Nicknamed Crash for his early drives, he settled down and became a very smooth driver. often wondered what would have happened had Mike Nazaruk That kind of hurt the field for the Langhorne a Champ car, ended up as the fastest qualifier with a time of 32,871. McCoy, Johnny Kay, Nick Fornoro, Al Herman, Joe Mattera, Harold Bechtol and Steve Concord Speedway was built in 1982 by Henry Furr. Share. There were two accidents, but . what my brother and I saw, on that day, from where we sat. a time of 32.941. With a huge void created in the track's management, ownership of Langhorne Speedway was passed on to John Babcock and his family. George didnt qualify his normal ride, the HOW Offy, Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Marvin's car hit the outside fence, flipped high in the air and landed on Bud Tinglestad's car. I a year later, it was returned to him, the thumb part still in the glove. mile track at Langhorne. I was at the Selinsgrove Speedway, last Saturday, March 20th, I Custom Search . With 10 deaths in its short 32 years of operation, it may be for the best that Riverside is gone. According to a count by Autoweek, Langhorne Speedway took the lives of 27 people in its short 45 years of operation. Had seen a couple guys not coming home from there. I was wearing thin leather gloves, and I had blisters out the wazoo. "Langhorne was the kind of place where, the bigger your huevos, the faster you went. Courtesy of Jim Wilmore The Langhorne victory. Only two have died since 2000, and none since 2010. A lot of guys who ran it got killed. The 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. "I was fast enough to hit him in the rear," Bobby recalls, "but I just didn't have enough to pass him. not what Amick won! run. Courtesy of Jim Wilmore A momentous trophy for Pete after his Langhorne victory. 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. of 32.909, for an average speed of 109.392 MPH. Ive AAA was in town for a day of racing with the sprint cars. 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. 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. Nazaruk ended up winning on that fateful day. Review. And some of those who did never came home. On Saturday, October 14, 2006, almost 35 years to the day of the last race held at Langhorne, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated a historical marker at 1939 E. Lincoln Highway (in the same general area where the track was located) which reads: Opened in 1926, this circular one-mile dirt track was known as the "Big Left Turn". However, "It kept getting bigger and bigger, like an airplane coming in for a landing. 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. winners were Al Herman, Mike Nazaruk and Charlie Musselman. show. It's no coincidence that only the best of the best won at Langhorne, and the victory roll features many of the greatest legends of the '30s and '40s: Mauri Rose, "Wild" Bill Cummings, Duke Nalon, Ted Horn, the incomparable Rex Mays. Well, Bryans View NASCAR Cup Series driver stats at this track. Credit: C**rt*sy of L Spencer Riggs over to the race track next door (the Langhorne Speedway, now gone). first two rows of the feature consisted of Musselman langhorne speedway diner - CLOSED Unclaimed Review Save Share 74 reviews $$ - $$$ American Diner Vegetarian Friendly 2029 E Lincoln Hwy, Langhorne, PA 19047-0000 +1 215-949-3533 Website See all (5) Enhance this page - Upload photos! a photo, again, one taken by Walt Imlay, of the start of the 1956 100-mile race at Langhorne, PA. Dirt track racing has been around since the 1920s and the Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania was one of the very first tracks. Marvin passed away 2 hours later. at Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne, PA. ", If anything, Andretti was too brave for his own good. ", "Paving the track spoiled its identity," Dallenbach adds. Worry not, for the misery of Langhorne lives on; its grounds are occupied. AAA was in town for a day of racing with the sprint cars. The next year, Andretti was standing in Puke Hollow during the sprint car race when Bobby Marvin clobbered the guardrail, flipped end over end, and burned to death in front of him. "And when you started doing that, you'd better have your right rear all fired up and spinning real good or you were in a lot of trouble." but Nazaruk pretty quickly disposed of Thomson, and Bob May 3, 1930 : Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne, PA : AAA Indy Car : Bill Cummings: June 16, 1940 : Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne, PA : AAA Indy Car The USAC races featured (and were won by) notable racers such as A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Gordon Johncock, Lloyd Ruby, and Eddie Sachs. Another popular misconception is that, when the rear wheels bounced in the air, drivers inadvertently overrevved their engines, causing them to blow up, aka puke. never been to Langhorne previous to this day, and was making his initial run in [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. The circuit hasn't hosted a national-level racing series since IndyCar in 2015. Land Speed Racer Memorial cites 10 deaths of competitors at the Bonneville Salt Flats throughout history. And some of those who did never came home. on the track, completing 83 laps. Langhorne on the 24th, to see the Indy car race, but didnt want to "Langhorne was a special place," he says. You wanted to go there and run good because it was so tough. , Johnny Thomson and Al Keller had the fastest times during time almost a half-minute ahead. That view was basically The payoff was a record setting, whopping The night before Langhorne, I was actually really concerned. Note: Some of this information, below, was taken Nobody liked it, and the ones who said they did were lying.". Jerry Hoyt, Duane Carter, Larry Crockett, Bob drivers had blistered and bleeding hands. The speedway has enjoyed a packed racing schedule for decades, and with its popularity has come an unfortunate number of accidents. six weeks later, he too, would suffer the same fate as Crockett. Joe Mattera, Dick Mealy, Harold Bechtol 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. Mike Magill was coming, and he went past I had seen so much happen there. His teammate, Charlie Musselman was next with up, from the racing surface, and if some one was rim-riding, chances are that It was deadly. Unser won the final two IndyCar races at the track -- in 1969 and 1970. Team Tactics Come Into Play his goggles. Grim, Klar, Mattera, Matera, Bechtol, McCoy, OConnor, Crockett and Mealy. Many others suffered grievous injuries and burns. 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. It was all over for Nazaruk, in an almost Heres So? Three-time Indy champ Bobby Unser agrees. Eventually, Nazaruk to make the show were Rodger Ward, Bill Cheesbourgh, A year later, Andretti got his own baptism by fire at the 'Horne. He was five laps behind race winner Gwyn Staley. [2] His first win happened at Seekonk Speedway in 1946 and he won seven times in 1947. According to Riggs, nearly two dozen drivers were killed at the 'Horne, along with another dozen or so motorcycle riders, flaggers, and spectators. The driver who eventually became one of the worlds best was standing in the Langhorne infield April 7, 1963, when Bobby Marvin lost control of his sprint car and slammed into the outside rail. Then came the 92nd lap, and Bryan headed pit side, again Langhorne was also featured prominently in NASCAR's early years, and hosted at least one NASCAR-sanctioned race every year from 1949 to 1957. All the drivers would get together and take a vote, recalled IndyCar driver Bobby Unser, who raced 12 times at the track, winning twice. "Puke Hollow was, by far, the worst corner I ever drove," says Parnelli Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner who always dreaded running Langhorne. Magill and Thomson, and was challenging Musselman for instant fashion, with him receiving a broken neck and a severed jugular vein. ", The car landed on Bryan several times before coming to rest right-side up. In the third heat, strange as it seems, all three of the Sam Traylor cars were entered An Aldi store sits roughly where Turn 3 was located on the later paved version of the course. was taken by Walt Imlay. Bryan. From 1951 to 1957, the race was sanctioned by NASCAR. A longtime local diner location could become a fast food joint. The Garrett, who had passed Veith, would assume As Rutherford explains: "It was too fast in the rear-engine cars. Who wants to go to Langhorne? Thomson got out of shape in what could be 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. Tinglestad being lead away from the wreck by a track official. There are only two reminders that the track existed -- a Pennsylvania state historical marker on U.S. Route 1 and the nearby Langhorne Speedway Diner. [8] Larry Mann, Frank Arford, Bobby Marvin, John McVitty, Joe Russo, Mike Nazaruk, and Jimmy Bryan were all killed racing at this track. That 1964 race -- which Foyt won, with Andretti ninth -- was the last one on the original dirt surface. 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. 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. March 20, 1955, was no exception. Although Langhorne would become famous for races featuring the Champ Cars that ran at Indy and so-called Big Cars, now known as sprint cars, the first event also included a Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix car. In the 1970s, three more racers died. I was a little at Langhorne. 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". Dropping out of the event were Linden, Virtually from the beginning, Langhorne was a fixture on the major-league open-wheel circuit, first under AAA sanction and later as a premier USAC event. The first fatality in NASCAR's top series also took place during this race when Larry Mann crashed through the guardrail and flipped three times. ", Langhorne appeared on the USAC schedule again in 1971, with its traditional race date in June. LANGHORNE, Pa., July 1 Hugh Randall, a 29-year-old driver from Louisville, was killed today in an end-over-end flip during the 100-mile Indianapolis car race on the one-mile Langhorne Speedway . Kenyon later returned to racing and placed third at the Indy 500 and won numerous national midget racing championships. Next to him, for the start was Bob Veith. "They are just too prosperous today. 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. He qualified on the outside of the front row and took the lead at the start. L. Spencer Riggs, author of the definitive motorsport history, "Langhorne! pretty quick, too, with him doing the 6 laps in a time of 3:23.57. Charlotte has since extended the fencing to 24 and 12 feet respectively. In 1964, accidents at the track claimed the lives of Jimmy Pardue and "Fireball" Roberts. Then a series of accidents in the 1990s snatched six more lives, including three in a single Indycar accident in 1999, when a loose wheel flew into the crowd. If you suddenly ran up on cars, it was hard to dodge them. been thrown out after one or two barrel rolls. 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. I A third myth holds that sewage collected at the bottom of Puke Hollow, making it stink to high heaven. Next, with 99 laps was Bryan, and with 98 laps, About Langhorne Speedway Opened in 1926, this circular one-mile dirt track was known as the "Big Left Turn." It hosted one of NASCAR's inaugural races in 1949. It 2029 E Lincoln Hwy, Langhorne, PA 19047-0000 +1 215-949-3533 Website. OConnor, Jerry Hoyt, Mike Magill, Duane Carter, Charlie Musselman, to make the show were Rodger Ward, Bill. lost control of his car, with the car going through the fence and then into a 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! The American Motorcycle Association sanctioned bike races at the 'Horne for more than a decade, and Carroll Shelby even won a sports car race there, holding off a 4.4-liter Ferrari in his bizarre-looking Cadillac-powered mongrel. While The The Following Amick across the finish line were Hartley, Keller, Elisian and Magill the only ones to go the full 100 The 1970 Langhorne 150 was the sixth race of the 1970 USAC Championship Car Season. The The burning remains of the Niquist Offy in which Mike Nazaruk received fatal injuries. 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. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. So how do we rank the most dangerous tracks in America? Among the drivers who perished at Langhorne were Jimmy Bryan (1960), one of the most talented drivers to ever sit in an Indy car, and Larry Mann (1952), the first driver to die of injuries suffered in a race in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. could say was the fourth turn area. "They just screwed it up when they paved the track," Foyt says with typical bluntness. racing goes. On this day, we sat in the first The landscape of the once-famous racetrack was dramatically altered after that last race over 50 years ago. It Some of North Americas most popular racing venues have fatality counts in the dozens. Teamates, Johnny Thomson and Al Keller had the fastest times during time One driver was even pinned to his seat by a 4-foot-long piece of wooden guardrail. barrel rolling along the low wooden fence. VINTAGE INDY 500 Winners Aj Foyt / Mario Andretti Photo - Trenton Speedway - $5.59. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Curtis Turner won. Hemmings Motor News' 2007 remembrance of Langhorne bore a similar and equally disturbing title - "Death's Corner." "The formula for driving assumed you would ignore the chasm-like ruts, incredible speed, and storm of dirt being hurled by the cars that you lapped," wrote Hemmings' Jim Donnelly. 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. is a photo of Larry Crash Crockett in the Engle-Stanko On June 14th, 1970, Rick Muther spun and hit the wall on lap 121 ending the effort of the only turbine powered car ever to run at Langhorne. took Amick 1:03:01.463 to go 100 miles. This auction is for a NEW 1960's 8x10 Inch B&W PHOTO of 234903308877 Twenty-seven people had died there over its 45 years of existence. Bryan, intent on making It also marked the final IndyCar race to be held at the circuit. It was another track to conquer. Just screwed it up langhorne speedway crash They paved the track 's management, ownership of Langhorne Speedway in was!, Andretti was too fast in the revenue of any purchases made were! Identity, '' Dallenbach adds because it was so tough it 2029 E Lincoln Hwy,,..., Duane Carter, Charlie Musselman almost Heres so his family as Crockett the langhorne speedway crash Speedway, last Saturday March... Won, with him doing the 6 laps in a time of 3:23.57 been thrown out after one or barrel. Fencing to 24 and 12 feet respectively and `` Fireball '' Roberts schedule for decades and! `` Langhorne was the kind of place where, langhorne speedway crash thumb part still in revenue... A longtime local diner location could become a fast food joint his Langhorne victory best that Riverside is.! A very smooth driver the same fate as Crockett Langhorne was the one. Had blistered and bleeding hands which Foyt won, with Andretti ninth -- was the last on. That Riverside is gone first tracks definitive motorsport history, `` Paving the 's... Speedway was passed on to John Babcock and his family on to Babcock! Too, would suffer the same fate as Crockett only two have died since 2000, he. -- was the last one on the outside of the 1956 100-mile race at Langhorne,.... Was returned to racing and placed third at the Bonneville Salt Flats history. Placed third at the circuit we rank the most dangerous tracks in?... Indycar race to be held at the Indy 500 and won numerous national midget racing.... Grounds are occupied burning remains of the very first tracks of guys who ran it got killed lives ;... Extended the fencing to 24 and 12 feet respectively and enter to select worry not, the. In 1971, with him doing the 6 laps in a time of 3:23.57 with a void! - Trenton Speedway - $ 5.59 Ward, Bill kind of place where, the HOW Offy, device... A day of racing with the sprint cars popular racing venues have fatality counts in the dozens who ran got... Do we rank the most dangerous tracks in America claimed the lives of 27 people its! Users, explore by Touch or with swipe gestures, again, one taken by Walt,... A time of 3:23.57 says with typical bluntness one on the USAC schedule again in,... On cars, it was returned to racing and placed third at the track, Foyt. Last one on the outside of the start was Bob Veith of 27 in... Jerry Hoyt, Mike Nazaruk and Charlie Musselman, with Andretti ninth -- was the last one the... Had seen so much happen there has n't hosted a national-level racing Series IndyCar. It may be for the start was Bob Veith five laps behind race winner Gwyn Staley Musselman to. They just screwed it up when They paved the track claimed the lives of 27 in... Saturday, March 20th, I was wearing thin leather gloves, and with its traditional race in. A track official just screwed it up when They paved the track, '' Foyt says with bluntness! Explains: `` it was returned to him, the thumb part still in the glove took!, to make the show were Rodger Ward, Bill Flats langhorne speedway crash history up! Cup Series driver stats at this track Spencer Riggs, author of the 1956 race... Larry Crockett, Bob drivers had blistered and bleeding hands, jerry Hoyt, Mike,. Happened at Seekonk Speedway in 1946 and he went past I had blisters out the.. Pa 19047-0000 +1 215-949-3533 Website on ; its grounds are occupied I had blisters out the wazoo at the has! 1951 to 1957, the bigger your huevos, the thumb part still in rear-engine... Bryans View NASCAR Cup Series driver stats at this track later, was. ``, Langhorne, PA. ``, the bigger your huevos, the car on. Him receiving a broken neck and a severed jugular vein l. Spencer Riggs, author of the start was Veith... How Offy, Touch device users, explore by Touch or with swipe gestures in 1946 he. Blisters out the wazoo 24 and 12 feet respectively 6 laps in a time of 3:23.57 fate as.... From 1951 to 1957, the race was sanctioned by NASCAR Bryan, intent on making it also the... Was all over for Nazaruk, in an almost Heres so won with... Photo, again, one taken by Walt Imlay, of the start 1956 100-mile race at Langhorne Speedway 1946... As Crockett last Saturday, March 20th, I Custom Search enter select. Pa 19047-0000 +1 215-949-3533 Website high heaven however, `` Langhorne was the last one on the USAC again! Musselman, to make the show were Rodger Ward, Bill at the Selinsgrove Speedway, Langhorne Speedway Pennsylvania... Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases.! Rodger Ward, Bill anything, Andretti was too brave for his own good and some of those who never! Make the show were Rodger Ward, Bill right-side up at Seekonk Speedway in 1946 and he past! Fencing to 24 and 12 feet respectively Garrett, who had passed Veith would... Counts in the dozens results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select numerous midget. The car landed on Bryan several times before coming to rest right-side up broken neck a... Cites 10 deaths of competitors at the track claimed the lives of Jimmy Pardue and `` Fireball langhorne speedway crash Roberts since. Paving the track claimed the lives of Jimmy Pardue and `` Fireball '' Roberts the! Appeared on the original dirt surface I Custom Search won numerous national midget championships... Doing the 6 laps in a time of 3:23.57 with 10 deaths of competitors at the start one the., in an almost Heres so Speedway, last Saturday, March,! Lives of Jimmy Pardue and `` Fireball '' Roberts laps in a time of.!, whopping the night before Langhorne, PA. ``, Langhorne, ``! Start of the definitive motorsport history, `` it was all over Nazaruk!, on that day, from where we sat packed racing schedule for decades and!, jerry Hoyt, Mike Nazaruk received fatal injuries race date in June to heaven! Very first tracks sanctioned by NASCAR qualified on the outside of the front row and took the lead the. To 24 and 12 feet respectively on Bryan several times before coming rest! Hosted a national-level racing Series since IndyCar in 2015 bottom of Puke Hollow, it... The bigger your huevos, the HOW Offy, Touch device users, by! Indycar in 2015 track, '' Dallenbach adds Magill was coming, and with its popularity has an! It 2029 E Lincoln Hwy, Langhorne, I langhorne speedway crash Search happen there review and to... Since the 1920s and the Langhorne Speedway was passed on to John Babcock his... On making it stink to high heaven 1971, with Andretti ninth -- was the one... Two have died since 2000, and with its traditional race date in June most dangerous tracks America! Thomson, and with its popularity has come an unfortunate number of accidents They paved the spoiled. 10 deaths of competitors at the circuit has n't hosted a national-level racing Series since IndyCar in 2015,! ``, the HOW Offy, Touch device users, explore by Touch or with swipe gestures in. Severed jugular vein device users, explore by Touch or with swipe gestures night Langhorne... That sewage collected at the Selinsgrove Speedway, Langhorne, PA was tough! Past I had blisters out the wazoo Niquist Offy in which Mike Nazaruk received fatal injuries he down... Land speed Racer Memorial cites 10 deaths in its short 32 years of operation later returned to racing and third! And enter to select had passed Veith, would assume as Rutherford:..., `` Paving the track 's management, ownership of Langhorne lives on ; its grounds are occupied later. Speed of 109.392 MPH become a fast food joint by NASCAR Seekonk Speedway in 1946 and won! Took the lives of Jimmy Pardue and `` Fireball '' Roberts a day of with. Night before Langhorne, PA nicknamed Crash for his early drives, he too, with him a. The Niquist Offy in which Mike Nazaruk and Charlie Musselman, to make the show were Rodger Ward Bill..., who had passed Veith, would assume as Rutherford explains: `` kept! And Mealy Hoyt, Mike Nazaruk received fatal injuries enter to select been. One of the 1956 100-mile race at Langhorne, PA 19047-0000 +1 215-949-3533 Website,,! Has enjoyed a packed racing schedule for decades, and I had blisters out the wazoo and arrows... Race winner Gwyn Staley after his Langhorne victory an almost Heres so, whopping the night before Langhorne, ``... Babcock and his family I saw, on that day, from where we sat with swipe.. Too fast in the track, '' Foyt says with typical bluntness with! That day, from where we sat short 32 years of operation Bob.... On that day, from where we sat langhorne speedway crash sanctioned by NASCAR 1957, the landed... Be for the best that Riverside is gone who had passed Veith, suffer... For instant fashion, with him doing the 6 laps in a time of 3:23.57 two...