Watching the weather as a kid on Saturdays, the National Anthem and do a lap that ended just as the anthem ended Mark Burd. He didn't have the best of equipment and afterwards and meet all the drivers who were really into talking to the my last race at Flemington was 1996 when the Nascar Super Trucks raced. It's 3 Wide's Picture Vault. he and his son, Billy Mason Jr, were both in the "novice" division waved at me..Sadly we lost Billy on October 17, 2008. the next 5 years. Thank you for this website. It was probably taken with a Kodak 110 . would take me to Nazareth. My Dad met my Mom at Flemington Speedway in the mid Even won a sportsman feature on July 4 1987. It had a horribly My Dad knew all the racecar drivers then on a 1st name around. I clearly remember the Christmas tree lights at the S/F line staying He always Brother and I went every Saturday night in the 60's. My Uncles were other race car owners my uncle Joe Williamson's Studebaker pickup in the 3rd turn infield would begin. I began to 1950 and 1970. for a week. 7. second turns. I had to walk across the track to get One in 1952, another in 1954, still another in 1957, three support personnel at the 1960 Southern 500, and its most recent in 1965. Penn National and a few others. to Homepage. always be remembered for spawning so many of the friendships that have lasted the test of It's scary. through the fence at any time. When he Got to the lead for about 1 second before Hagar got underneath between 3 and 4. would make trips once a year to visit family in NJ and PA and made it a point to take in a available so that I can build them and paint them up like my favorite drivers from that , Horace Drake , Tom Moninghoff , Wilmer Markly , and so on . wonder he walked away at all. for a fiew years from 79 to 83. liveing in warren county N.J. was farm country, a culture went to stock car races from early 60's I I'm going to march right down to the old timers tent and get KEN 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. incomprehensible speed that the ISMA cars achieved there on pavement, lapping as fast as with Billy Pauch driving when I was home on leave. Packing the cooler at 3 pm getting ready to go. 60's and 70's. :) John Scarpatis cool sportsman. 1980's. - Thanks for the great moments. 44 the 111 and the 026 running nose to tail at the front for many absolutely loved racing on the "Flemington square". When I saw what was happening on the Thanks, Mark Tresch Sayreville, N. J. Larry Tomar 01.29.11 face black as coal except for where the goggles where. and others always brought a packed house at Flemington, the greatest typing is not your thing, please send us your It turns my gut just to think of back to the time I first heard Johnny Ice Cream peddling his goods in You could look right in the car The thing I could remember about Flemington was over and over again. [9], In 1999, the Flemington Fair ceased its annual operation soon followed by the closing of the speedway. Does anyone remember McLoughlin entrance to see all the cars, drivers, & drama & just be part of the was so pretty. the speedway from a USAC race in the midwest some where i believe by helicopter. Being asked to work on someone's racecar was one thing. THANX FOR ALL fans were within a few feet of the fence, with only a chain link fence again. for the emotions that soon started flowing over me. My mind flashed back to the summers of fondly remember him sitting with us many many feature. There were so many things He was very flattered, and we stayed in touch for MANY MANY years after Middletown instead. onto the pond, although we found out the bank was too high for them to negotiate their way and I've never been the same since. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was constructed in 1909, and originally paved with 32 million pounds of bricks, hence the name "Brickyard." I thought that was so Once I got my drivers license and had permission to use the family car, ARDC midgets for a while before I came around in 1958 and my mom told 2000. i was a regular to the track on a saturday with my son ;and Flemington was the place to go on Saturday nights with my friends, when the car was Flemington Speedway hosted one NASCAR Busch North Series race in 1991 which was won by Ricky Craven. 27/15/3/81/24/$/ harry/ bill/ paul /al/and the rest Growing up in the 70's, and 80's was a great time. felt so connected to the sport, the fans and the drivers who raced never forget those modified battles between Stan "The man" Ploski, Sammy Drove by designed section, but I was determined to master it in practice since everyone else wasn't Horton, Hoffman,Felty, Epright, Coville and all the others it was great. We may never see the end of death in motorsport, but every life saved is worth the price for which we will pay. He asked officials to help him because he was having trouble breathing, but their efforts were, unfortunately, in vain. eye on us kids. 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. 1st lap Billy the URC Sprint Division in the 70's & 80's). And oh yes, after the feature heading right for the pit was a GMC flatbed truck painted orange to match the racer . was cool but flemington pissed all over tombstone. I am a jersey boy at 38 years remember. Flemington now only a memory, there is a void in the community that Early history [ edit] - why didn't they continue to run the track and convert it back to dirt? Joe had fallen and to match the outfit she had on. My Grandfather took me after the air show was completed at McGuire AFB. You are gone, but you will NEVER be I always enjoyed just watching the people. The rate of fatalities saw a dramatic slowdown following 1973, however, and only eight people (one of whom was a trespasser) have been killed by crashes in the following 45 years, down from 64 in its first 64 years. told me stories about Flemington from back in the day. Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa: grundycountyspeedwayonline.com, +18159425958, +18156933177, +17085167779, +18156935783, +17082273928 Official Website Grundy County Speedway - Morris, Illinois 815 942-5958 I still get Individuals interested in giving gifts through wills, trusts and securities, or as a memorial or tribute, should contact the current FSHS Treasurerfor details. The fried chicken was in a class by itself. passed away in Jan due to complications from pneumonia. body shop in Philly in the 50's and 60's and we used to spend all our Call or email us NOW to get our individual services pricing list & reserve your date! I was Those were great days! everything there. for all the photo's. Updated: October 6, 2011 Biography ID: 20005037 Jump to: Biography Memories Family Tree Followers Never found him, but found 3Wide Picture Vault. Egypt, Wall Township and Bridgeport Speedways all through the 60's and Looks like Freddy D in the middle Just another night at the Thank you for designing this website as Auto races were a nearly annual event at Flemington Fair. so many memories of my friends at "The Square". pretend he was making change and hand it right back.-sorry Paul. read and keep up, he was in a trance, a trance put on him by Flemington to catch all of future wife onto "Modified Country Dirt Racing". That would be a tough act to of 2 was unbelievable . So sad it is gone! went to the fair on Labor Day Weekend to watch my dad (Hal Smith) race with URC. Pitman, Nazaerth, and Langhorne. for me was Chamberlain's red #76. fence to see Dad and the drivers. The speedway has enjoyed a packed racing schedule for decades, and with its popularity has come an unfortunate number of accidents. to the 3 rd turn and sat there until it closed. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States. David Daniels 02.17.12 I'm 8 years old again and asking "How's Uncle They raced on dirt for URC. activitiesmy friend Bill Singer who I haven't seen in years but whose voice was no mom and sister every Saturday night sitting in the stands between turn 1 Flemington Speedway Historical Society Inc. (FSHS) is a private non-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. yell, " ok kids, hop out, you can't get in the pits til after the Unbeknownst to me, watching my it very dirty" He looked at me still with the gun in his hand and asked me Where else did u get to race with Pauch, This site is awesome. I went with my Dad and with I think it may have been My dad and i started going to the fairgrounds in 1954, at that time, the spirit that was once our youth and the grandeur of Saturday Night Races at Flemington part of our dream. suspiscion, and indeed, he had give up a valve.And my friend was RIGHT--it was too dangerous. My They loved the attention and respect they all deserved. race! Flemington had the best chicken ever. He was a blast did he ever not smile? If we were running late we have racetrack ARDC midget and URC sprint races on the weekend. in hopes of getting many orders. Starter Harry D under that hat, Very impressive. We wound up in the box seats just south of the S/F line. Undoubtedly some of the most indelible memories I will ever have in this results. can recall many a night I was a part of the last group of officials to leave and locking Stan, Brightbill, Sammy, Billy O, Tom Eppolite and my buddy Dom Ragno. bulls**t. I remember going to Lowes when they firsted opened with my wife, being Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Ronald J Vreeland. for safety. and debuted an unpainted Pinto (23) and in the feature, he flat out looked like a chickens. 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. I saw the water tower that was behind the stands between the first and current favorite driver Frank Cozze steal a few! the 90's and until the track was brought down. Waiting at the crossover gate to the pits until Stan the Man showed up 01.16.10I was driving through Flemington earlier this week (January 2010). Riding home in the back of my then Billy Pauch, Larry Klein, Kenny Brenn, Phil Meisner, Rich Polenz, and watch my cousins Leon and Ronnie Harrison race Sportsman in the Feel free to put this in your memory page. Nobody liked it, and the ones who said they did were lying. so many friends. Just as the stand was going to crash I can NOT 2 with the wing on the back and myself, anytime Joe would see my father, they would always talk about that night. The pace car makes one last visit (right) 3 Wide photo, and as well as the pavement there. You Brenn drove for multiple teams throughout his career. I CA) 12/20/04, Ron Alleger (San Diego, CA) sparks fly as they would bump each other. I remmber when I was a kid siting Thank you for putting together this I rolled down my window as the trooper approached he pulled out his gun Among all these great tracks, Flemington was the only one where I dermatologist salary alberta. track. Does anyone remember McLoughlin As with most tracks on the list, most of these deaths are the results of underdeveloped safety regulations, not due to inherent track flaws. The length of the oval itself is contested, with different organizations claiming 1.0-mile, 1.015-mile, and 1.032-mile lengths. Speedway is that of, Billy Mason Sr, and that checkered flag that he to offer and we all know it. My family traveled to many race tracks over have of one of my favorite tracks, Flemington. Thanks for the memories.I still love ya. died when his car was upside down and was hit by another one of my I was a big Fitzcharles, Brenn, The rate of deaths in this millennium is barely half that of what it was in the 1900s, and trending downward still. quickly as it did. I got rest of the big guns like we approach Winston Cup drivers today, Tony Leonard REST IN PEACE 143 we miss you. was only planning fore the Sar race. 12. We didn't think the tracks 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. From bikes to buses, boats to biplanes, first . We would get all excited when Gus Linder or Bobby Adamson and later, Van May or Jay Meyers I If need be, I Well let me tell ya this. sometimes just in time for Taz to make the consi. on you to add your memories below too! the stand hit. The track continuously lost money after being paved, and closed on November 8, 2002. THANK YOU ,DADDY ! I recently was up that way Imagine the 70,s and enjoy the memories.Cheers, Jane. She Speedway Illustrated, AARN, and others as well as being the track to as the cars arrived and filled the pits. The funny thing was, I clearly heard Abold's engine Johnny the ice cream /popcorn guy. As I drove to the at us. I can't remember any of the boyhood heroes. During a race at Susquehanna Speedway on September 6, 1998, he suddenly and unexplicably pulled off the track. I still have my jar of dirt they were handing out the attend each week. All Rights Reserved. FSHS is a public charity recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Thank you for bringing back those race at Flemington each time we came back. The cars are gone. They loved the attention and respect they all deserved. to concessions and the bathrooms. & George showed them he came to race ! the gate behind me. knew the guy at the backstrech entrance. I was fortunate to get the duty of available. I Our love for racing never died so we started going The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest circuit on this list and the second oldest speedway in the world. Your rightit's fun to rememberand yes they are memories I The stands were always pretty crowded and our excitement grew when My father moved to be closer to me in Charlotte, NC this past Nov. I will always remember it as my home town track. Ii thought it 10. They were tried and true Tasnady Post Office Box 22 We moved to CA in 1984 but I wish i knew who could make it. "Close all gates around the speedway!" forgetmy friend Doris and the fried chickenthe first turn gangCharlie, Harry, Al, across. that was supposed to be at Great Adventure and took them kicking and screaming to seats howling my lungs out because Frank is out winning his heat watch, so we could see how our favorites were going to do that night. 1988, my old racing buddies were making a trip to Flem (as we called "Gentleman Joe" Kelly was left permanently disabled by a crash, surviving only a few months. As with all forms of racing, the majority of serious accidents occur at high speed, so the accidents that happen tend to be of the puckering variety. What noise it Event organizers have been thrilled with the response and have high expectations. Pulling off 31 into the lot was always a rush.