On lap 43, Veith A crowd of about 15,000 was on hand for this second sprint car show. ", "Paving the track spoiled its identity," Dallenbach adds. With a huge void created in the track's management, ownership of Langhorne Speedway was passed on to John Babcock and his family. Pavement Modified star Matt Hirschman won five of the past six editions since 2012, and has tied Hoag for most wins in this race's combined history. tremendous racing took place around the circular, oiled down, big dirt mile 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. In 1989, the circuit closed, replaced by a mall and a suburb. Upon his discharge in 1957, Tilley began racing the Flathead Coupes at the three-eights-mile dirt Silver Spring Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and in the early 1960s he moved up into the Supermodified "Bugs" that were all the rage. Following Amick across the finish line were Hartley, Keller, Elisian and Magill the only ones to go the full 100 Marvin passed away 2 hours later. But on the first lap his car got crossed up diving into Puke Hollow, hooked a rut, and launched an estimated 55 feet into the air. Jones was making his debut at the 'Horne in 1960 when Bryan died in an aerial wreck in Puke Hollow. Harold got his wish, and Darlington held the first of its annual Southern 500 races in 1950, which continue to be held today. Langhorne Speedway was a 1-mile circle that challenged even the toughest drivers. No Mans Land, by L. Spencer Riggs, Motorsports.com been thrown out after one or two barrel rolls. Well, Bryans 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. One in 1952, another in 1954, still another in 1957, three support personnel at the 1960 Southern 500, and its most recent in 1965. McCoy, Johnny Kay, Nick Fornoro, Al Herman, Joe Mattera, Harold Bechtol and Steve After the race, Clarence said they took bulldozers and steam shovels and dug down 25 or 30 feet and didnt find any concrete. been thrown out after one or two barrel rolls. Fortunately, his crew chief was Tommy Hinnershitz, a prewar dirt-track champion who'd unlocked Langhorne's secrets. "During qualifying, he told me that there was a pole with a yellow light, and I should back off there no matter what," Andretti says. track at Langhorne was higher at that end, and quite a bit lower in what you The first Langhorne National Open was held in 1951, and Dutch Hoag raced in it; he was one of the last cars to get through the large wreck which blocked the track and burned driver Wally Campbell, who was that year's NASCAR National Modified Champion. My brother, Raymond (Jim), wanted to go to Heres almost 100 fatalities, after his Mercedes went into the crowd, opposite the pit Besides sprint cars and midgets, there were modifieds, late-models, and stock cars. Once he caught him, they battled it out for about 15 laps, at a torrid It was known in part for its pothole-infested first sector, known as "Puke Hollow." Crocketts car owner, Charlie Engle, thought "On the list of toughest tracks to run, you'd have to put it at Number 1. Geoge Amick held on for the show. Langhorne Speedway, which opened in 1926 and closed in 1971, was tabbed with numerous nicknames during its almost half-century of stock-car, open-wheel and motorcycle racing. lost control of his car, with the car going through the fence and then into a Well, that and a lot of memories of Puke Hollow, with engines screaming and wheels spinning and the air filled with dust tinged with Pennsylvania crude. Marvin was one of 18 drivers to die at Langhorne. It was my first race in a Champ Car, and it was on dirt, and it was at the toughest place you could go -- one of those tracks where you had to brave it. A special thanks to Eric Cardona for sharing this historic footage.Apart from Mann's fatal crash, there were several injuries during the race. before the race ended, Sostilio dropped out. ", Although 25,900 fans had shown up for the Champ Car race in 1970, the 'Horne was increasingly unpopular with drivers. 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. Bob Sweikert, Bobby Grim, Larry Crockett, Fred Jiggs Peters, Hank Rogers, Ernie McCoy, Mike Nazaruk, Al Herman, Russ Klar, NR2003 name NR2003 year NR2003 sky Date of .ptf Date of race.lp Author Real name Length (mi) Pave ment Ban king Location State Country Region Racing started most every occasion when I went to Langhorne, I sat in the stands in what you I was there, but really cant remember what the only 40 laps. The mid-'50s through the early '60s are often considered the golden years of American open-wheel racing, when homegrown Indianapolis roadsters and championship dirt cars reached their apotheosis. usually drew quite a few cars from the mid-west. Langhorne on the 24th, to see the Indy car race, but didnt want to Autoweek.com takes a look at the history of Langhorne Speedway, a track that opened in 1926 and closed in '71, and in between was notorious for death and destruction. trials, with, There NASCAR learned a sour lesson as a result of the crash, and mandated head restraints. Bryan charged on, and was pace. and Garrett, running second and third, were lapped by Bryan, as he circled that rough track. LANGHORNE, Pa., July 1 Hugh Randall, a 29-year-old driver from Louisville, was killed today in an end-over-end flip during the 100-mile Indianapolis car race on the one-mile Langhorne Speedway . Jimmy hesitant, at first, since we had a special graduating (religious) service at (*) = Last race ever held at Langhorne Speedway. ", The 'Horne was at least as tough on equipment as it was on drivers, according to Paul Goldsmith, who won there on a motorcycle (1953) and in stock cars (with NASCAR in 1956 and USAC in 1963 and 1965). No credible source reports any deaths since. L. Spencer Riggs, author of the definitive motorsport history, "Langhorne! ISM Raceway is the modern name for a speedway some know as Phoenix International Raceway. "The track was always kind to me," he says. View photos of the Concord Speedway construction below. [2] His first win happened at Seekonk Speedway in 1946 and he won seven times in 1947. Little usually drew quite a few cars from the mid-west. The speedway was razed. Built in 1926 in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania, "the 'Horne" was a 1-mile dirt track shaped like a perfect circle. of 32.909, for an average speed of 109.392 MPH. Nazaruk ended up winning on that fateful day. The blood would start running out of my hands with about 10 laps to go. "That was the only race in my career that I was really worried about," he says. The NMRA operated Langhorne from its inception through the 1929 season, staging 100-lap events on Labor Days and occasional shorter races. winners were Nick Fornoro, Fred Jiggs After the Indy car race was cancelled, two final modified races were run in 1971. others had really started beating the drum about banning auto racing, to the The first Indy 500 was held in 1911 and won by Ray Harroun, who opted to save weight and leave his mechanic behind. The 100-mile event was slowed by two caution flags, and was won by driver Tim Flock. It hosted a NASCAR inaugural race in 1949. Notable drivers Doc Mackenzie, Joie Chitwood, Rex Mays, Lee Petty, Dutch Hoag, A.J. Tinglestad being lead away from the wreck by a track official. May 1st, 1955. , Johnny Thomson and Al Keller had the fastest times during time Indy car ace Paul Russo, whose brother was killed at the track, told Riggs that Langhorne "gave me butterflies the size of B-29s." And the cars in those days were different in speed in the same field -- sometimes by a vast amount. I dont think that there was a worse year than 1955 as far as deaths in auto Veith led the first 16 laps, with Bryan leading laps 17 through 70. Paved Oval located in Langhorne, PA: Track Status: Razed (Opened: 1926 --- Closed: 1971) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS ; Date Sanction Winner Laps 3 May 1930: AAA Champ Car Series: Bill Cummings: 100 7 May 1932: AAA Eastern Big Car Series: Bill Cummings: 50 28 May 1932: As much power as we had, youd run that thing full blast all the way around. Also killed at the track were five motorcycle riders, three spectators and one flagman. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7osqPCRB5KF4ppEuhX-w7w A Wild Dirt Track Crash From 1951. When the track was reconfigured and paved over in 1965, the smooth and level asphalt racing surface essentially prevented the formation of any rough patches and effectively eliminated the "hollow". In fact, the nation's deadliest racetracks share one common trait: They've been around a while. Bobby Grim raced directly underneath it. Note: Some of this information, below, was taken It also marked the final IndyCar race to be held at the circuit. In 1939 the Langhorne Speedway was part of an organisation called "Hankinson Speedways" - Hankinson ran events under AAA sanction at a long list of tracks both in the North-Eastern USA as well as in the Carolinas. Team Tactics Come Into Play The holes were up and the smooth side was down. It was common to have over a hundred cars attempt to qualify for the National Open. Marvin's car hit the outside fence, flipped high in the air and landed on Bud Tinglestad's car. All Rights Reserved. hed be out of sight, with the stands blocking the view of the track, a relief driver on his 55th lap, and Rodger Ward took over for him. <br> <br>This photo was taken at Langhorne, Pennsylvania of the 100 Mile U.S.A.C National Championship on June 20th, 1965. Race history Langhorne in NASCAR's pioneering years. In the first national open, in 1951, a large wreck blocked the track and burned driver Wally Campbell, that year's NASCAR National Modified champion. Joe Mattera, Dick Mealy, Harold Bechtol a year later, it was returned to him, the thumb part still in the glove. So take a moment to salute Langhorne Speedway. ", Another Langhorne devotee was three-time Indy winner Johnny Rutherford, who qualified on the pole in 1964 -- just ahead of Foyt -- in the last Champ Car race before the track was paved. During the prewar years, the lap record was already a few ticks above 100 mph -- an astonishing speed considering it was a dirt track with no straightaway. I was wearing thin leather gloves, and I had blisters out the wazoo. It was paved in 1965, and in the process, a straightaway of sorts was created on the tracks back side, turning the track into a D shape. Magill and Thomson, and was challenging Musselman for 300 yards from that hole in the fence. In the 1970 race, he passed his brother, Al, with nine laps to go to take the lead for good. A lot of racers believed -- mistakenly -- that Puke Hollow got its name because drivers felt sick when they roared through it. 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. What he hated, though, was the dust, which made it hard to see and got into everything, even after being thoroughly covered with a spray of Pennsylvania oil. And it was very unforgiving. Watch. Less than a month after the racing ban was enacted, Hankinson, the man so instrumental in bringing notoriety to Langhorne early on, died of natural causes in Florida. It was a wild frontier, with blood on the ground. That might have been the hardest pass I ever did in all of racing. Did the Horne scare Unser? It opened in 1926 and quickly gained a reputation as one of the toughest tracks in the country, thanks to its high banks and long straightaways. This auction is for a NEW 1960's 8x10 Inch B&W PHOTO of 234903308877 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. [8] Larry Mann, Frank Arford, Bobby Marvin, John McVitty, Joe Russo, Mike Nazaruk, and Jimmy Bryan were all killed racing at this track. "They just screwed it up when they paved the track," Foyt says with typical bluntness. Thomson, Russo, McWithey Thomson, Keller and Musselman. is a photo of Larry Crash Crockett in the Engle-Stanko Richard Speck, of Mechanicsburg, was sitting in the infield. a photo, again, one taken by Walt Imlay, of the start of the 1956 100-mile race Recently, CFT NV Developments LLC submitted plans to tear down the Langhorne Speedway Diner and construct a 2,540 Panda Express with a drive-thru lane. Next, with 99 laps was Bryan, and with 98 laps, a Champ car, ended up as the fastest qualifier with a time of 32,871. go alone, so he asked me. The track became famous for it's many ruts and uneven terrain. The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest circuit on this list and the second oldest speedway in the world. George didnt qualify his normal ride, the HOW Offy, According to Riggs, nearly two dozen drivers were killed at the 'Horne, along with another dozen or so. So when he heard that Roger Ward wanted no part of the Champ Car race there in 1960, Bryan agreed to a one-off ride in the vacant car, the A.J. Even with them wearing gloves, a lot of Foyt and Jones drove past the car as it was flipping violently. That 1964 race -- which Foyt won, with Andretti ninth -- was the last one on the original dirt surface. Heres Eventually, Nazaruk the September 11, 1949 (200 Miles at Langhorne Speedway) to the September 15, 1957 (300 Miles at Langhorne Speedway) Search DriverAverages. Just went after Musselman. And a photo, taken by Walt Imlay, of Mike Nazaruk Ive never lost sleep over debuting anywhere in the world, even with Formula 1 and whatever, Andretti said. 2029 E Lincoln Hwy, Langhorne, PA 19047-0000 +1 215-949-3533 Website. completed. http://www.motorsport.com/stats/champ/ldrivers.asp, While car had gone through the fence, minus his helmet and most of his clothing. "It was the toughest track I ever ran on a motorcycle, and it was even worse in a stock car," he says. a photo of Mike Nazaruk, supposedly on his last lap An unknown driver flips during the 250-mile NASCAR Grand National race at Langhorne Speedway held on September 14, 1952. to the speedway, for opening day May 1, 1955. Another popular misconception is that, when the rear wheels bounced in the air, drivers inadvertently overrevved their engines, causing them to blow up, aka puke. could say was the fourth turn area. three in a row came to an end. Save. Langhorne Speedway hosted its final race in October 1971, six months after drivers voted to boycott the track because it was so treacherous. Bob Driver Joe Eubanks crashed heavily into the grandstand guardrail, causing his car to spin violently like a top. I wanted to be a race driver. Andretti raced for the first time at Langhorne in 1964 in an IndyCar race. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. With 10 deaths in its short 32 years of operation, it may be for the best that Riverside is gone. 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. and headed towards the track to show it to him on his next lap. You were running pretty fast, so if you hit, there was a lot of impact.. his goggles. lap, Bryan A 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. Fonda Speedway. Langhorne Speedway, which opened in 1926 and closed in 1971, was tabbed with numerous nicknames during its almost half-century of stock-car, open-wheel and motorcycle racing. vicious series of end over end flips, with Crockett being thrown out of the car a Champ car, ended up as the fastest qualifier with a time of 32,871. The track was paved. In 1964, accidents at the track claimed the lives of Jimmy Pardue and "Fireball" Roberts. He really began to make his presence known in the Forry Brothers No. His average speed was 95.212 MPH. "The whole place had deteriorated over the years -- the infield, the pits, everything.". Most notably, Flock won two races and three poles in three days from July 29-31. Tinglestad being lead away from the wreck by a track official. "I hardly slept the night before. dont think that there was a worse year than 1955 as far as deaths in auto took Amick 1:03:01.463 to go 100 miles. The Riverside International Raceway is the sole dedicated road course to make this register. These changes would be implemented at all of the properties under the owners' umbrella. Courtesy of Jim Wilmore A momentous trophy for Pete after his Langhorne victory. Courtesy of Rick Parry A ticket for the benefit race they ran for Pete after the amputation. Difficulties in track preparation, management disputes, and poor attendance drove the speedway to the brink of bankruptcy until noted promoter Ralph "Pappy" Hankinson took over in 1930. But there was a lot of trouble. Langhorne hosted what turned out to be the track's final Champ Car race in 1970. Pinterest. Click on the race number to see the results of that race. His teammate, Charlie Musselman was next with Many others suffered grievous injuries and burns. Stock car drivers were killed in 2001 and 2002; the latter was T-boned at almost 170 MPH due to poor marshaling by the race's governing body. In September 1949, Langhorne hosted the fourth race of NASCAR's first year of . You wanted to go there and run good because it was so tough. 18 drivers, five motorcycle riders, three spectators, and one flagman have died at the track. 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