| Photo ID # | 06.03.03_McL_KIDS_ALC_0057F_1 |
| Car #: | #NA |
| Driver (s) : | Jackie McLaughlin |
| Location: | Pitman, NJ - Alcyon Speedway |
| Date: | 1957 |
| Photographer: | Warren "Jeep" Frye |
| Photo provided by: | Russ Dodge |
| Comments: | Photo comment
from Russ Dodge: As a collector, certain photos are given to me that I consider priceless. Seldom do I pass them on as I respect them as family treasures. This is one. I feel it shows the man. 3wide made a comment about the kids in the picture of Jackie with his "Hollywood Smile" and the # 300. This picture doesn't have a car yet again I feel it captures the essence of the day. Taken on Labor Day in 1957 by Warren "Jeep" Frye at Alcyon Speedway. Pictured with Jackie Mclaughlin are: Warren "Wimpy" Frye, Sam, Harry and Sheila Frye. Ken Marriott won both 25 lap features that day driving the William's # 44. The back of the Jordan Deuce and be seen, driven then by Budd Olsen. Thank you Jeep, for sharing this photo. Russ Dodge |
| Visitor's Comments | To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here | |
| Date: | Visitor's Name: | Comment: |
| 06/03/03 | Scott Pacich | I vaguely remember seeing Jackie race. I never met him up close, but in every picture I see of him he's smiling. This picture is absolutely priceless.... Scott Pacich |
| 06/04/03 | Tom Bilger | This picture is "priceless" and shows what Jackie McLaughlin was all about. Tom Bilger |
| 06/04/03 | Jim Murrow | Super Picture, Russ; Thanks for sharing it. Looking at the various pictures of Jackie throughout the vault reminds me that although his life was cut drastically short, (Killed at age 31 in a Nazareth crash), it certainly was a happy one. He loved driving race cars, he loved his '56 Ford pick-up, he loved his Cadilacs, he loved his dog, (who went with him just about everywhere), he loved his wife, and daughter, he loved the fans, and he loved his life. He was one of the first "Professional" race drivers. That's what he did for a living, and he was a happy guy. This picture also reminds me of one thing that is missing in NJ dirt racing today, the infield pits. This picture shows the jammed pit area after the races. Three of the speedways with the strongest fan loyalty were Alcyon, Flemington, and Reading. All 3 had the pits in the infield. I believe that was part of the reason for the loyal and large fan base. When you went to any of these tracks, you went early, so that you could watch the cars arriving, being unloaded, being prepared for the night's racing. You could see the drivers, the owners, and the mechanics working on the cars between the races. You knew what they all looked like, and they were "people" to you, not just names. Sadly, that is not the case when the pits are not clearly in sight to the spectators. At the end of the night, especially at Alcyon and Flemington, it seemed like half the people leaving the grandstands would walk across the track, and into the pits, to talk to the drivers and congratulate them, get autographs, or ask them a question. After all, the pits were only 50 feet from you as you left the grandstands, they didn't seem like a taboo area, because you had been looking at them all night, and if you raced out of there, you weren't going to get anywhere except into a traffic jam anyway. Hundreds of fans joined the teams in the pits after the races, and it was part of the bonding of fans and participants that made this such a special sport. Once we got to really know the drivers, we wanted to go see them run everywhere they ran. NASCAR knows that and tries to keep that interaction going. As a kid, that was one of the most exciting parts of the night, to me. In addition to the infield pits, in the 50s and 60s the field was red flagged for accidents, no cautions. The drivers would stop in front of the stands, get out of their cars and walk around, talking to each other, and the fans, and sign autographs through the fence, until the wreckage was cleared and the fences mended. Again you got to see, and talk to the drivers, they became "people" to you. I'm not suggesting that they do that today. With all the divisions of cars that we have today, you wouldn't get out of the track till 5AM, but it was something that helped keep fans coming back week after week. Today, with caution flag laps, and the full face helmets, and the pits out of sight, and too far away at many tracks to easily visit after the races, a lot of the "experience" of racing is lost to the fans. Many spectators would probably not recognize some of their favorite drivers if they were standing next to them at the local Wa Wa. I commend 3 WIDES PICTURE VAULT, for your "Meet the Driver" program, and Bridgeport Speedway for their fire engine pit tours, and their cars and drivers behind the grandstand, and having the Modified drivers get out of the cars in front of the stands before the feature, while the announcer goes trackside and briefly interviews each of them. It's still not the same as being able to see the behind the scenes pit activity, though. Bring back the infield pits! Thanks - Jim Murrow |
| 06/05/03 | Dave Marsh | I happened to be in the particular race that Jackie was killed in at the old Nazareth dirt track. He hit the wall between the 3rd and 4th turn--the race was flagged and he was still in car as we made a slow circuit. It didn’t look bad at all and we were very much surprised when we found out he was taken to hospital. |
| 06/05/03 | 3-Wide | I'm sure that must have been a very difficult night and
a very difficult time for our sport and I appreciate Dave sharing his perspective as a
competitor in the program that evening. We all know the many sides to this sport and
as you guys know, we (the Vault) try to focus on the good, and the exciting, and the fun,
and the friendships, and, and, and... well, all the other things that make us proud of our
sport. That's why we celebrate the drivers and the wonderful machines that they
drove to thrill and entertain us all. That's also why we choose to distance ourself
from the cruelness but unfortunatlely the reality that is sometimes our sport.. I
hope that you all understand where I'm coming from and continue to join me in the
recognizing and respecting the accomplishments in life shared by all of those represented
in the Vault. They deserve it and will always have it from me and I'm sure that
many of the Vault visitors agree. Thanks, 3-Wide |
| 12/03/04 | John Stover | I would bet that every kid in this wonderful photograph will remember this moment for the rest of their lives. THANK YOU John Stover |
| 07/09/06 | Ned Stites III | I was just reading what Jim Murrow said about having the pits in the infield. When I was 6 years old attending my first ever Stock Car Races, that was one of the most exiciting parts of being there. When the Maul Special #111 pulled in my dad would say there's Jackie and the same for Tas in the William's #44 and so on. I went to Vineland first and they had the pit area like East Windsor in the back. After we went to Alcyon and Flemington those tracks soon became my favorites and that was a huge part of the magic. You could hear the hammers and welders and the pit announcer telling the drivers to get ready for their heats. Bridgeport would become a different track if they just would move the pits to the infield. That is why Flemington was so special. The pit area was so close you could hear as well as see the action from your seat. I was fortunate enough that I got to meet Tas, Jackie McLaughlin, Wally Dallenbach, Frankie Schneider, Bob Pickell, and many more. Let me say, I can still remember those magic moments of meeting the drivers and them being so kind to me as a young fan. |
| 07/17/06 | Joel Naprstek | I remember Jackie running and winning so often in the last five or so years of his life. He ran the Jordan #2 and last was the Olsen #83. As I recall he was cleaning up in the #83 that last year. They talked always on TV of Earnhardt's "patented" go in high dive under passes on the turns ... well Jackie had that patented (as did many others) way before DE came along. Jackie used the move to perfection so often. From the stands you could see it coming ... and he always made it work. The greatest era of racing. Great shot. No reason not to show these great men's faces like this ... they should be remembered this way. |