The View From Section 3...
Photos from Glenn Grafton, from the first turn stands at Flemington Speedway.

I'm sure just about everybody reading this right now has their own set of memories of what Flemington Speedway was to them...  Some spent nights in the covered grandstand... some in turn 4... some will remember their nights in the pits, or maybe even their nights behind the wheel!

Most of my memories were formed right here... sitting in Section 3, in the first turn at Flemington Speedway, probably no more than 30 - 40' from this sign which hung on the the top railing of the walkway.   From 1971 to the early 80's, I sat in Section 3, usually in the 2nd or 3rd row from the top with seats that had been saved by George and Sophie Curtis, from Staten Island, who always got there super early... They liked the park like setting that could always be found on a Saturday afternoon prior to the races at Flemington.  They would always save us two seats... One for my dad, and one for me.

From this view, we could see the cars coming out of turn 4, and down the front toward us...  We could see them flash by on their way into turn 1.... And we'd watch then drive away, with always a few flirting with the outside boards on their way to turn 2.... Most would make it.... Some would not.  In between events, we could look across the track and see the overflowing pits, with the cars and stars that would be performing on track in qualifying heats, consi's and features.  There was always something to look at... A crew frantically working on their broken race car... coaxing with hammers and pry bars... and maybe even help from the welder all in an attempt to get them back out in time for the consolation.

The other really special thing about these photos is that they were taken in 1972.  At the start of the season, I was 11 years old, and I'd be 12 before the points wrapped up in late August.  While drivers like Stan Ploski, Billy O, Sammy Beavers and others grabbed most of the attention in the headlining modified division, I also closely followed drivers like Hager, Hartman and Madsen in the Sportsman class....  '72 was also the first year for the new "Rookie Division", and before the year was over, I'd learn to watch two other drivers pretty closely... One named Kenny Brenn Jr., and the other, in kind of a rough looking dark blue coupe with the back kind'a hiked up named "Michalchuk."

Thanks to photographer Glenn Grafton and photo provider Dave Pratt, I can look at these 24 pictures, and I'm sitting right there in my old seat once again.... right there in Section 3 in the first turn at Flemington Speedway... one row from the top, in the seats that George and Sophie saved for me and my dad.

Click on each picture to see the full size photo, along with the "Vault Vitals" and Visitor's Comments" on each.

View of the pits	Rookie Feature Lines Up	Tom Alfrey on the pole	Al Michalchuk	Rookie Feature	Kenny Brenn Jr in the lead
Fred Dealaman leads the way	Heat race action	Simmons, Tom Hager & ?	Hager, Hall...	Madsen & Monninghoff	Chuck Mason, Nate Strunk, #Pete Madsen, Newt Hartman
Archie Myers	unknown	not sure...	Rusty Bowlby	Kerry Schloeder	#21 (not sure of driver)
#1d (not sure of driver)	Altemose cars	Sonny Urban	"It's time for the Modifieds..."	Gil Hearne at Flemington	Charlie Gunther flip
Thank you again to photographer Glenn Grafton, and for Dave Pratt for providing these.