e01.01.08_005_McV_FLM_0080

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Date:	Visitor's Name:	Comment:
01/01/08	Mark Kielblock	I was there on that awful night, covering the races for the Bridgewater Courier News. It was not a good night as a race fan, and as much as I love writing about racing, I didn't like writing this story at all. The one part of racing none of us like. Mark D Kielblock Media Relations Director/Announcer American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC)
01/01/08	Walter Onora	That is a night, I will never forget. The track was so silent, you might of heard a "pin drop". It was indeed a terrible night.
01/03/08	Tom Ragno	Truly a sad night.. I was about 10 years old at the time. As a kid, experiencing someone's death right in front of your eyes is very powerful and moving. It was especially sad because I remember going over to their garage in Middlesex as my uncle was friends with those guys and seeing the car earlier in the season.
01/04/08	MM	There were a lot of discussions going around for weeks after the accident. There was definitely a bad dust issue at Flemington during this time, and some have said that its possible that the metal on the car had been weakened from a garage fire the chassis was supposed to have been in the year before. There's also been discussion that the cage tubing used may not have been the proper thickness. All of it was hearsay as far as I was concerned. It was just a really unfortunate accident. Eddie was a great guy and loved racing at Flemington. Bill Singer's tribute to him during the opening ceremony the following week is in A Day at the Square Part 1. A sad day for sure…
01/07/08	Matt Bahre	It was no secret that these particular chassis were ultra light weight. I once watched a driver who drove this brand pick up a complete car (minus the motor) by the front bumper with one hand with very little effort...and laughed about it. Not trying to disparage anyone as I have no idea what caused the fatal injuries in the tragic crash. I only am relaying accurate information about the lightness of the frame of these cars.
01/10/08	3-Wide	I am not an expert. Many who know more than I do feel that if the frame/cage was subjected to the intense heat of a garage fire that it could have compromised the strength of the metal. I think if that was the case, many would consider that the reason for why the cage did not due its job. I don't like writing about it, but I would hope that if more people are aware of the effect a garage fire can have on the safety of a rollcage, future tragedies can be eliminated. Very sad.
08/03/08	George Pavlisko	Joe you know my feeling on safety and the need to know for owners and drivers. Let us think about this a little: 1. Lite weight frame, No problem you can pick up the front of a sprint car less the engine with no problem. 2. Heat and metal NOW you hit the nail on the head. We use heat to bend and shape metal BUT when building a roll cage we try and keep the HEAT transfer to the metal down as much as possible. This is why you fix a front axle with a porto-power not a torch. The annealing of steel, heat cycle, if great enough CAN change the strength of the metal. Extreme COLD made the Titanic steel BREAK instead of bend. Was this the reason for a lost life, we will never know for sure. BUT we need to think it was because that is something we can fix and not have happen in the future. RIP Ed Take Care George Pavlisko
10/26/08	3-Wide	As mentioned before, I don't know what else can be said except that it was a terrible accident, and a terrible moment in the history of the great speedway. Humans (all of us...) try to always predict what will happen.. in sport.., in life, in everything we do... and then when things don't happen the way we had predicted, we then explain why they didn't... We have a need to try to explain everything... to try to solve everything... to remain in control of everything... It was an accident. In our search for answers, many will agree that the garage fire contributed to the cage coming apart. And that is the reason why Ed was not able to survive the accident. Anything more than that, and I think it's a matter of us looking for answers where there aren't any. Some 25+ years later, and we still feel the impact of this night. Our condolences go out to the McVay Family and to those who also were effected by the accident.
03.13.16	saltedog	I remember the garage fire all so well I was one of the guys working on John and Ed car that night when the place burn down . We wanted to go to east Windsor speedway the next day . RIP ED I will never forget you and the gang.

Photo ID #	e01.01.08_005_McV_FLM_0080_1
Car #:	#5
Driver (s) :	Ed McVay
Location:	Flemington, NJ
Date:	1980's
Photographer:	Frank Miller
Photo provided by:	Frank Miller
Comments:	Young, talented sportsman racer Ed McVay. Ed lost his life while competing at Flemington Speedway. It is a moment in the speedway's history that we don't allow ourselves to think about. How can a sport that provides such excitement, such enjoyment for so many suddenly reach out and take it all away in one instant? While we don't let ourselves think about those moments, we will never forget Ed McVay.