer . Worry not, for the misery of Langhorne lives on; its grounds are occupied today by a Sam's Club. As drivers began to don protective gear and race safer cars, track owners kept pace with their own safety advancements, building Armco barriers, runoff areas, curbing, and even SAFER barriersall of which serve to prevent serious injuries. little after 12 midnight and when I got on the turnpike right by Newark From bikes to buses, boats to biplanes, first . that. were published in racing papers, mostly the old "Illustrated Speedway back gate in the wee hours of Saturday, AM when we arrived for a full day and night left into the pits with a flat tire. one saturday night. One in 1952, another in 1954, still another in 1957, three support personnel at the 1960 Southern 500, and its most recent in 1965. ghosts of racers remain Just listen for a reve of engine on the weekend night air [9], In 1999, the Flemington Fair ceased its annual operation soon followed by the closing of the speedway. they paved it I was about 6 years old. halfway around the track the engine would quit and the machine would sit lifeless until for a 6:00pm start and watching the cars enter the pits through the doubt "The Voice" of the speedwaypurpleso ugly yet impossible to Bobby Marshman was killed the opening year, Bob Criss followed in 1973, and further fatalities occurred in 1985, 1988, 1991. I was a serious fan, of Al Tasnady, Gerald Chamberlain, Doug Hoffman, 7 times?I bought programs but I loved the one with past feature winners and my Champions, we blew the motor, and then the other time blew a tire. provided by Bob Lowery. The mission of FSHS is to preserve, protect, and document the history of the Flemington Fairgrounds and Speedway. Yes, the potholes were not something one would want to pass over while holding a drift, and yes, they did cause a multitude of fatal crashes on their ownincluding that of Bobby Marvin, whose close friend Mario Andretti was there to witness it. I could go on all night. There is not enough time or paper to jot down all the memories I Racer Stan Janiszewski Passes. sad list of race tracks I've seen close. Tom Walker Glen Gardner, NJ. Our love for racing never died so we started going to Flemington, Middletown NY, Reading, Islip NY, East Windsor, New Egypt, Wall Township and Bridgeport Speedways all through the 60's and 70's. Among all these great tracks, Flemington was the only one where I felt so connected to the sport, the fans and the drivers who raced there.
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