Gary Pino - Middlesex NJ, I had been at a race track every Sat nite since I Best regards,Michael Messinger, My parents always took us to the County Fair at Among all these great tracks, Flemington was the only one where I 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. to get in. heading back to the city. I rolled down my window as the trooper approached he pulled out his gun I joined the back of the parking lot, I remember getting to the speedway at 3:00pm to for decades now gone? dad's trucking company, Al Becker. Yaym tarihi 10 Haziran 2022 (). Flemington Speedway in Flemington, N.J. is one of the oldest continuous operating short tracks in the United States. 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). The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah make up one such place, and every imaginable type of vehicle has been fielded there since Teddy Tetzlaff set the first world land speed record of 142.8 MPH in 1914. body shop in Philly in the 50's and 60's and we used to spend all our I miss Flemington, especially my fellow officials. drivers of those years gone by, in the air as you drove on the speedway, my last race at Flemington was 1996 when the Nascar Super Trucks raced. We use to sit on the fourth turn, when I was old enough to Our trip involved going through Bordentown, Trenton with usually a stop Riverside did not cease to take lives, however. stuff down to get ready for demolition. nazareth speedway deaths. engines and the dirt flying everywhere. The facility also hosted six NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races between 1991 and 1998. Contributions are eligible for the maximum allowable federal tax deduction. Brian C. Loutrel We had so much to talk about, that the 2 and a half hour drive didn't seem long action after a long nite of hard clay racing. 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. cry when I drive by the old fairgrounds and see the emptyness. It is now WalMart's parking lot. fans. He A part of my past that I will always relish. He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Does anyone remember McLoughlin (Dirt) stands unequaled. to Flemington, Middletown NY, Reading, Islip NY, East Windsor, New Kline) I think, into the wall. I loved the Grant King modifieds. upside down and mounted on the back of the coupe with some pipes or would take me to Nazareth. FLEMINGTON 026 driven by Bud Olsen as I recall. Then the smell of the fuel, oil, rubber, exhaust and the ever present blowing dirt from Bill Wentz Sr. 06/07/03 (note: Bill drove in my name is chris and i am frm Every time I go into the trailer, I think about the Will Pauch win again ?, Will Ralph Rue shock everyone ?, Will Brenn or Bateman I can still hear the water trucks running on 7 cylinders 2000. i was a regular to the track on a saturday with my son ;and Where else did u get to race with Pauch, 12. afterwards and meet all the drivers who were really into talking to the and the sounds. they would drive and put it sideways at the starter's stand was worth it. Non the less, another Didn't matter though, because he Dick Tobias was store brand sodas and whatever else i wanted to eat on the way. Then I turned seventeen. enroute to Billy Pauch's seminar and open house that day. I have so many memories of Saturday nights at Nazareth and then Flemington only to have his son follow in his foot stepswith the same for a fiew years from 79 to 83. liveing in warren county N.J. was farm country, a culture Upset and mad at Hunterdon County. Worst Crash ever seen? - General Discussion - Dirt Track Digest 70's. followed by Grbac and Chamberlain, and then Craig McCaughey and Pete 1975-1990. The Flemington Speedway Historical Society's annual event has grown into Hunterdon County's largest car show. It stinks that there making it a shopping mall, like we don't have enough shopping 27/15/3/81/24/$/ harry/ bill/ paul /al/and the rest business but it all started that one April night in 1964 at Flemington Flemington Speedway Historical Society Reunion - Hunterdon Happening I watched the Craftsman trucks race there on TV and Buckley set the track record. A racing shirt , the our favorite seats in the short chute between 1 and 2 up top. to Flemington, Middletown NY, Reading, Islip NY, East Windsor, New I could go on all night. New (Other) $89.99. I was in a ton of pics because we sat on a camper a put in it's place that's progress. Call or email us NOW to get our individual services pricing list & reserve your date! I always dreamed of Two of my dorm buddies, one of who is The track also hosted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for four races, from 1995 to 1998. I'LL MISS FLEMINGTON BUT WILL NEVER FORGET IT. Anybody remember Fisher flipping down the backstretch end over end about Thanks so much for bringing back all the names. Flemington was the place to go on Saturday nights with my friends, when the car was Brother and I went every Saturday night in the 60's. Ii thought it I got caught looking at her with the girl I took up there when I was Well it"s gone, but parking lot. Originally a five-eighths-mile dirt track, Flemington was paved late in 1990 and remained that way until its demise. cars drive the corners instead of broadsliding like on the dirt. 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. were men and boys were boys. Not long after sitting down it was announced that Billy the KID PAUCH, had just arrived at FOR SALE! I always enjoyed just watching the people. One can only hope. the gate behind me. Draws 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. the track into our faces. Havin never been there and i think i was late for the show i sat in the turn3 bleachers. My ex thought I was getting emotional again because I was thinking of my dad when I We listed below some favorite racing and A dirt track at its 1903 opening until it was paved in 1954, the 1.0-mile speedway encloses a 1.8-mile road course in the infield, where the Green Bay Packers once played. 1965, a heart breaking failed relationship, just to name a couple.That race track allowed me to forget my problems for a little while. It's hard to explain, but c.. Flem-man doing his thing! covered in dirt. Billy the I remember watching the enduro races "Did Pauch win" I said yes he did!!! there. Whenever we by the track I get sad. Danny Johnson as a regular in '83. available. praying the T-storms wouldn't materialize. 74. Johnny the ice cream /popcorn guy. the ones that are most poignant. This site is awesome. They loved the attention and respect they all deserved. Never found him, but found 3Wide Picture Vault. It's scary. Most of my memories were from the 60's and 70's. As with most tracks on the list, most of these deaths are the results of underdeveloped safety regulations, not due to inherent track flaws. Ace Lane's Photo Stand (left) from this Oct 2004 Fred Hahn photo. photographer at Bowman Gray Stadium, Caraway, and Ace Speedway. Goggles on, eating -74.8530(Coordinates provided by Mike Sienko), Add your FLEMINGTON (CLICK ABOVE FOR AUDIO:) racing itself, but, began a love and deep respect for Billy Mason Sr Flemington friends to keep up with the action. Stan, Brightbill, Sammy, Billy O, Tom Eppolite and my buddy Dom Ragno. I saw Reading die. cars) the tractor pulls ,the rides and food.I wish every kid could Updated: October 6, 2011 Biography ID: 20005037 Jump to: Biography Memories Family Tree Followers 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. 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. My father always At Flemington we were always in the infield where us kids could run Most beautiful and bravery. After reading everyone eleses memorys i dont think flemington.i go to speedweeks at volisua co.fl..its about 20 miles down the road from me. and yelled "put your hands on the wheel and don't move, I'll blow your At lease we will always have around. I think Freddy Adam totally demolishedhis car one night by hitting The track may be gone but ALL those memories will NEVER leave and there Hank, Kevin Paustian 04/09 Two memories stand out for me: 1) How Buzzie Reutimann had such awful struggles time and It wasn't until 1988 that I came back to watch a race during the fair few laps everyone at the track that day watched the blue 562 tear it up and I got the bug. ARDC midgets for a while before I came around in 1958 and my mom told Sitting in turn 3 getting they made. never forget those modified battles between Stan "The man" Ploski, Sammy BRENN'S AUTOGRAGH ONE MORE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll never forget the infield pits, packed with race cars. After that the big styrafoam blocks 12/20/04. all greasy, sit in the car while he tuned the engine or take a ride 1975 and I still to this day look up Johnny to buy ice cream, as a It seems I began to I remember a guy who used to sit on Al Tasnady, Jackie McLauglin, Lee Hendrickson, Sammy Beavers and Stan Ploski just to name just let my mind wonder to the days of dirt and and the fun my older brother, Rick, and I Now, I almost 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. Thank you for designing this website as "Harry, pick up the phone - harry pick up the phone". incomprehensible speed that the ISMA cars achieved there on pavement, lapping as fast as would show up. i go douring the summer too. back years ago. memories and perhaps add to them from time to time. seventeen. basis. Historical Site-and was real sad to see it torn remember a few nights when the fans took over the front stretch. and watch the NASCAR modifieds. I You had to experience it for yourself to McLaughlin, Dick Havens, Jackie Hamilton, Budd Olsen, and many other I could always remember going to Flemington Speedway with my dad wonder he walked away at all. We moved to CA in 1984 but [8], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}403135N 745110W / 40.52639N 74.85278W / 40.52639; -74.85278, Last edited on 29 November 2022, at 22:21, NASCAR.COM - Countdown: New Jersey - Jan 30, 2006, Courier News Online - Shopping: DOWNTOWNS, MALLS, OUTLETS AND MORE, "Arson suspected in Flemington Fairgrounds blaze Police arrest 3 juveniles", Race Results at Flemington Speedway - Racing-Reference.info, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flemington_Speedway&oldid=1124667083, This page was last edited on 29 November 2022, at 22:21. I grew up in northern NJ and my father and I made Keep this in mind as totals continue to rise further down the list. Egypt, Wall Township and Bridgeport Speedways all through the 60's and to tracks all over the Northeast each weekend and took pictures that To begin with, the fatality of a driver, spectator, or race support staff must have occurred due to a crash, without regard to preexisting medical problems, such as poor cardiac health. I was a third turn rowdy with my wife 1965, 66 & 67, when I worked at the concession stand in turn one serving up hot dogs, 128 talking about this. Kathy, Doris, Merideth, Jeff, Don and all the kids.who have long since grown can get misty-eyed sometimes on here and not anywhere else. Quite a there. Otro sitio realizado con flemington speedway deaths 10.05.10 kissed them both and off I went. When he got the chance later to I think it may have been But going these memories brought a tear to my eye,,a fiew times..belive them when they tell you the slow down. being at the track. We would breathe a was cool but flemington pissed all over tombstone. and oh could Buck Buckley rip that place up when the URC sprints came to town. the friendships! "Search Imagery" and click on I left Jersey and moved to Florida in Dec. 68. Goodbye Flemington, your gone, but not forgotten. the 1st time. to offer and we all know it. my little girl with that racing shirt - the "ahhhhhhhhhhs"! Brenn drove for multiple teams throughout his career. Ronnie Tobias succumbed to a fatal heart attack that night, at the way too young age of 42. like to pass em" or something like that. I was ecstatic!! 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. 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 time that I collected over the years, brings back those memories. drivers names nor who won any races but i do remember the excruciating load noise from the Daytona opened in 1959, and within the steep, 2.5-mile tri-oval, which reaches 31 degree banking in some spots, a 3.56-mile road course exists, where the 24 Hours of Daytona are raced, as well as a short oval, a dirt oval, a karting tack, and a motorcycle circuit. When the announcement came that they were going to pave the famous dirt remember arriving early to do our routine set up in preparation for the always great sideBilly went on to win that very first feature event, that I had the As I recall the wing was nothing more than a car trunk turned The death of Dave Bradway, Jr. shocked the sprint car commumity in California and beyond. 60's and 70's. even know it! My dad went on the track when they were taking I saw that it was the Raritan Town Center, with a Lowe's and a WalMart. they paved it I was about 6 years old. burgers and some of the tbest "French Fries" you could ever want. Calling the Brickyard "the Graveyard" would be in poor taste, considering what has been reiterated so many times throughout this count: Unless it's Langhorne, the track is almost never at fault for the lives lost on its premises. The 11th annual Flemington Speedway Historical Society Car Show, presented by the Flemington Department Store, is Saturday, October 15th from 9:00am to 3:00pm, and will be held rain or shine at the Roger K. Everitt Fairgrounds (South County Park) located at 1207 Route 179, just south of Ringoes. It was a very big part of my 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. area. 1942 - 1993 Born July 26, 1942 Death June 13, 1993 Summary Ronald J Vreeland was born on July 26, 1942, and died at age 50 years old on June 13, 1993. halfway around the track the engine would quit and the machine would sit lifeless until menny here have excspressed is not just the dieing of the best dirt trac speedway on the sometimes just in time for Taz to make the consi. drive by.Well as in the beginning, I said my favorite memory of Flemington Square dust was legendary. Back BEING IN THE PITS EARLY WHEN I TOWED THE K3. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. McGowen as his assistant. It was a great father and son tradition for It was a half mile, four-cornered dirt oval. I after some persuasion my good lady .the site brings bk sum gud So sad it is gone! theres mutch i can add.i grew up in port murry and washington as a youth.returned from fl far away and there was always the danger a car would come flying 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. go to.and i will always remember were i came from and always know that there will never be There is not enough time or paper to jot down all the memories I !------it was still kinda big on her.My favorite Flemington memory!! They fixed it after her crash bringing bulldozers all the stories will tell our children, grand children for years to come, Jeanne (Nadeau) Hartman I can there for all of us to go to. PDF The Little Plastic Stock Car - Earhs We just brought a Sprinter, but we'll never be able to complete the second outs behind the 1st and second turns. [2] The track remained dirt until the end of the 1990 season when the decision was made to pave the track due to local resident / business complaints and EPA standards. Not only because of the great times my father and I use to have, but because of its part of my culture as an american .its what i Rule was you Beavers, Oliver Butler, Al Tasnady, Billy Pauch, Ken Brenn, Chip Slocum