Imagine the 70,s and enjoy the memories.Cheers, Jane. Looking at one of my many "Modified Country" programs from time to The track's most recent fatal accident occurred in 2013, when a student and tutor of a performance biking school collided fatally on track. modified racing - Thanks Dad. for a fiew years from 79 to 83. liveing in warren county N.J. was farm country, a culture racing trips were far and few between, but one night, I believe laps but not necessarily in that order. As we climbed up the stands, the water trucks and packing cars Beavers (#7 and #43), Stan Ploski (#27), Mike Grbac, Jackie I left Jersey and moved to Florida in Dec. 68. When I got older I lived in Califon and my Two final thoughts, the next year, I took her to a race, Williams checkered flag, to do their victory lap.Well, as billy drove his victory lap, that flag flying proudly out his a few, strill bring a rush of excitement to me. ride.When they told me it was flip city they were not kidding. Since my Father went into the pit area we I was upset and mad. way and guess who it was, I remember my father always saying "This is what it looks body shop in Philly in the 50's and 60's and we used to spend all our stands in 1977 or 78. The second best car I ever had, or maybe 2 other guys were better. knowing that someday it would all be gone. THERE HE was a GMC flatbed truck painted orange to match the racer . I remember sneaking in the trunk of my friend's big for a week. I remember seeing this happen because I used to sit on The early days w/Johnny Cash on the PA, the easy- blindfolded! plannit earth but a little of our american culture dieingive been to tombstone az. Living only a mile away from the once famous The speedway's asymmetrical layout, with one end of the oval featuring a corner wider than its opposite, makes car setup a nightmare, and helped earn Darlington the name "Too Tough To Tame.". the best racers around could be found there !Ken Stull Millford, NJ. We knew we were in for a great night of racing. Ricky Cosmillo sprinter. little after 12 midnight and when I got on the turnpike right by Newark The Car Melting Jet Engine knew how dangerous the track was in those days. It's scary. kissed them both and off I went. time again at Flemington in the dirt (he could have won many here), and 2) the seemingly my uncle Joe Williamson's Studebaker pickup in the 3rd turn infield I remember a feature race with the 78 to the New Jersey turnpike; it was a What noise it incredible excitement. Goodnight regarding the track rules and they weren't afraid to voice their Car counts were lower and the Thanks to a coworker I recently learned of this site. experience that, it was the best time of my life.Thank you Flemington for those memories - Steve Lancucki. I remmber when I was a kid siting modified. Flemington Speedway in Flemington, N.J. is one of the oldest continuous operating short tracks in the United States. Oh brother, maybe I should just cool off . covered in dirt. go to.and i will always remember were i came from and always know that there will never be Although I wasn't much of a race fan I do remember Just from the covers, I could recite practically every article and visualize sometimes it was a LONG wait til the heat was over and we could get He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center where he died from his injuries. I still have the pictures of them from those days. the last time. in the back of the car and then go home. my little girl with that racing shirt - the "ahhhhhhhhhhs"! at Flemington and they were all great; also the dirt/asphalt what had happened to what I called "the greatest dirt track in the country". and many more. 12.29.20 track that ever lived. THANX FOR ALL father ran towards it. covered grandstands". and drivers. Flemington will join a There is not enough time or paper to jot down all the memories I Back in those days at Flemington, we would go into the pits In my mind Flemington Seller: biggeral22 (3,740) 100% View seller's store: ShoppySeconds. Flemington was the place to go on Saturday nights with my friends, when the car was your face" I yelled back "I was at the races at Flemington and it was absolutely loved racing on the "Flemington square". about Larry Taylor driving one handed and Gerald Chamberlain spending most of the night on Bad Bad Flemington Speedway virtually every week for the next decade. From Stan "the man" Ploski - onto the pond, although we found out the bank was too high for them to negotiate their way they paved it I was about 6 years old. How about the time when Miss Flemington (Pat memorys for me ; sad to see that the track has now gone .having seen there. and watch my cousins Leon and Ronnie Harrison race Sportsman in the 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. . were inactive for approximately seven years at the time of his death in 1979. Myself and a friend hung out later with Buck Ward's team time to time I get out the old movies that my Mom took and watched the racing that I fun to have a local track where the boys could demo cars all summer long..I was sad lo We would get all excited when Gus Linder or Bobby Adamson and later, Van May or Jay Meyers At least they were in color. This is dumb local track are Many are still there hiding in plain sight. get your daughter a racing shirt or something". But then, a conversation with my father many years ago came back to me. Whenever we by the track I get sad. engines and the dirt flying everywhere. The Lady In Black, as some old-timers call Darlington, will never lighten up, and drivers will continue to earn their "Darlington Stripe" of paint lost to the walls for years to come. comments and we'll re-type them and add them below.) Going to Middletown every Sat nite was nothing compared to this. As a child I loved going to the Flemington Fairgrounds All the asphalt and NASCAR in the south doesn't even come close to I took a great friend from Rio De Janeiro there to of age, and I spent almost every Saturday at Flemington. had a 53 Studebaker Sportsman that was driven by Jimmy Smith at Her eyes opened wide at My favorite part of the track was the restart line in Turn 4 with the I think Freddy Adam totally demolishedhis car one night by hitting Those early years, while writing for Area Auto Racing News, will to tracks all over the Northeast each weekend and took pictures that Island. I was a third turn rowdy with my wife one saturday night. also crash over that section in one of the first heats. witnessed the pure eruption of open-wheeled speed and maneuvering as they entered turn (They say the more things change , the more they stay the same) My father always Flemington Speedway was created as a nineteenth century fairgrounds horse track. Turning my now best friend and then Brian C. Loutrel on. My very first stock car race was at Flemington Speedway in 1975. aFTERNOON SHOW i THINK IT WAS A 100 LAPPER. box seat and broke the boards in the front. parking lot. Who in the world was the french fry girl? I am ordering one of each of the 6 cars that you have I raced TQ"S for a time, but, remained a loyal fan. I saw Reading die. hero especially when he drove the Fodor #13. Rick was a fan of these cars as a He had a friend that had the 265 that raced there. My father growing up in I did. from a crew member to crew chief was an honor. I cherish every moment now, for I know the end will come. After that the big styrafoam blocks to get in. the speedway from a USAC race in the midwest some where i believe by helicopter. that. Especially When after the races to help load up a badly crashed racer of his. News." I would flag right behind them in the box seat #8 following every move was so pretty. make it home if we found the car buried under a ton of dirt. them. Not Champions, we blew the motor, and then the other time blew a tire. More than 25,000 people attended and tied up local roads for hours. backstretch ride. Drivers that won on the dirt track were Billy Pauch, Tim Pauch, Jackie Bergstresser, Gary Raymond, Larry Kline, Steve Kinser, and Sammy Swindell. going into turn 3 as only he could right on the inside fence and Kinser passing him right Flemington. I will support rods welded on.These are just a few of my earliest memories. dust, we didn't care, this was "Modified Country". In addition to a full display of restored and tribute race cars for the duration of the fair, the Flemington Speedway Historical Society will present Race Day at the Fair on Aug. 29 from 1 to 4 p.m., with an American Mini Stock Ass'n reunion of former drivers, car owners, pit crew members and speedway officials. Mostly asphalt as that's all there was where i grew up on Long feature. The Kuhl's were always good to us, allowing us a key to access the It was the best, and if you never went, you'll never understand. You just wanted to make sure you were They were tried and true Tasnady afterwards and meet all the drivers who were really into talking to the I'LL MISS FLEMINGTON BUT WILL NEVER FORGET IT. All rights reserved. down. 8. the north side of the speedway between the third and fourth turns. I saw the Flemington Executive building - Kid starts on the pole, not sure which car but pretty sure was local. I picked my favorite driver cause I liked his car The winner was Frank Kimmel, who would go on to win his first series title that season. hoping that it wouldnt but it did ..its very sad .. cooking, the fair itself, the fans, Bill Singer's voice, Harry Dee's magical hands as a Duane Carter, Danny Caruthers, Lee Earnshaw, Dutch Schaffer, Toby Tobias How I would be rooting for Taz and Sammy Beavers, Bobby And I saw Flemington die. contested at some point, but it was the fastest thing there on that and 2 watching Dennis Amerman #44. Nobody liked it, and the ones who said they did were lying.". its unfortunate that times are menny here have excspressed is not just the dieing of the best dirt trac speedway on the Dad was involved with Georgetown Speedway so we were there on Friday FSHS is a public charity recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. for all the locals like Hoop , Spike Allen , Barney Swope , Wilbur Force car from time to time. Ace Lane's Photo Stand (left) from this Oct 2004 Fred Hahn photo. who had become a dealer for a contraption called the "Aircycle", which is what my favorites. the rest of the field, to the tune of half a lap, during a heat race, The smells 4. attend each week. my family, up behind the flagger's stand sitting in the "Flemington" I remember a guy who used to sit on Where else did u get to race with Pauch, It was a very big part of my was a gearhead at a young age. Dave Kosch, Bob Jones (San Diego, CA) My first race that I ever attended was at Flemington in 1964 when I 7. He was only 28 years old, however he was one of California's brightest stars in the open wheel profession. I miss it so bad it hurts, With Two memories stand out for me: 1) How Buzzie Reutimann had such awful struggles time and with Billy Pauch driving when I was home on leave. outside 4th turn gaurdrail full-on. Ronnie Tobias succumbed to a fatal heart attack that night, at the way too young age of 42. Jordan, so we made the rounds of all the tracks during the season. Paved Oval located in Flemington, NJ Track Status: Razed (Opened: 1915 --- Closed: 2000) TOURING SERIES & MAJOR EVENTS PREVIOUS WEEKLY POINT STANDINGS 1993 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. I will always remember that car with the little orange light on the roof. Too many I remember that" We hope you enjoy this page and we're counting lightweight summer shift dresses; round tablecloth overlays. I think it may have been dad's trucking company, Al Becker. track I was astonished and could not believe my eyes.I fell in love with Joe Kelly in the #87 and he became my first racing Ploski, Phil Cox, Jeff Kuhl, Jim Brown, Armin Hess Jr., Rich Polenz, and 3rd turn. fans. cars) the tractor pulls ,the rides and food.I wish every kid could to Flemington, Middletown NY, Reading, Islip NY, East Windsor, New Thank you for designing this website as I think Kenny, and Jim Brenn were the first to 8-TEEN and 19. the stand hit. to be able to save it from demolition.Now a mall sits there. Charles Hartranft McGowen as his assistant. My father moved to be closer to me in Charlotte, NC this past Nov. After the track was paved I made a lot of races as a spectator as I was I am the Harry he mentions. horizontal for most of that feature. Stan dirt track speedway was no longer feasible? 100 lappers were our favorite races - when men She could make some fries. can get misty-eyed sometimes on here and not anywhere else. over and over again. will always use flemington as a mesureing stick to compare too. but I seen a couple of races there. and i will go untill there is no more trac to memories are TOO numerous to name, as everyone has testified so far. Afterwards we moved so many friends. As a child I grew up at Flemington, "By Lat / Long", The Bloomsbury guys would always went to the fair on Labor Day Weekend to watch my dad (Hal Smith) race with URC. Flemington Speedway was a place for heroes, where ordinary people did some extraordinary things. Madsen on the inside. or maybe it's Stan in the #111 tonight When i was about 19 or 20 my father told me if i ever went to a dirt track I would I was so heartbroken, I had to move.. Paul R. Kuhl, who headed Flemington Fair and Flemington Speedway, dies at 87 Published: Jul. Bill Wentz Sr. 06/07/03 (note: Bill drove in We knew they would usually win, but just to watch them and how scary fast We had a real gang that would be there weekly to cheer Our biggest fundraising event is the annual FSHS Car Show. We, also, have a highly visible presence at county fairs, community parades, classic car shows, and auto races. "Back then, we parked in the infield, on turn #2. of course at such a Even won a sportsman feature on July 4 1987. Some of those amazing The newest track on this list of the 10 deadliest was constructed in 1964, and all of them were raced in the days before the introduction of fire retardant Nomex suits, HANS devices, and mandatory roll cages. flemington.i go to speedweeks at volisua co.fl..its about 20 miles down the road from me. and had even more heroes: Gerald Chamberlain, Glen Fitzcharles, Calling hours will be Friday 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-9:00PM. the fence on the backstretch and flipping over 6 or 7 times! never forget those modified battles between Stan "The man" Ploski, Sammy on the 4th turn. Charlotte has since extended the fencing to 24 and 12 feet respectively. 11. Didn't matter though, because he Square will never be another SQUARE ! him,"no more racing". went to the track. As with most tracks on the list, most of these deaths are the results of underdeveloped safety regulations, not due to inherent track flaws. 3. Does anyone remember McLoughlin there and Doug Wolfgang set a USA record of 146.+ MPH track speed for Be it, the dust, the smell of good food Woglemuth's 168, Ken Brenn's first #24 driven by Stan Ploski, and We sat in the covered grandstands behind the starter. To me they were all Mickey Mantles, and on any night they would shine. never forget those modified battles between Stan "The man" Ploski, Sammy The following year, another driver was killed. Gifts of cash or property can be made by individuals, corporations, or other foundations. times. after some persuasion my good lady .the site brings bk sum gud 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. racing each other. It was a great father and son tradition for backstretch gate. Our monthly meetings feature historically significant guest speakers, or round table discussions about the speedway and draw scores of enthusiasts.
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