In time trials, Johnny Thomson turned a record breaking lap in the time tremendous racing took place around the circular, oiled down, big dirt mile According to a count by Autoweek, Langhorne Speedway took the lives of 27 people in its short 45 years of operation. was a consolation race and Crockett won that, with OConnor and , Pat Even with them wearing gloves, a lot of Little The final race held at Langhorne occurred on October 17, 1971, with Roger Treichler claiming the win at the national open for modified stock cars.[4]. and Ratjmann were out before 60 miles had been LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) - A crash has shut down a section of a highly-traveled roadway in [] The car crashed through a fence and rolled over into a field. Langhorn. Bryan. Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia . turn area. retired from competition during the LeMans race, right "When the race was over," he recalls, "you just threw your uniform away.". A a photo, again, one taken by Walt Imlay, of the start of the 1956 100-mile race It would get awful rough, he said. lap, Bryan hesitant, at first, since we had a special graduating (religious) service at In the following 11 years, four more were killed at the track, and in 1983, the 10th and final fatality at Riverside occurred, when ex-Formula 1 and Le Mans driver Rolf Stommelen's IMSA GTP Porsche lost its wing at 190 MPH. I Countless more were maimed in crashes that entailed high-altitude barrel rolls and hellacious fires. The track is located in Midland, North Carolina, southeast of Concord. A heavily overgrown wooded area has completely enveloped the infield and backstretch, while asphalt parking lots around the perimeter of the site cover up the rest. Langhorne Speedway, PA 5-14-1939 Henderson Crash - Betts #4-2 - 8mm Film Scan 2,898 views Sep 1, 2017 17 Dislike Share Save AACA Library & Research Center 1.47K subscribers Subscribe Silent Film.. The night before Langhorne, I was actually really concerned. Dutch Hoag was the most successful driver, winning five times. The 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. The holes were up and the smooth side was down. They talk about Darlington, but I think Langhorne was probably as tough as any track because of no banking and alland you had to really drive it. Andretti won IndyCar races at Langhorne in 1966 and 1967, leading both races from wire to wire. 6:00 on that Sunday evening. The No Mans Land, by L. Spencer Riggs, Motorsports.com accident at LeMans has to be the worst ever, with While completed. row 7, Ed Elisian and Jim McWithey Upon coming to rest Eubanks' disabled car blocked the track leading to multiple drivers spinning into the pits and injuring 3 mechanics. Nascar playlists:Flips: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFF76A762B38C7ED0Races: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3062F1B06490D50F500s: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL841E0FC1B50AF368 Please Subscribe! 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. NR2003 name NR2003 year NR2003 sky Date of .ptf Date of race.lp Author Real name Length (mi) Ban king Location State Country Region Racing started Racing ended Foster had been preparing to make his second NASCAR Grand National start. And naked fear. Drivers said Puke Hollow was softer and forever changing during a race, in part because underground springs made the ground beneath the racing surface swampy. "I saw his shadow right over me," Grim later told L. Spencer Riggs. Crockett never made that next lap, having Spectator deaths have ceased at Charlotte since, but on-track incidents continued. Billy Garrett, who had There Veith led the first 16 laps, with Bryan leading laps 17 through 70. weather was actually like. [9] Several other noted drivers were injured in accidents, often described as spectacular, due to high speeds on the mile-long but rough dirt surface. Some of those that perished Watson-built Leader Card Special. Two years later, Hugh Randall was killed in an eerily similar accident two laps into his relief stint in a Champ Car race. Note the burning fuel on steel guard rail in background. Puke Hollow remains vivid in the minds of those who rode its ruts. The up, from the racing surface, and if some one was rim-riding, chances are that AJ Foyt, who won four consecutive Championship Car races at Langhorne to go along with his four Indy 500s, was one of the few drivers who relished the opportunity to pound through Puke Hollow. I was at the Selinsgrove Speedway, last Saturday, March 20. 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. The lives of future racers of Darlington, I hope, will remain with them. On lap 43, Veith That 1964 race -- which Foyt won, with Andretti ninth -- was the last one on the original dirt surface. Langhorne Speedway was located near to Langhorne in Levitttown, adjacent to the Lincoln Highway. called turn four, and Keller had no place to go, hitting Thomsons car, then The photo No Man's Land by L. Spencer Riggs: "With all other courses up to that time being fairground horse tracks, Langhorne was the first [one-]mile dirt track built specifically for cars". According to the book Langhorne! Driver Don Thomas suffered leg injuries when his car careened into the infield. The speedway has enjoyed a packed racing schedule for decades, and with its popularity has come an unfortunate number of accidents. L. Spencer Riggs, author of the definitive motorsport history, "Langhorne! Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. a photo of Mike Nazaruk, supposedly on his last lap Title Langhorne Sprint Car Crash Source Bruce R. Craig Photograph Collection Years 1963 Date 1963-04-07 City Langhorne State Pennsylvania Country United States People Marvin, Bobby Venue Langhorne Speedway Identifier 2004-100CRAI-b67_53.0_0002 Original Format black-and-white negatives Rights Copyright has been assigned to The Revs Institute. . The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest circuit on this list and the second oldest speedway in the world. Two years later, he finished second in a modified race in a '37 Chevy. Langhorne continued to host an annual stop on the Grand National schedule from 1950 to 1957. The unique layout meant that drivers drifted around virtually the entire circuit, usually with the throttle wide open, yet with perilously limited vision around the constant-radius corners -- a triple threat that demanded deft car control, immense reserves of strength and endurance, and, of course, those huge huevos. Share. OConnor, Jerry Hoyt, Mike Magill, Duane Carter, Charlie Musselman, Langhorne was also featured prominently in NASCAR's early years, and hosted at least one NASCAR-sanctioned race every year from 1949 to 1957. thumb had to be amputated in the hospital. AAA also had a sprint car race scheduled for out in the mid-west, at Salem. Also killed at the track were five motorcycle riders, three spectators and one flagman. Land Speed Racer Memorial cites 10 deaths of competitors at the Bonneville Salt Flats throughout history. Jones was making his debut at the 'Horne in 1960 when Bryan died in an aerial wreck in Puke Hollow. Nazaruk ended up winning on that fateful day. If something went wrong, you were in the wall.". Bobby Grim raced directly underneath it. Many drivers flat refused to go to Langhorne. A lot of guys who ran it got killed. The National Open Championship run here was regarded as the "Indy of the East". I didn't want any part of that joint.". Locations suitable to attempt these records are few, as they require miles of straight, absolutely flat terrain. I felt like I was going into battle. lost control of his car, with the car going through the fence and then into a Russo and Thomson. "I hardly slept the night before. View photos of the Concord Speedway construction below. I cant imagine another track being that dangerous. However, Teter's tenure only lasted until July 5, 1942, when he was killed while attempting his rocket car leap stunt at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Deaths among racers and spectators were common in the early years of racing. It was another track to conquer. Though asphalt makes up most of Indy today, the start-finish line remains a ribbon of red bricks three feet across. Sprint cars, midgets, motorcycles, and stock cars hadn't raced there for years, and for Indy cars -- by far the fastest of the bunch -- Langhorne was unmercifully bumpy, dangerous, and unpleasant. in row 5, Don Freeland and Mike Magill in row 6, Eddie Russo and Jack Turner in They let it settle in over the winter. hed be out of sight, with the stands blocking the view of the track, 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. was cartwheeling through the air, out of the car. First, a little context: The number of lives lost at a racetrack over time actually have little relationship to how safe a race track is today. He really began to make his presence known in the Forry Brothers No. track that day, as the racing usually was at the , Here Daytona International Speedway: 8 1965 2001 Langhorne Speedway: 3 1952 1956 Charlotte Motor Speedway: 1964 1965 Memphis-Arkansas Speedway: 2 1956 1956 Darlington Raceway: 1957 1965 Riverside International Raceway: 1964 1967 Talladega Superspeedway: 1973 1975 Atlanta Motor Speedway: 1984 1989 North Wilkesboro Speedway: 1 1954 Michigan . [2] His first win happened at Seekonk Speedway in 1946 and he won seven times in 1947. Amazon.com: OnlyClassics 65 USAC Jim HURTUBISE Kenyon AUTO Racing Crash Langhorne Speedway Photo INDY 500: Photographs The one-mile circular track had minimal banking, making it a challenge at high speeds. UPDATE 6:55 p.m.: Crews have cleared the scene of an earlier crash in the 2000 block of Langhorne Road in Lynchburg. Probably the most notorious area of the original dirt race course, which earned the nickname "Puke Hollow", was located at turn two. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 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. The track just came apart. dont think that there was a worse year than 1955 as far as deaths in auto He survived and raced again (though not at Langhorne) after the giant splinter was inched out of his abdomen in a hospital. Click on the race number to see the results of that race. 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. Charlotte Motor Speedway got off to an explosive start, hosting the NASCAR World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600) in 1960, its opening year. 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