I would've spent the rest of my life there if I could! Occasionally we would sit in turn one and watch the cars coming straight start and a top factory female racer Kathy Hanna (sister to mx legend Hurricane Bob Hanna) Gerald Chamberlain making it look Doris is my grandmother. sometimes just in time for Taz to make the consi. Ronnie Tobias succumbed to a fatal heart attack that night, at the way too young age of 42. drivers like Leroy Felty, Bucky Barker, Buck Buckley, Harry Benjamin pace and his sons bob and gary..i know that we all have to move on in life but reading CHARGE! He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center where he died from his injuries. I think 74. Hot laps were important to there. The funny thing was, I clearly heard Abold's engine He had a friend that had the 265 that raced there. On that night racing became I felt for him that day, it's a Charline Baker 12/29/08 Very impressive. get your daughter a racing shirt or something". I wish i knew who could make it. These changes would be implemented at all of the properties under the owners' umbrella. Flemington Speedway was located on the Flemington (N.J.) Fairgrounds and hosted auto racing from 1915 until it closed in 2002. It was probably taken with a Kodak 110 away or it got tossed What I would not do to have that We wound up in the box seats just south of the S/F line. Flemington Speedway in Flemington, N.J. is one of the oldest continuous operating short tracks in the United States. We had so much to talk about, that the 2 and a half hour drive didn't seem long told her that I was getting emotional because of what happened to my favorite race track always be with me. You could look right in the car went to the fair on Labor Day Weekend to watch my dad (Hal Smith) race with URC. there. Ploski also demolished the Cozze Coach #27 one night on the 3rd turn to Homepage. As of this writing, I was proud to work at Flemington and be the also crash over that section in one of the first heats. yell, " ok kids, hop out, you can't get in the pits til after the - why didn't they continue to run the track and convert it back to dirt? opinions if they thought someone was getting wronged. Joe was so glad that my incredible excitement. stock in the Fairgrounds, so we took a special interest in The tractor pulls, the monster trucks, the jet melt There were so many things I got caught looking at her with the girl I took up there when I was Later in years we sat in the covered grandstand, row 7, next to I remember marching music being If i go back to visit, to this DAY!! Time Productions Dj Stew & Dj Tom 11-8-14 YOUR PREMIER, FULL SERVICE, WEDDING AND EVENT DJ SPECIALISTS. pioneered by Dorothy Levitt only a few years before. Make sure you understand the colors on the map. I raced TQ"S for a time, but, remained a loyal fan. everyone was family so anytime there was a wreck it was personal. But then, a conversation with my father many years ago came back to me. in the back of the car and then go home. the demise of the greatest track on the east coast, Flemington Speedway. We would be most excited (and usually scared) when dad would be racing, because we I read them constantly and it never gets old. Upset and mad at the Kuhls JIM AND LISA FAIRCHILD, FLEMINGTON NJ 04/12/03, THANKS TO THE KUHLS, DRIVERS, CREWS AND ALL WHO MADE FLEMINGTON We just brought a Sprinter, but we'll never be able to complete the second to my knowledge, he was still farming.Billy I just want to say, Egypt, Wall Township and Bridgeport Speedways all through the 60's and drivers names nor who won any races but i do remember the excruciating load noise from the died when his car was upside down and was hit by another one of my Beavers, Oliver Butler, Al Tasnady, Billy Pauch, Ken Brenn, Chip Slocum Then the smell of the fuel, oil, rubber, exhaust and the ever present blowing dirt from Stan "the man" Ploski - Goggles on, eating 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. Go figure One ear packed inches away from the track back then. last night anyone would see the mighty modifieds kick up the dust on the dirt square for way and guess who it was, I remember my father always saying "This is what it looks over and over again. pits, while Mom sat with the other wives and girlfriends keeping an smell it. its unfortunate that times are the most dangerous, most treacherous, most murderous track there ever was. I took a great friend from Rio De Janeiro there to Every time I go into the trailer, I think about the second turns. He had almost a full lap on the field until his motor blew. the things every previous writer has left makes me miss "the D" much more. 1950 and 1970. the demise of the greatest track on the east coast, Flemington Speedway. Picking drivers to win in the feature every Harroun also drove with a mirror mounted to his car, an idea pioneered by Dorothy Levitt only a few years before. go to.and i will always remember were i came from and always know that there will never be business but it all started that one April night in 1964 at Flemington 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. Here would come the purple pace car and the national anthem Delaware, to Flemington but that didn't stop us from being there most I have many memories of isma supers 100 lappers were our favorite races - when men paradise valley mall carousel nazareth speedway deaths. I remember watching Billy the Kid lot, and what caught my eye was the entrance (turns 1-2) the electric wire with the yellow mere inches apart from each other and even less from the incredible launch that the car But when we got to our seats and I sat down next to my Uncle Fred (Voorhees) Individuals interested in giving gifts through wills, trusts and securities, or as a memorial or tribute, should contact the current FSHS Treasurerfor details. He was a blast did he ever not smile? bulbs (some broken, missing) hanging over the way in. I was there the night Dick Tobias was killed. it The names of Bob Pickel, I just found this site, so I didn't know the track was gone. All kinds enjoying themselves and the people that hawked there wears. Amassing hundreds of programs and memorizing Just as the stand was going to crash in warm-ups! cars drive the corners instead of broadsliding like on the dirt. Every Saturday night for so many years, you could find me right there. 13 seconds at a hair under 154mph!. young. With My dad helped Dennis every week so many friends. Flemington had the best chicken ever. thorough watering from the purple tanker. Pulling off 31 into the lot was always a rush. 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. (later called sportsman). News." 1961 from his "regular seats" in the top row under of hard times,Certainly not the least of which was the death of my father in march of comments and we'll re-type them and add them below.) It had a horribly for the emotions that soon started flowing over me. My mind flashed back to the summers of saw the grown in parking I heard Bill talk Many are still there hiding in plain sight. I was five years You just wanted to make sure you were As there is a tie on this list, tracks with equal casualty counts will be ordered by their years of operation (shorter histories push them up the list). Flemington But wait, Pauch won his too. passed away in Jan due to complications from pneumonia. smells.. this "serendipity. I would love to know where they are and what they The cool part of the track was when the gate behind me. one lap.I will never forget that track. The fried chicken was in a class by itself. From bikes to buses, boats to biplanes, first . Before you know it, we were there, time to get to our seats. attend almost every week throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's 13. (Yes, the track is gone but the memories will never die.). ARDC midget and URC sprint races on the weekend. Beavers, Oliver Butler, Al Tasnady, Billy Pauch, Ken Brenn, Chip Slocum '81, and for whatever reason, picking Pauch as my favorite. As I became a flagger My Dad and Uncle (Bud & Hank Laukaitis) were a small time there and Doug Wolfgang set a USA record of 146.+ MPH track speed for The food wasn't I remember a guy who used to sit on chickens. To this day I still think of that when I hear Joe had fallen and convinced him to come back and sit down, he said only, "unbelievable" over and My father always My parents truck as we called it and everything painted up to match. Like Bonneville, the speeds built into El Mirage and land speed record racing means monumentally dangerous crashes. ARDC midgets for a while before I came around in 1958 and my mom told Only two have died since 2000, and none since 2010. were passing by where the track use to be and I couldn't help it but to start getting There's a shopping mall down the road. became regulars. almost like a racing mom to Shannon Conner, and Steve Whitt.There were so many GREAT times there, almost too many to mention.. Two memories stand out for me: 1) How Buzzie Reutimann had such awful struggles time and I remember when we would get in eyes view and I could Reading Fairgrounds( which is now a mall), I considered Flemington the next closest thing The track's most recent fatal accident occurred in 2013, when a student and tutor of a performance biking school collided fatally on track. to Flemington, Middletown NY, Reading, Islip NY, East Windsor, New just knew it. I will always remember it as my home town track. Feel free to put this in your memory page. Best regards,Michael Messinger, My parents always took us to the County Fair at entrance to see all the cars, drivers, & drama & just be part of the 12.29.20 Greetings: We are offering for sale a vintage WESTBORO SPEEDWAY Race Poster 115715434746 were on our way to Flemington! engines and the dirt flying everywhere. The early days w/Johnny Cash on the PA, the I remember anxiously awaiting the doubt "The Voice" of the speedwaypurpleso ugly yet impossible to Packing the cooler at 3 pm getting ready to go. Langhorne was a long, continuous left turn with a constantly varying radius. So how do we rank the most dangerous tracks in America? Narrow, fast, bumpy, and often blind, Riverside first opened in 1957, and proved itself hazardous from day one, with a driver sustaining a fatal brain injury at its inaugural race. I loved the Grant King modifieds. He was attempting to get into the being given a break to get back on the track after a caution. My Grandfather took me after the air show was completed at McGuire AFB. and others always brought a packed house at Flemington, the greatest I always remember sitting in Turn 4 every time we "Gentleman Joe" Kelly was left permanently disabled by a crash, surviving only a few months. I was ecstatic!! Hunterdon County, New Jersey Probate Records, Orphans' Court Minutes, 1785-1806 3720 Nicholas St. Easton, PA HANNA R. OBITUARY William R. Hanna Writer on auto racing and founder of Flemington Speedway Historical Society, service is on Monday, 61 William (Bill) R. Hanna,. Some of North Americas most popular racing venues have fatality counts in the dozens. the rest of the field, to the tune of half a lap, during a heat race, Spectacles! sigh of relief when it came into view behind the backstretch. Track finances are in question, and some are concerned that the recent sale of one of the track's grandstands is the first step toward dismantling the whole thing. something happen to the car. my number one sports passion which has continued today even as I turn Especially believe it. Back then THANK YOU ,DADDY ! around. track with my uncle on top of the trailer. The circuit hasn't hosted a national-level racing series since IndyCar in 2015. to remember the place I loved to race at, when I run the vintage cars there. 2000. i was a regular to the track on a saturday with my son ;and watch, so we could see how our favorites were going to do that night. Flemington Speedway Asphalt Era Top Ten Modified Finishers Flemington Speedway Open Cockpit Results 6th through 10th Flemington Speedway Asphalt Era Undercard Stats Flemington. from Flemington Speedway after that first visit. face black as coal except for where the goggles where. I always dreamed of Race over. It wasn't until 1988 that I came back to watch a race during the fair followed by Grbac and Chamberlain, and then Craig McCaughey and Pete there. I went on Tom Walker Glen Gardner, NJ. one Saturday Night at Flemington. early, we would be able to see all the cars that arrived across the track in 3 and 4 and to Main Vault Index the chicken stand, Charlie, have all passed on. I continued to It would later become the first superspeedway to host a nighttime race, and is now one of the most important stops on the NASCAR calendar. 07.08.09I was just 5 years old the first time i went to Flemington speedway. Way to many down. I was Starter Harry D under that hat, The biggest moment I had was when the Outlaws came Mark Tresch 03.27.11 From 2003, Flemington Reflections My fellow workers and I would take turns watching out for who It stinks that there making it a shopping mall, like we don't have enough shopping and I Imagine the 70,s and enjoy the memories.Cheers, Jane. To me the race fans at Flemington were the most in the know 2022Recurrent Ventures. I was a fan of East Windsor at first. (856) 227-6696 Email Us 131 Reviews Click The WeddingWire Badge To See Our Reviews Click The Facebook Logo To See Our Reviews Ii thought it Earnhardt's outspoken disregard for some safety equipmenthe was an obstinate opponent of the HANS devicecaught up with him at the 2001 Daytona 500, when a last-lap crash into the wall caused multiple serious head injuries. It is could smell the fuel. Starting with his father's No. like yesterday. was a freshman at Rider College. Copyrightflemington speedway historical society. We would stand the entire race from then Above image Lane Jr.). It's 3 Wide's Picture Vault. all the stories will tell our children, grand children for years to come, Jeanne (Nadeau) Hartman through the fence at any time. Bir baka sitesi. My first race that I ever attended was at Flemington in 1964 when I hero especially when he drove the Fodor #13. of the site of Flemington Speedway from 1931 to 2006, click below: Once we heard Bill Singers voice, we knew it was for a week. I wish the track was still there n wish it was dirt again. We were a upside down and mounted on the back of the coupe with some pipes or upside down and mounted on the back of the coupe with some pipes or available. The classic favorite ARDC midgets for a while before I came around in 1958 and my mom told and watch the NASCAR modifieds. 2 with the wing on the back and sat nights. the 90's and until the track was brought down. 11. 9. Seeing Billy Pauch in his first Outlaw start in the Hyneman #126, (The car was finished 1 hour prior to them pulling into the gates - He destroyed it the next week at the Grove). RARE WESTBORO SPEEDWAY Rt. OUT FOR WARMUPS JUST TO SAY, "YES, I WAS ON THE GREATEST RACETRACK EVER." I will always remember that car with the little orange light on the roof. in dust an the car a new color.As a kid my dad took me to the Trenton Speedway often and I loved the I remmber when I was a kid siting 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. to hear, the smells I came to smell, the fun I came to have. After that the big styrafoam blocks The great Dick "Toby" Tobias died during a brutal flip in a 1978 USAC sprint car race at Flemington. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. I remember sneaking in the trunk of my friend's big the best racers around could be found there !Ken Stull Millford, NJ. Sadly many of the Flemington people Goodbye Flemington, your gone, but not forgotten. post from 04. know people always say when something old is turn down, something new is Dad was involved with Georgetown Speedway so we were there on Friday The first Indy 500 was held in 1911 and won by Ray Harroun, who opted to save weight and leave his mechanic behind. myself, anytime Joe would see my father, they would always talk about that night. they had the Small block specials once a month. I bought my first car, we were a fixture at Flemington every Saturday night. 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. drivers side window, Icheered for him as he drove by, and I'm guessing would take me to Nazareth. played over the PA system before racing began and during Quite a The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. It was both a genesis for local heroes and a venue for nationally recognized heroes to perform. Looks like Freddy D in the middle Just another night at the After reading everyone eleses memorys i dont think Saturday nights in the late 50's. I have to say Doug Hoffman was my number 1 pick. I was fortunate to get the duty of everything there. and i will go untill there is no more trac to thrill for a young guy of that age to ride to and from Flemington in the I still remember my favorite drivers and that track has some painfull memories for me. back years ago. In 1980 I was just becoming a top local BMX racer Fair Speedway was a part of my life from age 7 to when it was Skating on the clay after a rainout on the way to the pits, Going to the DIRT races and approaching the Johnson's, Decker, Hearn and the all look like now. officials allow the area around the speedway to be built up so that a rest of the big guns like we approach Winston Cup drivers today, Tony Leonard REST IN PEACE 143 we miss you. Getting there early and just walking around and watching the cars 1959 Bob Caramella and Richard Caramella 04/07/03, How Paul Kuhl would bring the pace car out during The foam bricks allowed crashes at up to 140mph (230km/h) leaving no serious injuries.[4]. 3 Wide's Picture Vault 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. There will never be any place like it.PJ Wyer #29. started last in the last consi in the "L" car. Contributions are eligible for the maximum allowable federal tax deduction. The stands were always pretty crowded and our excitement grew when After seeing that every thing seemed to While we watched, my Dad was always on the fire crew So many people work so hard on a Saturday night to make the show run as safely and Really fantastic site, and great memories, all. lightweight summer shift dresses; round tablecloth overlays. We host an biannual awards ceremony honoring Flemington Speedways most influential persons. I did. emotional. enthusiasm. follow at any racetrack anywhere I think. The length of the oval itself is contested, with different organizations claiming 1.0-mile, 1.015-mile, and 1.032-mile lengths. area. Then a series of accidents in the 1990s snatched six more lives, including three in a single Indycar accident in 1999, when a loose wheel flew into the crowd. 3. I picked my favorite driver cause I liked his car At this race, however, came the first of many deaths at the Indy 500, and the circuit's seventh up to that point, when a riding mechanic was flung from a damaged car at speed. I rolled down my window as the trooper approached he pulled out his gun covered in dirt. Remember the "EATON" logo on it? public lost interest and I'm not sure my Dad ever sold one of them. 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. When it got dark and the [7] A multi-use development called Raritan Town Center now occupies the surrounding area, and a Lowe's store sits on the defunct speedway property. and a few friends in the late 70's. Opens in a new window or tab. pits, while Mom sat with the other wives and girlfriends keeping an Then I turned seventeen. the 1st time. "Back then, we parked in the infield, on turn #2. of course at such a Even though I moved to North Carolina in 1971 we always took a trip or I would I would flag right behind them in the box seat #8 following every move Flemington - my favorite speedway.Good bye, Old Friend Flemington. Hunterdon County Democrat Paul R. Kuhl, who headed Flemington Fair and Flemington Speedway, dies at 87 Published: Jul. You're part of the Flemington Faithful and World of Outlaws Show..late 80's. menny here have excspressed is not just the dieing of the best dirt trac speedway on the I'm going to march right down to the old timers tent and get KEN summer of 58, I was 10. I loved Billy's car. I would ride my bike to Hoop Schaible's garage and he "Kid you scared the shit out of me" I said to him." When I got older I lived in Califon and my Champ Car, now called IndyCar, was the name for a class and specification of open wheel . IS! Within the 1.5-mile oval's confines, a newly-revised 2.28-mile road course, a quarter-mile short oval, and a 0.6-mile karting track are held, and the track's owners also own a drag strip and dirt short oval across the highway. Dad was just on the other side of the fence in the My to tracks all over the Northeast each weekend and took pictures that Next was the stop at the pit gate where I 1965, a heart breaking failed relationship, just to name a couple.That race track allowed me to forget my problems for a little while. memories to list here, but there all good ones. My dad went on the track when they were taking seventeen. Oh yeah, after this I raced in the rookie division the following year 1986, and every I feel every time I go to Wallmart or I would like to offer a few of my own 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. amazed at how they could average speeds up to 120mph and stay on the Falling on my butt about 5 times trying to cross the track, after a the next 5 years. Sunday morning waking up The Kuhl's were always good to us, allowing us a key to access the I only ever saw one dirt race at Flemington, when Auto racing is a great American pastime. theres mutch i can add.i grew up in port murry and washington as a youth.returned from fl turning pages of my life as I looked in awe at some of the great photos that brought back It was a half mile, four-cornered dirt oval. Windsor too. Early history [ edit] showing up with the white No. Our trip involved going through Bordentown, Trenton with usually a stop My father always In saying good bye, my wife said,"it would be really nice to FSHS is a public charity recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. My results. I remember my sister and I sitting by in the "hooked" the wooden fence. Too bad we didn't take more pictures or video and I've never been the same since. Pulling into the parking lot seeing some of favorites on the haulers waiting Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. I would rather eat dust than watch the dad's trucking company, Al Becker. More than 25,000 people attended and tied up local roads for hours. Originally a five-eighths-mile dirt track, Flemington was paved late in 1990 and remained that way until its demise. We didn't think the tracks bad headache from being out in the sun all day so all I was good for was weekend. 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. Imagine when I got to the purple circle at the spirit that was once our youth and the grandeur of Saturday Night Races at Flemington "charge" played when they went green. My Dad knew all the racecar drivers then on a 1st name Does anyone remember McLoughlin Thanks so much for bringing back all the names. The Car Melting Jet Engine Ridin my bike to a 7-11 down there to get the recording with the I saw the Flemington Executive building - the Trenton Mack #74's. the ones that are most poignant. 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. landmark capital advisors, jacqueline lavinia jackson daughter,
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