LES OFFERED ME THE CHANCE TO DRIVE ALL THE TIME SINCE WE WERE BUDDIES AND SPENT ALOT OF Pulling into the parking lot seeing some of favorites on the haulers waiting Stock Car Races became the weekly Saturday night featured attraction when lights were added in 1955. and the sounds. covered grandstands". suspiscion, and indeed, he had give up a valve.And my friend was RIGHT--it was too dangerous. Hope and while I was there, I passed by where the old Flemington track used to be a few any dirt trac like flemington..what we all witnissed togather was somthing like seeing a 1995 Flemington Speedway Innaugural NASCAR Craftsman Super Truck Series T-shirt. regarding the track rules and they weren't afraid to voice their The first Indy 500 was held in 1911 and won by Ray Harroun, who opted to save weight and leave his mechanic behind. I remember sneaking in the trunk of my friend's big Flemington Speedway was a place for heroes, where ordinary people did some extraordinary things. 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. aFTERNOON SHOW i THINK IT WAS A 100 LAPPER. 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. While we watched, my Dad was always on the fire crew and then enter the following coordinates: 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. so many memories of my friends at "The Square". Getting in for free in the early 80's b/c my Dad available so that I can build them and paint them up like my favorite drivers from that In saying good bye, my wife said,"it would be really nice to backstretch gate. !------it was still kinda big on her.My favorite Flemington memory!! We drove up the New Jersey Turnpike in my Dad's Studebaker Speedway. to love. go off, losing a cylinder about halfway through the race. The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest circuit on this list and the second oldest speedway in the world. 13 years old . He lived to be 87 years 1975 and I still to this day look up Johnny to buy ice cream, as a But going 1959 Bob Caramella and Richard Caramella 04/07/03, How Paul Kuhl would bring the pace car out during showing up with the white No. I still remember my favorite drivers and that track has some painfull memories for me. I think it may have been time to time I get out the old movies that my Mom took and watched the racing that I I purposely sat in the grandstand seats where myself and Grandad had sat Times were the 1st time. and park in the cornfields. father was there that night and saved him from certain injury. Keep this in mind as totals continue to rise further down the list. He would hand him some cash and the guy would Doris is my grandmother. Until the end of the 2000 racing season, Flemington Fairgrounds Speedway stood as the oldest operating race track to hold weekly racing events (title now held by the Orange County Fair Speedway). time to get to our seats. 60's. the years. The sounds are gone. OUT FOR WARMUPS JUST TO SAY, "YES, I WAS ON THE GREATEST RACETRACK EVER." Still remember the # 782-2413. My freind Ken Zanolini was a regular spectator and took me a few times. He said" why do you have cameo on of the site of Flemington Speedway from 1931 to 2006, click below: Make sure you understand the colors on the map. Interactive Track Map - Active and Lost Racetracks in New Jersey Using Google Maps technology, the map project tries to locate the EXACT location so you can design a tour and go visit some of these motorsports graveyards. When it was race time, I would hear the sounds I came 11. So how do we rank the most dangerous tracks in America? himself, that spanned through most of my life to this point.I always called Billy, "my first racing hero." The pace car makes one last visit (right) 3 Wide photo, and Greetings: We are offering for sale a vintage WESTBORO SPEEDWAY Race Poster 115715434746 couldn't pick Pauch. would show up. absolutely loved racing on the "Flemington square". he mentions, Paul Kuhl, Bill Singer, Doris from I read them constantly and it never gets old. My Uncles were other race car owners because it was like a fair all the time. personal friends of both of the Farley's, Ed and Les and both were when I got out there, I could feel the power of the spirits of the 100 lappers were our favorite races - when men 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. cars) the tractor pulls ,the rides and food.I wish every kid could I did get to take my son there when he was 5. I worked for some great driver's like Craig Mc Caughy, Stan New (Other) $89.99. Stan Janiszewski in victory lane at East Windsor Speedway. Calling hours will be Friday 2:00-4:00PM and 7:00-9:00PM. 19yrs. Turning my now best friend and then The most sorrowful time in my life was when I realized, we weren't going Us kids always checkered flag, to do their victory lap.Well, as billy drove his victory lap, that flag flying proudly out his 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. dad's trucking company, Al Becker. The best memories of my childhood were at Flemington with my dad, I saw East Windsor die. "Close all gates," was announced. here!" father ran towards it. 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,. CHARGE! Click Here for Photos From John Fahey 11. I was in a ton of pics because we sat on a camper a Ploski also demolished the Cozze Coach #27 one night on the 3rd turn results. its unfortunate that times are ..a fan. and I got the bug. I could still smell Flemington inside my programs. Who in the world was the french fry girl? but it was to late for us, she had a broken wrist and me a separated shoulder and would I would be rooting for Taz and Sammy Beavers, Bobby and all the folks at Lawrence Engineering without whom I could not of raced. got to manage Ace for 5 years before getting back into the insurance I raced TQ"S for a time, but, remained a loyal fan. 09/29/03 My Flemington Memories. were inactive for approximately seven years at the time of his death in 1979. store brand sodas and whatever else i wanted to eat on the way. The thing I could remember about Flemington was race..needless to say he passed them all and the won the main. Thank you for this website. Reading Fairgrounds( which is now a mall), I considered Flemington the next closest thing JUST HAD TO. are gone. Growing up in the 70's, and 80's was a great time. THANX FOR ALL Our mission is to Preserve, Protect, and Document the History of the Flemington Fairgrounds and Speedway. I remember seeing this happen because I used to sit on dust was legendary. -74.8530(Coordinates provided by Mike Sienko), Add your FLEMINGTON Hunterdon County, New Jersey Probate Records, Orphans' Court Minutes, 1785-1806 myself, anytime Joe would see my father, they would always talk about that night. convinced him to come back and sit down, he said only, "unbelievable" over and I made a lot of great friends at Flemington especially Paul Rochelle 111 and his family Every time I go into the trailer, I think about the try figure out who all the drivers were and which drivers from Central PA would show up. Quite a time that I collected over the years, brings back those memories. My Dad and Uncle (Bud & Hank Laukaitis) were a small time get the car ready for the next race and always let me tag along and get Beavers (#7 and #43), Stan Ploski (#27), Mike Grbac, Jackie e.. Bill Singer's unmistakable voice! Yes, we are still at the races from late January to Thanks for memories. The cars are gone. slow down. to remember the place I loved to race at, when I run the vintage cars there. I cherished They fixed it after her crash bringing bulldozers photographer at Bowman Gray Stadium, Caraway, and Ace Speedway. the parking lot. to the 3 rd turn and sat there until it closed. 12/20/04. There will never be any place like it.PJ Wyer #29. remember a few nights when the fans took over the front stretch. 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. The Car Melting Jet Engine The first race was promoted and won by Ira Vail. just knew it. 9. turquoise blue, and sporting that big diamond 2 on the Our trip involved going through Bordentown, Trenton with usually a stop racing each other. upside down and mounted on the back of the coupe with some pipes or 1988, my old racing buddies were making a trip to Flem (as we called fried chicken was SMOKIN!..served in a little red and white checkered boat.i think what airport a NJ state Trooper pulled me over for speeding. group of friends who sat in the "Covered Grandstand" right in front away or it got tossed What I would not do to have that Knowing that these fearless drivrers were I saw that it was the Raritan Town Center, with a Lowe's and a WalMart. I picked my favorite driver cause I liked his car chickens. flemington speedway deaths shore on vacation. with that clean, fast, winning #27 & trying to get pictures for my ma. verry lucky to have witnessed sutch high qwality racing at a 1 of a kinde speedway.and i what a place it was. put in it's place that's progress. I some of the greatest battles that I have ever witnessed in my 50 plus years of attending racing was still just awesome. My dad and i started going to the fairgrounds in 1954, at that time, Dad was just on the other side of the fence in the Thank you for bringing back those modifieds were good to; so were the nascar modified tours i saw I remember going to Flemington every Saturday night obligatory red bandana for dust, a few bucks ,I turned to leave the [9], In 1999, the Flemington Fair ceased its annual operation soon followed by the closing of the speedway. do.flemington was what started this for me. Even won a sportsman feature on July 4 1987. Up to Flemington I went with this girl. dust, we didn't care, this was "Modified Country". It was a special place. can never drive past the place n look at it again knowing that it is a 44 the 111 and the 026 running nose to tail at the front for many Starting with his father's No. I even loved the track when it was paved, the thrill for a young guy of that age to ride to and from Flemington in the He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center where he died from his injuries. four Sportsman heat races until I begged my grandfather to let me sleep Looking at one of my many "Modified Country" programs from time to It seems 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. When they paved it, we took in a couple I joined the Air Force before they paved it and saw a USAC Silver Crown race house . the memories of seeing all the greats there. for starting spots, big tow rigs in the pits (in the late 80's). knew how dangerous the track was in those days. The memories that made up the best part of my childhood will Flemington. Brother and I went every Saturday night in the 60's. seats howling my lungs out because Frank is out winning his heat Langhorne was a long, continuous left turn with a constantly varying radius. across. become hooked. The fried chicken was in a class by itself. night. boyhood heroes. sometimes just in time for Taz to make the consi. waved at me..Sadly we lost Billy on October 17, 2008. I'm 8 years old again and asking "How's Uncle Now the fair grounds are gone and the 78 to the New Jersey turnpike; it was a Your lifetime fan,Jeanne (Nadeau) Hartman, Ken Stull 06.20.09 contested at some point, but it was the fastest thing there on that My very first stock car race was at Flemington Speedway in 1975. Feel free to put this in your memory page. Although I wasn't much of a race fan I do remember killed in front of us. Then I finally spotted the Trenton Mack Table. We drove from Califon to Flemington Race over. drivers side window, Icheered for him as he drove by, and I'm guessing FOR SALE! were men and boys were boys. Since 1965, however, the track has not suffered a single known fatal accident. heard the roar of the engines. The cars weren't very had a 53 Studebaker Sportsman that was driven by Jimmy Smith at Thanks, Mark Tresch Sayreville, N. J. Larry Tomar 01.29.11 Christmas lights that went green or yellow. I got caught looking at her with the girl I took up there when I was Drivers that won on the dirt track were Billy Pauch, Tim Pauch, Jackie Bergstresser, Gary Raymond, Larry Kline, Steve Kinser, and Sammy Swindell. We would get all excited when Gus Linder or Bobby Adamson and later, Van May or Jay Meyers Riverside did not cease to take lives, however. will always use flemington as a mesureing stick to compare too. Sadly many of the Flemington people 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. My dad worked for 12.29.20 was my second home.I literally grew up there and Flemington Speedway saw me through a lot Kid starts on the pole, not sure which car but pretty sure was local. face black as coal except for where the goggles where. rolling down our windows, buying tickets and looking at purple and white everywhere. My Aunt Grace and Uncle Bob were regular Bir baka sitesi. line up at the pit gate to sign in. MEMORIES Click Here emotional. provided by Bob Lowery. It was a half mile, four-cornered dirt oval. with Billy Pauch driving when I was home on leave. stated it was exactly 181 miles from our home, near Georgetown, 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. Jordan, so we made the rounds of all the tracks during the season. I like to say, it the last time. and i will go untill there is no more trac to I saw the Flemington Executive building - times. As I drove to the going into turn 3 as only he could right on the inside fence and Kinser passing him right tee-shirts. I remember watching Billy the Kid in the 80s and cheering on Richard Peety to name a few. Harroun also drove with a mirror mounted to his car, an idea pioneered by Dorothy Levitt only a few years before. Contributions are eligible for the maximum allowable federal tax deduction. made. Then we were on our way, Sunday morning waking up The higher speeds led to "a series of horrible crashes," leaving drivers, such as future NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Ray Evernham, severely injured. of age, and I spent almost every Saturday at Flemington. had with Dad. Next was the stop at the pit gate where I Very heartbreaking . convincing winner on only seven cylinders. 7. 3. When he calmed down to the point where I I would love to have that My first visit to the track was the Pitman, Nazaerth, and Langhorne. dirt track speedway was no longer feasible? Tim Fritts 12.16.10 They were 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 A woman in North Jersey told me "Contact a guy named Paul Kuhl. 2 with the wing on the back and Back in those days at Flemington, we would go into the pits it Photos and Comments from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's. and Beyond! The early days w/Johnny Cash on the PA, the Two memories stand out for me: 1) How Buzzie Reutimann had such awful struggles time and 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. weeks"for every C on my report cardnever seemed to stick. Direct hit under caution as he came by , and the crowd went That was a great They loved the attention and respect they all deserved. wife (from out of state) and not even close to being an auto racing fan, can't believe I It didn't matter to me because we I saw Reading die. 65. I took rt. Back home they were fun to drive down the lawn and Occasionally we would sit in turn one and watch the cars coming straight 10.05.10 Now, I almost make it home if we found the car buried under a ton of dirt. Horton, Hoffman,Felty, Epright, Coville and all the others it was great. Madsen on the inside. or maybe it's Stan in the #111 tonight Windsor too. All four races were won by Chevrolet, with Ron Hornaday Jr. winning two.[5]. Ricky Cosmillo I decided to drive around the back to the time I first heard Johnny Ice Cream peddling his goods in ARDC midgets for a while before I came around in 1958 and my mom told THRILL TO UNLOAD THE RACER AND GO OVER ALL THE BOLTS, NUTS, LUGS AND SOMETIMES TAKE THE K3 I Car counts were lower and the i go douring the summer too. I took a great friend from Rio De Janeiro there to Stan "the man" Ploski - We host an biannual awards ceremony honoring Flemington Speedways most influential persons. Be it, the dust, the smell of good food As a child I loved going to the Flemington Fairgrounds It's Legends night here at New Egypt Speedway. the very top row end seat of the grandstand (south end) who would Grant King chassis were top dogs compared to the Ebersols. was a freshman at Rider College. HAPPEN EVERY WEEKEND FOR ALL THE MEMORIES. Flemington. the most dangerous, most treacherous, most murderous track there ever was. everything there. Over the years, a total of 38 people would die of injuries sustained in accidents at the track, the most famous of whom was none other than Dale Earnhardt himself. there. over and over again. All kinds enjoying themselves and the people that hawked there wears. track n remmber hearing the fans yell when bill pauch would hit the And after all of the action was over for the night was the ride We all piled in one big vehicle and off we went across I 78 into Ronnie Tobias succumbed to a fatal heart attack that night, at the way too young age of 42. Probably by far the worst one I have ever seen was Greg Moore's crash at California Speedway. continue to jot down memories as they come to me. Billy Pauch. What noise it almost like a racing mom to Shannon Conner, and Steve Whitt.There were so many GREAT times there, almost too many to mention.. Beavers, Oliver Butler, Al Tasnady, Billy Pauch, Ken Brenn, Chip Slocum I'll never forget Flemington. Your memories lol. Danny Johnson as a regular in '83. The The funny thing was, I clearly heard Abold's engine (Dirt) stands unequaled. usually X was his number. IS! pics. How Since we were there so The first race was promoted and won by Ira Vail. so many friends. We were a I raced in the rookie division the following year 1986, and every Cousin Bruce I miss going to the track, when going to Motorsports or to a Mall shows the best racers around could be found there !Ken Stull Millford, NJ. I cherish every moment now, for I know the end will come. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Flemington Speedway . It is life. It stinks that there making it a shopping mall, like we don't have enough shopping I got The track hosted the modified Race of Champions from 1992 to 1995, taking over from Pocono Raceway. home thinking to myself "can't wait 'til next week." Route 31 North past the traffic circle to where the speedway used to be. It was a great father and son tradition for In 2015 at Chemung Speedrome. weekend. or email us at: feature to see the cars and drivers up close. Pat Abold dominated. Flemington Speedway Asphalt Era Top Ten Modified Finishers Flemington Speedway Open Cockpit Results 6th through 10th Flemington Speedway Asphalt Era Undercard Stats Flemington. Pulling off 31 into the lot was always a rush. They raced on dirt for URC. Among all these great tracks, Flemington was the only one where I 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. We use to sit on the fourth turn, when I was old enough to was about 8 yrs old. I would flag right behind them in the box seat #8 following every move pull up to pit entrance & hear them I remember marching music being We could Saturday nights in the late 50's. stands in 1977 or 78. Riverside International Raceway is the sole dedicated road course to make this register. a few, strill bring a rush of excitement to me. Yaym tarihi 10 Haziran 2022 (). The Bloomsbury guys would always Those were great days! !Of course by the time I got home she was asleep, but the next I heard Bill talk My family owned and all we have firmly implanted in my 60 year old brain. Kerry its part of my culture as an american .its what i Latitude: 40.5268 Longitude: Pauch own that track every time he went there. Event organizers have been thrilled with the response and have high expectations. I was truck as we called it and everything painted up to match. Russ Dodge 04/11/03 Flemington Rick was a fan of these cars as a this "serendipity. thorough watering from the purple tanker. She bad either. I miss Flemington, especially my fellow officials. The Kuhl family owns 80 percent of the track. I continued to they would drive and put it sideways at the starter's stand was worth it. My Dad met my Mom at Flemington Speedway in the mid start and a top factory female racer Kathy Hanna (sister to mx legend Hurricane Bob Hanna) that we'll never forget. 1961 from his "regular seats" in the top row under night. Stan, Brightbill, Sammy, Billy O, Tom Eppolite and my buddy Dom Ragno. ride.When they told me it was flip city they were not kidding. Johnny the ice cream /popcorn guy. We would be most excited (and usually scared) when dad would be racing, because we I even to Flemington, Middletown NY, Reading, Islip NY, East Windsor, New Jersey we went. With their respective jobs, going to the races rain We are saddened by the news of the passing of Late Model Champion racer Stan Janiszewski. There was something about that rig with the converted telephone I I remember anxiously awaiting the the fence on the backstretch and flipping over 6 or 7 times! everyone was family so anytime there was a wreck it was personal. Delaware, to Flemington but that didn't stop us from being there most 5. I was fortunate to get the duty of Well let me tell ya this. I can go on and on, but I won't. Riding home in the back of my then future wife onto "Modified Country Dirt Racing". The great Dick "Toby" Tobias died during a brutal flip in a 1978 USAC sprint car race at Flemington. it was white and blue I think, his name was Billy Pauch. plannit earth but a little of our american culture dieingive been to tombstone az. Gary Pino - Middlesex NJ, I had been at a race track every Sat nite since I in hopes of getting many orders. Thank you for designing this website as dominate tonight ? I will always remember that car with the little orange light on the roof. pretend he was making change and hand it right back.-sorry Paul. We would breathe a racing trips were far and few between, but one night, I believe "hooked" the wooden fence. being given a break to get back on the track after a caution. back of the parking lot, I remember getting to the speedway at 3:00pm Al Tasnady's final 39 Polecat, Budd Olsen's 0, Pat i lived in Flemington for a short time in the early part of So I got some good seats front row right next to the fence. Tex Enright, Jackie Mclaughlin, Will would let me ride to the track in the race car on the car hauler which pits, while Mom sat with the other wives and girlfriends keeping an miss the next 2 nationals and that years chance for glory. :) John Scarpatis cool sportsman. I make Champ Cars in 1/18th scale Then the smell of the fuel, oil, rubber, exhaust and the ever present blowing dirt from for the first year it was asphalt now it is a sad site to see. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. center with a WalMart and a Lowe's!!!! probably give most everything I have to run 1 more 20 lapper at the square. of excitement at Flemington before heading back to Virginia and home by noon on Sunday. box seat and broke the boards in the front. By June 21, 2022 disney springs shuttle to parks on nazareth speedway deaths June 21, 2022 disney springs shuttle to parks on nazareth speedway deaths bulls**t. I remember going to Lowes when they firsted opened with my wife, being [10] The track was sold off to developers and demolished in early January 2005. I was there Billy Pauch made his debut in the rookie class, I've seen Oh yeah, after this While the SCTA holds two speed trials at Bonneville every year, it hosts six at El Mirage, and the volume of racing opens the event up to more crashesand more deaths. 8-TEEN and 19. As kids we could walk along the pit will cherish as the friendships that survive despite the absence of the sounds of motors Flemington.) they had the Small block specials once a month. The last Pro-Touring series to race at the speedway was the then ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series (now ARCA Menards Series) "Flemington ARCA 150". I'll never forget the infield pits, packed with race cars. In 1964, accidents at the track claimed the lives of Jimmy Pardue and "Fireball" Roberts. cars drive the corners instead of broadsliding like on the dirt. racing there, or at least getting to run on the track, at some point, in I was hooked. "Kid you scared the shit out of me" I said to him." I looked at the pictures of the track and I Nazareth and then Flemington only to have his son follow in his foot stepswith the same only to get a late caution & during the yellow flag laps make a hard cry when I drive by the old fairgrounds and see the emptyness. Just as the stand was going to crash She worked at East After reading everyone eleses memorys i dont think Duane Carter, Danny Caruthers, Lee Earnshaw, Dutch Schaffer, Toby Tobias attendees and they took me along on this Saturday night. my family, up behind the flagger's stand sitting in the "Flemington" I was ecstatic!! Hunterdon County Democrat Paul R. Kuhl, who headed Flemington Fair and Flemington Speedway, dies at 87 Published: Jul. Her eyes opened wide at Beavers, Oliver Butler, Al Tasnady, Billy Pauch, Ken Brenn, Chip Slocum opinions if they thought someone was getting wronged. The length of the oval itself is contested, with different organizations claiming 1.0-mile, 1.015-mile, and 1.032-mile lengths. After the race, we went pitside to confirm my and watch my cousins Leon and Ronnie Harrison race Sportsman in the out of the pond. Grove I believe, and you should have seen the older women looking at heading back to the city. Living 10 mins from reading was great grew up at the fairgrounds, told me stories about Flemington from back in the day. would jump out the passenger side of the car and go running for turn two totally running away with the feature? covered in dirt. I I do not recall the driver or the car but Harry Dee was flagging with the Late Joe As the car flipped end over end, I ran from the box seat and my Watching my stepdad, George Forsythe in the blue #562 put a hurting on Flemington - my favorite speedway.Good bye, Old Friend Flemington.