"Flemington Speedway Memories"
Volumes could be (and should be) written about the great drivers and the years of exciting racing at Flemington... We thought it'd be around forever...
To View aerial images
of the site of Flemington Speedway from 1931 to 2006, click below:
http://www.historicaerials.com/default.aspx
Find on the left side of the page where it says
"Search Imagery" and click on
"By Lat / Long",
and then enter the following coordinates:
Latitude: 40.5268 Longitude:
-74.8530
(Coordinates provided by Mike Sienko)
HERE'S
AN EXCLUSIVE FOR THE VAULT FAITHFUL FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPE USED ALL THOSE YEARS AT
FLEMINGTON PROVIDED TO US BY "THE VOICE", BILL SINGER
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THE FINAL VISIT TO FLEMINGTON (POSTED 1/7/06) |
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 Tribute to Flemington Speedway... The Final Day. http://schreffler.name/flemtrib.wmv (turn up your volume!) |
Photos From 2005 Flemington Reunion (from 3-Wide) | Photos From 2005 Flemington Reunion (from Ace Lane Jr.) |
| Photos From 2005 Flemington Reunion (from Bobby Armbruster) |
Flemington Reflections
From Paul Garzillo (POSTED 1/3/06) |
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It was probably taken with a Kodak 110... and it's not really all that clear, but for many of us, this is the view that we'll never forget. You're part of the Flemington Faithful and tonight you're sitting somewhere in section 3 or 4 in the first turn at Flemington... And there's Sammy and Red side by side going into 1... followed by Grbac and Chamberlain, and then Craig McCaughey and Pete Madsen on the inside.... or maybe it's Stan in the #111 tonight... Looks like Freddy D in the middle... Just another night at the Square...
"The Greatest Show on Earth"
The pace car makes one last visit (right) 3 Wide photo, and Ace Lane's Photo Stand (left) from this Oct 2004 Fred Hahn photo.
Your Flemington Memories:
We listed below some favorite racing and non-racing memories that might make you say "Hey, I remember that..." We hope you enjoy this page and we're counting on you to add your memories below too!
Ken Stull 06.20.09
My memories of the great Flemington speedway began when I was 12 or 13 years old . I would ride my bike to Hoop Schaible's garage and he would let me ride to the track in the race car on the car hauler which was a GMC flatbed truck painted orange to match the racer . Quite a thrill for a young guy of that age to ride to and from Flemington in the race car .
Couldn't wait to pull in the back gate to hear the words.." Ain't nobody in the car is there Hoop ? Hoop would always reply with .NO , I can't let anybody ride in there ! Next was the stop at the pit gate where I would jump out the passenger side of the car and go running for turn two in the infield . We had a real gang that would be there weekly to cheer for all the locals like Hoop , Spike Allen , Barney Swope , Wilbur Force , Horace Drake , Tom Moninghoff , Wilmer Markly , and so on . For a small town
The Upper Black Eddy area had some real talent
The track may be gone but ALL those memories will NEVER leave and there will never be another SQUARE ! When they came up with the
name " MODIFIED COUNTRY " it fit appropriately cause in the day some of the best racers around could be found there !
Ken Stull Millford, NJ
Cerpent9 06.02.09
I'll never forget Flemington. I was a third turn rowdy with my wife and a few friends in the late 70's. Bill Singer calling the shots. The dust was legendary. I still can't explain it to my kids. One ear packed in dust an the car a new color.
As a kid my dad took me to the Trenton Speedway often and I loved the voice of that announcer. Imagine when I got to the purple circle at 19yrs. old and Singer was on the mike.
I became a Sammy Beavers fan in that Caddy. Ken Brenn had the sweetest ride.
When they told me it was flip city they were not kidding.
Anybody remember Fisher flipping down the backstretch end over end about 7 times?
I bought programs but I loved the one with past feature winners and my uncle Tommy Bradshaw was listed as a winner.
A fast track, best of the best in NJ. I remember the World of Outlaws there and Doug Wolfgang set a USA record of 146.+ MPH track speed for one lap.
I will never forget that track.
Deb 05.04.09
I also grew up at the track. My Uncles were other race car owners and drivers. My Dad and Uncle (Bud & Hank Laukaitis) were a small time owner/driver partnership. They raced on dirt for URC. They had an Auto body shop in Philly in the 50's and 60's and we used to spend all our summers at various tracks. I looked at the pictures of the track and I could smell the fuel. Thanks so much for bringing back all the names. and the sounds. smells.. I'm 8 years old again and asking "How's Uncle Hank
Kevin Paustian 04/09
I could always remember going to Flemington Speedway with my dad back in the 90 when it was dirt. I remember watching Billy the Kid Pauch own that track every time he went there. My dad worked for the towing company that was there back in the 70 n 80. He always told me stories about Flemington from back in the day. I was there for the first year it was asphalt now it is a sad site to see. I can never drive past the place n look at it again knowing that it is a shopping center. The thing I could remember about Flemington was the fair. The tractor pulls, the monster trucks, the jet melt down. I wish the track was still there n wish it was dirt again. I will always remember it as my home town track
Charline Baker 12/29/08
My father always stated it was exactly 181 miles from our home, near Georgetown, Delaware, to Flemington but that didn't stop us from being there most Saturday nights in the late 50's. 60's and 70's.My Dad was involved with Georgetown Speedway so we were there on Friday nights and just went and prepared to leave Sat about 1 PM for Flemington. We drove up the New Jersey Turnpike in my Dad's Studebaker station wagon always loaded with various persons wanting to go to Flemington. The kids usually had to resort to the back of the station wagon in order to have a place to sit. It didn't matter to me because we were on our way to Flemington!
Our trip involved going through Bordentown, Trenton with usually a stop for at the Circle Diner. If we were running late we have racetrack steaks-hotdogs for dinner. Since my Father went into the pit area we parked in the infield, first turn. As kids we could walk along the pit fence to see Dad and the drivers. I had to walk across the track to get to concessions and the bathrooms. You just wanted to make sure you were where you wanted to be when. "Close all gates," was announced. Occasionally we would sit in turn one and watch the cars coming straight at us. Later in years we sat in the covered grandstand, row 7, next to the first turn.
I absolutely loved racing on the "Flemington square". You either loved or hated Tas, and many others. My family traveled to many race tracks over the years. To me the race fans at Flemington were the most in the know regarding the track rules and they weren't afraid to voice their opinions if they thought someone was getting wronged. If need be, I remember a few nights when the fans took over the front stretch. My Dad had a 53 Studebaker Sportsman that was driven by Jimmy Smith at Flemington. George Harrison from Georgetown would also drive at Flemington in his X, sometimes a Studebaker, sometimes other cars but usually X was his number.
I will always remember Flemington. So sad it is gone!
Debra Weaver 11/01/08
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As a child I grew up at Flemington, Pitman, Nazaerth, and Langhorne. My Dad built cars for Lucky Jordan, so we made the rounds of all the tracks during the season. At Flemington we were always in the infield where us kids could run around. Dad was just on the other side of the fence in the pits, while Mom sat with the other wives and girlfriends keeping an eye on us kids.
I remember the restrooms were on the other side of the track, and sometimes it was a LONG wait til the heat was over and we could get across. As a child I loved going to the Flemington Fairgrounds because it was like a fair all the time. There was a woman who always was in the low stands under the trees. Us kids always looked forward to seeing her because each week she tinted her hair to match the outfit she had on. I thought that was so glamorous!
The races there were so up close and personal. The cars weren't very far away and there was always the danger a car would come flying through the fence at any time. Tex Enright, Jackie Mclaughlin, Will Cagle, and Bob Pickle were all friends of my parents, it felt like everyone was family so anytime there was a wreck it was personal.
I just found this site, so I didn't know the track was gone. It was a special place.
Jeff Martz 10/15/08
I have many memories of isma supers at Flemington and they were all great; also the dirt/asphalt modifieds were good to; so were the nascar modified tours i saw there; i really miss the track!! bye jeff martz; scranton pa
Mark Makuch 09/09/08
Dad's Gift
In the late 80's after marriage and the birth of our first child, racing trips were far and few between, but one night, I believe 1988, my old racing buddies were making a trip to Flem (as we called it). After getting the "ok" to go I got ready. A racing shirt , the obligatory red bandana for dust, a few bucks ,I turned to leave the house . In saying good bye, my wife said,"it would be really nice to get your daughter a racing shirt or something". Smiling, I kissed them both and off I went.
We all piled in one big vehicle and off we went across I 78 into Jersey we went. Pulling off 31 into the lot was always a rush. Throughout the evening, I thought what to get Maggie. Between fast heats, a few brews and food, I wondered throughout the souvenir area. It seemed no one had a shirt that would fit a one year old child. Then I finally spotted the Trenton Mack Table. YES !!! they had one for a small child, heck it even had a "cute" bulldog on it !!!
Of course by the time I got home she was asleep, but the next morning, she wanted to know what I got her. Her eyes opened wide at the red shirt with the 704 on it and she slipped it on right away! THANK YOU ,DADDY !!------it was still kinda big on her.
My favorite Flemington memory!!
Two final thoughts, the next year, I took her to a race, Williams Grove I believe, and you should have seen the older women looking at my little girl with that racing shirt - the "ahhhhhhhhhhs"! And finally, and sadly, somewhere in here growing up and outgrowing this shirt, we gave it away or it got tossed......... What I would not do to have that little girl back and THAT SHIRT !!Don S. 07/28/08
Undoubtedly some of the most indelible memories I will ever have in this or any other lifetime!
Attended my first race in 1972, hence my all time favorite driver- 1972 rookie champ Ken Brenn JR.!
Unbeknownst to me, watching my current favorite driver Frank Cozze steal a few!
c.. Flem-man doing his thing!Starter Harry D under that hat, face black as coal except for where the goggles where.
e.. Bill Singer's unmistakable voice!Ice Cream Johnny!
Admiring the "Anybody But Pauch" tee-shirts.
Gerald Chamberlain making it look easy- blindfolded!
Fritz Epright jumping into John Katchensteins humble, unassuming #265 sportsman ride and blowing away the field during smallblock modified events!
The unforgiving 1rst turn wooden fence.
Watching, right in front of me, as Doug Hoffman sent Billy Pauch rocketing across the asphalt into the outside 4th turn gaurdrail full-on. I felt for him that day, it's a wonder he walked away at all. After that the big styrafoam blocks showed up!
The Fairs!
The Enduro's!
The Demo Derby's!
The Tractor pull's!
The Car Melting Jet Engine Spectacles!
Riding home in the back of my then best friend's brothers hauler throwing modified "Dirt Bombs" at every road sign we could find.
Turning my now best friend and then future wife onto "Modified Country Dirt Racing".
(They say the more things change , the more they stay the same...)
It's Legends night here at New Egypt Speedway. I'm right here with my family, up behind the flagger's stand sitting in the "Flemington" seats howling my lungs out because Frank is out winning his heat race! But wait, Pauch won his too. Is HE going to steal another one?... Where's that tee-shirt?
Oh brother, maybe I should just cool off . Where is he?... THERE HE IS! JOHNNY, UP HERE, WE'LL TAKE FOUR PLEASE!!! Oh yeah, after this I'm going to march right down to the old timers tent and get KEN BRENN'S AUTOGRAGH ONE MORE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Yes, the track is gone but the memories will never die.)Tom Walker 07/17/08
Thank you for putting together this website, I really enjoy it. I would like to offer a few of my own memories and perhaps add to them from time to time.
My first visit to the track was the summer of 58, I was 10. My Aunt Grace and Uncle Bob were regular attendees and they took me along on this Saturday night. They were personal friends of both of the Farley's, Ed and Les and both were driving sportsman entries as I recall.
They were tried and true Tasnady fans and it didn't take much coaxing to get this 10 year old to become hooked. We always sat in a box seat on the fourth turn side of the flagman's stand.
I remember Vince Conrad's car always being in the corner of the pits next to turn one, always. There was something about that rig with the converted telephone truck as we called it and everything painted up to match. It is firmly implanted in my 60 year old brain.
I remember a guy who used to sit on the very top row end seat of the grandstand (south end) who would yell "give-em another lap" when he thought that some driver/car was being given a break to get back on the track after a caution.
I remember marching music being played over the PA system before racing began and during intermissions.
I remember anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 44 car on the back of the Cozze Brothers flatbed sometimes just in time for Taz to make the consi. We would breathe a sigh of relief when it came into view behind the backstretch.
I remember a feature race with the 44 the 111 and the 026 running nose to tail at the front for many laps but not necessarily in that order. I would love to have that photo, which is also well preserved in my memory. That would be the red 44 of Tasnady, the gold 111 of Jackie McLoughlin and the white 026 driven by Bud Olsen as I recall. That would be a tough act to follow at any racetrack anywhere I think.
Does anyone remember McLoughlin showing up with the white No. 2 with the wing on the back and totally running away with the feature? I think it may have been contested at some point, but it was the fastest thing there on that night. As I recall the wing was nothing more than a car trunk turned upside down and mounted on the back of the coupe with some pipes or support rods welded on.
These are just a few of my earliest memories.
Tom Walker Glen Gardner, NJ
Jerry Lewis 03/15/08
I remmber when I was a kid siting in my grandmothers back yard and listing to the cars go around the track n remmber hearing the fans yell when bill pauch would hit the wall when I would get the chance to go I would love smelling the fumes and coming home dirty I never went to much when it was asphat but I seen a couple of races there.
Roger McCloughan 01/24/08
Flemington Fair Speedway was a part of my life from age 7 to when it was recently sold and then demolished. I went with my Dad and with friends to "the races" in the 1960's and remember seeing "Tas" (39 Polecat), Frankie Schneider (#2), Joe Kelly (Fodor #13), Sammy Beavers (#7 and #43), Stan Ploski (#27), Mike Grbac, Jackie McLaughlin, Dick Havens, Jackie Hamilton, Budd Olsen, and many other boyhood heroes. The old wooden outside fence wasn't too forgiving - I think Freddy Adam totally demolished his car one night by hitting the fence on the backstretch and flipping over 6 or 7 times! Stan Ploski also demolished the Cozze Coach #27 one night on the 3rd turn in warm-ups! I remember seeing this happen because I used to sit on my uncle Joe Williamson's Studebaker pickup in the 3rd turn infield and watch my cousins Leon and Ronnie Harrison race Sportsman in the 8-TEEN and 19. While we watched, my Dad was always on the fire crew on the 4th turn. A highlight was always going to the pits after the feature to see the cars and drivers up close.
I also loved the Fair and came every year for Fireman's night (Friday), and the ARDC midget and URC sprint races on the weekend. My family owned stock in the Fairgrounds, so we took a special interest in everything there.
I continued to attend almost every week throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's and had even more heroes: Gerald Chamberlain, Glen Fitzcharles, Billy Pauch, Larry Klein, Kenny Brenn, Phil Meisner, Rich Polenz, and many more. I loved the Grant King modifieds. We had a close group of friends who sat in the "Covered Grandstand" right in front of Paul Kuhl, so we heard throught his intercom what was happening. When the track was paved, we disagreed but still continued to come and watch the NASCAR modifieds.
Most beautiful cars? Al Tasnady's final 39 Polecat, Budd Olsen's 0, Pat Woglemuth's 168, Ken Brenn's first #24 driven by Stan Ploski, and the Trenton Mack #74's. Favorite driver? Stan "the man" Ploski - we considered him a neighbor, since we lived in Ringoes.
Now, I almost cry when I drive by the old fairgrounds and see the emptyness. With Flemington now only a memory, there is a void in the community that may never be replaced.
Chris Singleton 01/18/08
my name is chris and i am frm england. i lived in Flemington for a short time in the early part of 2000. i was a regular to the track on a saturday with my son ;and after some persuasion my good lady .the site brings bk sum gud memorys for me ; sad to see that the track has now gone .having seen first hand from an outsiders view people frm around the area really did enjoy wot it had to offer. its unfortunate that times are changing, but ar memories wont.
Kyle Ammon 08/14/07
My Dad met my Mom at Flemington Speedway in the mid 1980's. He had a friend that had the 265 that raced there. When he got the chance later to race he went to Flemington and raced but didn't have much luck there. We always had something happen to the car.
When we were time trialing for the Race of Champions, we blew the motor, and then the other time blew a tire.
I always remember sitting in Turn 4 every time we went to the track. My favorite part of the track was the restart line in Turn 4 with the Christmas lights that went green or yellow. The cool part of the track was when "charge" played when they went green.
My dad went on the track when they were taking stuff down to get ready for demolition. Whenever we by the track I get sad. We have pictures of my dad's car there. The one picture that we have is my dad going out on the track with my uncle on top of the trailer.
Every time I go into the trailer, I think about the track. It stinks that there making it a shopping mall, like we don't have enough shopping malls around. There's a shopping mall down the road. This is dumb local track are becoming fewer and further in between.
Wayne M 08/14/07
I have so many memories of Saturday nights at Flemington. Stan, Brightbill, Sammy, Billy O, Tom Eppolite and my buddy Dom Ragno. How about Larry Taylor driving one handed and Gerald Chamberlain spending most of the night on three wheels. I joined the Air Force before they paved it and saw a USAC Silver Crown race with Billy Pauch driving when I was home on leave. I'm glad I never saw it paved. Drove by last Saturday night and almost vomited when I saw it would be a Walmart.
Tom Woodward 06/29/07
Although I wasn't much of a race fan I do remember taking in a race or two during the Flemington Fair days. I can't remember any of the drivers names nor who won any races but i do remember the excruciating load noise from the engines and the dirt flying everywhere.
Ssometime during the late 60's early 70's my dad, who had become a dealer for a contraption called the "Aircycle", which is what we today call a Hovercraft, took several to the Flemington fairgrounds to demonstrate them in hopes of getting many orders. Because these vehicles used a two cycle, two cylinder engine that was still in it's infancy, the spark plugs kept on fouling and halfway around the track the engine would quit and the machine would sit lifeless until the plugs were changed. After this happening several times I think most of the public lost interest and I'm not sure my Dad ever sold one of them.
Back home they were fun to drive down the lawn and onto the pond, although we found out the bank was too high for them to negotiate their way out of the pond. good thing they floated!
Tom Woodward Milford, NJ
Ken Lance 05/17/07
I read everyone's memories of Flemington Speedway from the 70's and earlier. I left Jersey and moved to Florida in Dec. 68. My Dad, Mom, Brother and I went every Saturday night in the 60's. We drove from Califon to Flemington every Saturday night. We would park on turn 3 infield and would stand along the fence just inches away from the track back then. I would be rooting for Taz and Sammy Beavers, Bobby Pickle, Will Cagle, Les Farley, Ed Farley, Two Gunn Oakley, & a truck driver for my dad's trucking company, Al Becker. My Dad knew all the racecar drivers then on a 1st name basis. I still have the pictures of them from those days.
I watched the Craftsman trucks race there on TV and just let my mind wonder to the days of dirt and and the fun my older brother, Rick, and I would have. I went back a couple times in the late 80's and the cars were just not the same to me. The Track was paved and the dirt was not in the air. So sad these days. From time to time I get out the old movies that my Mom took and watched the racing that I remember. I wish they had sound in them. At least they were in color. That was a great time and place for a kid to grow up in New Jersey in the 60's.
Ken Lance
Orlando, Florida
Rob Reilly 05/02/07
Really fantastic site, and great memories, all.
Two memories stand out for me: 1) How Buzzie Reutimann had such awful struggles time and time again at Flemington in the dirt (he could have won many here), and 2) the seemingly incomprehensible speed that the ISMA cars achieved there on pavement, lapping as fast as 13 seconds at a hair under 154mph!. I took a great friend from Rio De Janeiro there to watch ISMA in 1995 or 1996. We wound up in the box seats just south of the S/F line. Not having ever seen short track racing, let alone winged supers, I watched as he leaned forward in anticipation of the green flag as the supers rolled into turn three. When he witnessed the pure eruption of open-wheeled speed and maneuvering as they entered turn four, he lept to his feet and RAN at full speed to the top row of the grandstand, screaming "DUDE, IT'S TOOOO DANGEROUS!" When he calmed down to the point where I convinced him to come back and sit down, he said only, "unbelievable" over and over and over again. I clearly remember the Christmas tree lights at the S/F line staying horizontal for most of that feature. Pat Abold dominated. I think it was fifty laps, and it was over in about eleven minutes. The funny thing was, I clearly heard Abold's engine go off, losing a cylinder about halfway through the race. Didn't matter though, because he was HOOKED, and continued to open his lead until the checker flew, cruising home a convincing winner on only seven cylinders. After the race, we went pitside to confirm my suspiscion, and indeed, he had give up a valve....
And my friend was RIGHT--it was too dangerous. You had to experience it for yourself to believe it.
Frank 05/01/07
After reading everyone eleses memorys i dont think theres mutch i can add.i grew up in port murry and washington as a youth.returned from fl for a fiew years from 79 to 83. liveing in warren county N.J. was farm country, a culture thats long gone.flemington was part of that for me .flemington was americana.i knew dave pace and his sons bob and gary..i know that we all have to move on in life but reading these memories brought a tear to my eye,,a fiew times..belive them when they tell you the fried chicken was SMOKIN!..served in a little red and white checkered boat....i think what menny here have excspressed is not just the dieing of the best dirt trac speedway on the plannit earth but a little of our american culture dieing...ive been to tombstone az. it was cool but flemington pissed all over tombstone. nothing will ever compare to flemington.i go to speedweeks at volisua co.fl..its about 20 miles down the road from me. i go douring the summer too. its part of my culture as an american .its what i do.flemington was what started this for me. and i will go untill there is no more trac to go to.and i will always remember were i came from and always know that there will never be any dirt trac like flemington..what we all witnissed togather was somthing like seeing a ufo..we tell people what we saw and they think your full of bovinebiskits. and all we have to prove to them what we witnessed is the testamoany of the people on this page..i feel verry lucky to have witnessed sutch high qwality racing at a 1 of a kinde speedway.and i will always use flemington as a mesureing stick to compare too. we saw the bast life had to offer and we all know it. THANKS FOR THIS SITE
Frank Deltona, FL
DJ Everitt 04/02/07
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I grew up in northern NJ and my father and I made Flemington Speedway our home from the 70's through the mid 80's. My father growing up in nearby New Hope, PA made it is home as well when he was younger through the 50's and 60's. My father also sponsored races a couple of years at the Pine Brook Speedway in the late 70's through his business, Maaco Auto Painting. We moved to CA in 1984 but would make trips once a year to visit family in NJ and PA and made it a point to take in a race at Flemington each time we came back. When they paved it, we took in a couple of races but the interest faded as there was nothing like dirt on that track.
My father moved to be closer to me in Charlotte, NC this past Nov. Unfortunately, he passed away in Jan due to complications from pneumonia. We layed him to rest in New Hope and while I was there, I passed by where the old Flemington track used to be a few times. One of those few times I was passing by was with my ex-wife who was nice enough to bring my 2 year old daughter from Boise, ID to my father's funeral. We were passing by where the track use to be and I couldn't help it but to start getting emotional. Not only because of the great times my father and I use to have, but because of what had happened to what I called "the greatest dirt track in the country". My ex thought I was getting emotional again because I was thinking of my dad when I told her that I was getting emotional because of what happened to my favorite race track of all time.
That is what the Flemington Fairgrounds Speedway meant to me. It was a very big part of my life. A part of my past that I will always relish. Thank you for designing this website as it brings back so many great memories.
Chris Voorhees 03/04/07
I only ever saw one dirt race at Flemington, when they paved it I was about 6 years old. I do however remember wearing goggles, crunching dirt between my teeth, and falling down the grandstands that one night.
I remember going to Flemington every Saturday night for years and years with my father and stopping at ACME and grabbing a bunch of 10 cent store brand sodas and whatever else i wanted to eat on the way. Then we were on our way, we were on our way with no further stops to go see the races, we would see haulers on the way and guess who it was, I remember my father always saying "This is what it looks like to pass em" or something like that. It was a great father and son tradition for me.
I remember when we would get in eyes view and I could see the grandstands, and the parking lot and the fences and saying to myself "Were here!" Pulling into the parking lot seeing some of favorites on the haulers waiting to get in. But when we got to our seats and I sat down next to my Uncle Fred (Voorhees) coming out of the forth turn, I knew it wasn't far from seeing the action that I had come to love. Open the cooler grab a soda and sit and wait for the anthem and racing. I would sit and wonder how Skip Turyonis in his number 8T modified and Kevin Collins in his number 12 modified and Phil Cox in his Late Model was going to run that night.
When it was race time, I would hear the sounds I came to hear, the smells I came to smell, the fun I came to have. When it got dark and the heats were over I remember watching my Uncle Fred writing on his tablet so fast I couldn't read and keep up, he was in a trance, a trance put on him by Flemington to catch all of the action in writing. And after all of the action was over for the night was the ride home thinking to myself "can't wait 'til next week." Sunday morning waking up and reading that weekends program for the 97th time and telling my mother how much fun I had with Dad.
The track is gone. The sounds are gone. The smells are gone. The cars are gone. The memories that made up the best part of my childhood will always be with me. So thanks to everyone who made Flemington possible for so many years, and thank you to my Father, without him I would never know the true thrill of short track modified racing - Thanks Dad
Erick Weinstetter 02/05/07
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I only went to Flemington Speedway a few times but I still remember my favorite drivers and that track has some painfull memories for me. My freind Ken Zanolini was a regular spectator and took me a few times. We could make it home if we found the car buried under a ton of dirt.
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I picked my favorite driver cause I liked his car it was white and blue I think, his name was Billy Pauch. This must have been late 70's. My friends favorite driver was Kenny Brightbill who I think raced a black and gold car.
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In 1980 I was just becoming a top local BMX racer and that year they had a NBL National on the infield of the racetrack. It had a horribly designed section, but I was determined to master it in practice since everyone else wasn't taking it. I crashed and went to the hospital. I returned in time to watch the races start and a top factory female racer Kathy Hanna (sister to mx legend Hurricane Bob Hanna) also crash over that section in one of the first heats.
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They fixed it after her crash bringing bulldozers but it was to late for us, she had a broken wrist and me a separated shoulder and would miss the next 2 nationals and that years chance for glory. Bad Bad Flemington Speedway memories lol.
Daniel Shultz 01/16/06
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Living only a mile away from the once famous Reading Fairgrounds( which is now a mall), I considered Flemington the next closest thing to Reading. Once I got my drivers license and had permission to use the family car, Flemington was the place to go on Saturday nights with my friends, when the car was available. We had so much to talk about, that the 2 and a half hour drive didn't seem long at all. Will Pauch win again ?, Will Ralph Rue shock everyone ?, Will Brenn or Bateman dominate tonight ? were just a few of the topics. Before you know it, we were there, rolling down our windows, buying tickets and looking at purple and white everywhere. When I bought my first car, we were a fixture at Flemington every Saturday night. We had cook outs behind the 1st and second turns. Once we heard Bill Singers voice, we knew it was time to get to our seats. As we climbed up the stands, the water trucks and packing cars were pulling off the track. Here would come the purple pace car and the national anthem would begin. We knew we were in for a great night of racing. Hot laps were important to watch, so we could see how our favorites were going to do that night. Goggles on, eating dust, we didn't care, this was "Modified Country".
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I remember sneaking in the trunk of my friend's big car from time to time. Getting there early and just walking around and watching the cars line up at the pit gate to sign in. I still have my jar of dirt they were handing out the last night anyone would see the mighty modifieds kick up the dust on the dirt square for the last time. When the announcement came that they were going to pave the famous dirt square, my friends and I knew Flemington would never be the same. I gave the pavement a chance for a season or two, but it just wasn't the same. Car counts were lower and the stands were no longer as full as when it was dirt. I would rather eat dust than watch the cars drive the corners instead of broadsliding like on the dirt. Non the less, another announcement came upon me, Flemington was closing. Nobody can take away the memories I have of one of my favorite tracks, Flemington. Be it, the dust, the smell of good food cooking, the fair itself, the fans, Bill Singer's voice, Harry Dee's magical hands as a flagman and most of all, the exciting racing. There will never be another Flemington Fair Speedway. Looking at one of my many "Modified Country" programs from time to time that I collected over the years, brings back those memories. Flemington will join a sad list of race tracks I've seen close. Reading, Dorney Park, Nazareth, East Windsor, Penn National and a few others. Goodbye Flemington, your gone, but not forgotten.
sp 12/28/06
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Wow, what a ride. Well it"s gone, but what a place it was. I was a fan of East Windsor at first. I heard Bill talk about Flemington on the intercom so i finally got my dad to haul my ass up to Flemington. one saturday night. He worked three jobs one being at midnight 7 days a week. So I got some good seats front row right next to the fence. I ate dirt for a week. So the second week we moved up under the grandstand. What noise it made. Then I turned seventeen. Up to Flemington I went with this girl. She loved it and I loved the ride home.
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I always enjoyed just watching the people. All kinds enjoying themselves and the people that hawked there wears. Especially Johnny the ice cream /popcorn guy. He was a blast did he ever not smile?
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The biggest moment I had was when the Outlaws came and a had a front row seat. I was not ready for the speed they produced. I thought some one was going home not living. After seeing that every thing seemed to slow down.
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Thanks for memories. The food wasn't bad either. Who in the world was the french fry girl? She worked at East Windsor too. I got caught looking at her with the girl I took up there when I was seventeen. She could make some fries.
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27/15/3/81/24/$/ harry/ bill/ paul /al/and the rest - Thanks for the great moments. I did get to take my son there when he was 5. He loved it
PJ Wyer 12/05/06
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World of Outlaws Show..late 80's. Billy the Kid starts on the pole, not sure which car but pretty sure was local. 1st lap Billy going into turn 3 as only he could right on the inside fence and Kinser passing him right there on the inside of 3. Race over. Very impressive.
Gary Pino 11/09/06
I dont even know where to start.
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This site is awesome. I am a jersey boy at 38 years of age, and I spent almost every Saturday at Flemington. I was a big Fitzcharles, Brenn, and oh could Buck Buckley rip that place up when the URC sprints came to town. Too many memories for me. The instant smell of the fuel and chicken walking across the street from the parking lot. I can still hear that fat guy scream, "Ice cream and Peanuts in the covered grandstands".
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I was there the night Dick Tobias was killed.
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I could still smell Flemington inside my programs.
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I remember 1 night when Glenn Fitzcharles came back and debuted an unpainted Pinto (23) and in the feature, he flat out looked like a sprinter. He had almost a full lap on the field until his motor blew. God I was pissed.
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I came around the track when Chamberlain was the fan favorite and all of the cars Brenn had were just so sweet. The classic favorite for me was Chamberlain's red #76.
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I was in a ton of pics because we sat on a camper a lot of nights and it was always cool, to see us up there.
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Flemington had the best chicken ever. I can still smell it. I wish i knew who could make it.
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I remember Labor Day, the URC's were in town and Buckley set the track record. That race Paul Sandy Rochelle flipped over the wall in turns 3-4. That was bad.
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I could go on all night. I recently was up that way and made my wife take me there and I was like a homing device. saw the grown in parking lot, and what caught my eye was the entrance (turns 1-2) the electric wire with the yellow bulbs (some broken, missing) hanging over the way in. It turns my gut just to think of this.
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I make Champ Cars in 1/18th scale (www.chapparrelsdiecast.com) and there isnt a day goes by I dont wanna make a classic modified.
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I would love to know where they are and what they all look like now. To me they were all Mickey Mantles, and on any night they would shine. I will always remember that car with the little orange light on the roof. Kerry Schrader?:) John Scarpatis cool sportsman.
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I think Kenny, and Jim Brenn were the first to start the money trends? Grant King chassis were top dogs compared to the Ebersols.
Thank you for this website. I am humbled but honored to say I was there in the golden era. I saw them, and saw them all. I can still hear the water trucks running on 7 cylinders racing each other.
Gary Pino - Middlesex NJ
PJ Wyer 10/16/06
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I had been at a race track every Sat nite since I was about 8 yrs old. Mostly asphalt as that's all there was where i grew up on Long Island. When i was about 19 or 20 my father told me if i ever went to a dirt track I would never go to an asphalt race again. So in 1980 I hijacked my girlfriends senior prom trip that was supposed to be at Great Adventure and took them kicking and screaming to Middletown instead. My father was right as I went to Middletown every Sat nite for the next 5 years. It was over a 2 hr drive each way.
Then in 1984 I went for the first time to Flemington Speedway for a 2 day show, although I was only planning fore the Sar race. aFTERNOON SHOW i THINK IT WAS A 100 LAPPER. Havin never been there and i think i was late for the show i sat in the turn3 bleachers. Not long after sitting down it was announced that Billy the KID PAUCH, had just arrived at the speedway from a USAC race in the midwest some where i believe by helicopter. He started last in the last consi in the "L" car. Had to be 30 cars in the race..needless to say he passed them all and the won the main. Seeing him power slide out of 2 was unbelievable . Going to Middletown every Sat nite was nothing compared to this. I drove the 2 and a half hours home that nite then woke up got in the car and drove back for the Sun portion of the show.
A week later I bought the Bob Travagline #71 that Bob and Billy both drove.. Car trailer spares the whole thing. I raced in the rookie division the following year 1986, and every sat nite till they paved it . Even won a sportsman feature on July 4 1987. Back then they had the Small block specials once a month. Where else did u get to race with Pauch, Horton, Hoffman,Felty, Epright, Coville and all the others it was great.
I made a lot of great friends at Flemington especially Paul Rochelle 111 and his family and all the folks at Lawrence Engineering without whom I could not of raced. I would probably give most everything I have to run 1 more 20 lapper at the square. Way to many memories to list here, but there all good ones. Luckily i still have some videos and pics. There will never be any place like it.
PJ Wyer #29
Mike Messinger 09/29/06
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1. Going there once or twice as a 9 year old in '81, and for whatever reason, picking Pauch as my favorite. After that, my Dad and I went virtually every week for the next decade.
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2. Watching the weather as a kid on Saturdays, praying the T-storms wouldn't materialize.
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3. Packing the cooler at 3 pm getting ready to go.
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4. Getting in for free in the early 80's b/c my Dad knew the guy at the backstrech entrance. He would hand him some cash and the guy would pretend he was making change and hand it right back.-sorry Paul.
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5. Amassing hundreds of programs and memorizing them. To this day, as a 34 year old, I still pull them out often and read them like it's the 1st time. Just from the covers, I could recite practically every article and visualize specific pics before I even open them. It's scary.
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6. The early days w/Johnny Cash on the PA, the Brenn/Pauch battles in the early 80's, and the mid 80's, when Horton/Hoffman/Brightbill became regulars.
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7. The fried chicken was in a class by itself.
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8. The big races when the invaders came in. Draws for starting spots, big tow rigs in the pits (in the late 80's).
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9. Danny Johnson as a regular in '83. Someone threw a cooler at him from the 4th turn stands during a 100 lapper after he put a local (Larry Kline) I think, into the wall. Direct hit under caution as he came by , and the crowd went wild.
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10. A new rule of "No races for two weeks"for every C on my report card...never seemed to stick.
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11. Picking drivers to win in the feature every week with a handul of the regulars around us every week for a buck apiece. Rule was you couldn't pick Pauch.
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12. Missing the 4-20's in '85 b/c we were at the shore on vacation. Ridin my bike to a 7-11 down there to get the recording with the results. Still remember the # 782-2413. Was one of the best nights (from what I hear), that we never saw.
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13. The last race on dirt, so good and so sad.
I can go on and on, but I won't. Like the memorized programs, I now "remember" thru the people that post here. I read them constantly and it never gets old. Times were simpler back then, and I wouldn't trade anything for those Saturday nights I cherished being at the track. It was the best, and if you never went, you'll never understand. My wife (from out of state) and not even close to being an auto racing fan, can't believe I can get misty-eyed sometimes on here and not anywhere else.
Go figure...
Best regards,
Michael Messinger
Jane 08/17/06
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My parents always took us to the County Fair at Labor Day A high light was the Stock car/dirt track races which ran loud and long .It was fun to have a local track where the boys could demo cars all summer long.....I was sad lo see progress impede a long time tradtional place. Now the fair grounds are gone and the ghosts of racers remain ...Just listen for a reve of engine on the weekend night air Imagine the 70,s and enjoy the memories.
Cheers, Jane
Rich 01/18/06
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Its very sad that Flemington is gone we were all hoping that it wouldnt but it did ..its very sad .. I remember watching the enduro races in the 80s and cheering on Richard Peety to name a few. I miss those days ... Rich, Hackettstown NJ.
Tom Tinsman 01/09/06
- I wanted to thank you for the Flemington photos. As a kid I grew up going to Flemington. I was there every Saturday night from 1958 to the mid 70's. I continued to go in the late 70's, and 80's but not every week. My grandfather started going there when it opened, I believe it was around 1918. I must admit that it is very sad to see it finally go. I also went to the 1/2 mile and 1,1/8 mile tracks and Nazareth and was sad to see them go, and also saw the begining and end of Harmony. I really love your web site and look at it also most daily. The mermories I have of these tracks will live with me forever.
Mark 81 01/08/06
- JUST SAW THE PICTURES OF THE FINAL DEMOLITION. I HAD TO DRIVE BY TO SEE IT FOR MYSELF. IF NOT FOR THE MEMORIES, I'M SURE THE HOLE WOULD FEEL BIGGER. A BIG PART OF RACING IS GONE.
Skeet from Hamilton 12/29/05
- I remember going to Flemington with my Father and my Aunt and watching and hearing the race when the Flemington Fair was going on.We would watch the race from the outside of the track by peeping through the grandstands and we could barely hear what we were saying to each other because the noise was so loud. There was no muffler rule at the time. Flemington Fair/Speedway was such a different "thing"at the time. That "time"was around 1973. It wasn't just the racing but the Fair as well. The smell, The sounds, The whole experience was wonderful. If you weren't around at that time to experience it than all I can say is too bad. Skeet from Hamilton.
Bob Stives 12/24/05
- I spent about 2 ½ seasons at Flemington, the 1968 or 1969 season when my dad drove Mr. Taylor's # 93 and the 1972-73 seasons with the Katona family. Dad had taken a "leave of absence" from Wall Stadium to run strictly dirt the year he ran Flemington. The cars had become more specialized by then, so there weren't many owners who wanted to field a dirt car and an asphalt car. He wanted the ride in the 93 for East Windsor, and Flemington sort of came along with the package.
- What a race track! Flemington had one of the most exciting atmospheres of all the tracks around. It seemed like most of the cars were built in a barn somewhere. The place had that "country come to town" feeling every Saturday night.
- The year Dad drove there, Stan Ploski owned the place. He drove one car for his dad and a couple others for somebody else. He would run all three heats, always qualifying all three cars, sometimes winning two heats in a single night. He was a threat to win all three heats in one night. I don't if he ever did or not.
- One of the most memorable performances put on by any driver there was the night Budd Olsen lapped the field to win a 100-lap feature. I was watching from the first turn infield. Budd went through the first turn in his small block Chevy powered coupe the same way every time, flawlessly!
- One thing you didn't have to worry about while watching the races at Flemington was sweating. The place was always cold, especially in the spring and fall. One night it was somewhere between 30 and 35 degrees. The ice cream man standing in the covered grandstands yelled, "Hey ice cream here!" He was responded to a resounding "BOOOO" from the crowd, all in fun of course.
- Flemington was a place where Dad struggled a little. The competition was fierce. One night, I was sitting in the third turn bleachers watching him run the feature. He was about mid-pack position, maybe 8th or 9th. Coming into the third turn just a little too hard, the back end of the 93 broke loose, and the back end of the car came around. The car was headed straight for the fence, backwards!
- He rarely ever locked the brakes on a racecar. That was one of the things he made sure I understood when I began driving in the 70's. "You can't steer a car with the wheels locked," he said. Steering a racecar is usually helpful. This time, however, he must have realized steering was not important since he was going backwards. With all four wheels locked, he backed into the third turn fence pretty hard, but without doing any damage to the car.
- I could see inside the car from where I was sitting. I had on a jacket and was no doubt shivering as usual. He had on a short sleeved shirt, was drenched with sweat, and was breathing like a marathon runner who had just crossed the finish line. I learned an important life lesson that night. My dad was not running up front that night, but he was giving all he had! When I find myself struggling with things, no matter what it is, I think back to that night in the third turn at Flemington.
- Besides being exciting and cold, Flemington was a dangerous place for drivers and fans alike. With two fences, inside and outside, there was always a good chance of whacking something hard. The outside fence between the first and second turns had been hit so many times it was no longer at a 90 degree or less angle to the track surface. That meant when somebody did hit it, sometimes with a little help from behind, the fence acted more like a ramp sending cars into the air.
- Flemington took the life of Dick Tobias, and Joe Kelley's injuries were so severe he was handicapped until he passed away a few years after his accident. Both drivers were highly skilled in their craft, both drove the highest quality machines that were built in their time. It wasn't them or their cars. It was that place, Flemington.
- Stan Ploski broke his arm there. Just as it healed up, I heard he had another wreck and broke the same arm again.
- The track was faster than it looked. All four corners where somehow different from each other, which made it a real challenge.
- Dad told me to never sit in the stands where the cars were coming directly at you."Unfortunately, some fans were not privy to such good advice. Cars and car parts always had the potential to get into the stands. I remember seeing people getting knocked off their scaffolds one night between one and two when a car got over the fence.
- Despite its problems, Flemington racing (dirt) was an experience
for driver and fan alike that is not likely to ever be recreated anywhere,
any time. That makes the memories all the more special.
Bob Stives
12/24/05
Don Smith 09/15/05
- I remember growing up, going to the Flemington Fair and the Flemington fair speedway...seeing Bobby Pickell and Al Tasnady run. I lived in High Bridge for a while and used to hang out at Harry Steinkopf's body shop and watch him work on his car. In the days before political correctness and sponsor dollars meant everything, I remember Harry racing at Nazareth I think and he got into it with somebody and after the race the guy just came over and sucker punched him while he was still in the car. Hel, Harry could lift a short block with one hand, he was not a man to be messed with...lol... Then they turned the track to asphalt and in my humble opinion ruined it. I love watching the cars on the dirt. My wife and I took a trip to flemington a couple years ago, for a "you can't go home again" tour and I was amazed at the changes in the town and the fact that the track was a shell of it's former self. I hear now it is being turned into a shopping center, that is a real shame. At least we can re-live our memories.. thanks
Dave Kosch 05/28/05
My brother and I grew up at Flemington Speedway, and reading the things every previous writer has left makes me miss "the D" much more. The memories are TOO numerous to name, as everyone has testified so far. I'll share with you the ones that are most poignant.
- The one emotion that has stuck with me the most these past ten or so years is the tremendous let down I felt when we attended Flemington's first asphalt race. What a terrible, terrible disappointment. I never went back.
- Those crazy Christmas lights strung over the track. Pure genious. As they turned green and Bill Singer would shout "And the green IS OUUT!" My brother and I are still DIRT fans and we attend races (he more so than I) whenever we can. Anytime the green drops we are consumed with the uncontrollable urge to exclaim the Bill Singer zinger.
- Ray Bateman dueling with Stan Ploski for ten laps, side-by-side, swapping the lead every lap, until Stan finally won by a car length. The best race I've ever seen.
- (posted previously) Kenny Brightbill coming from a lap down to win the Wendy's 200, in the Blue Hen 30.
- Rooting in vain for Billy Dubovic in the "$" (dollar sign). Probably the biggest misnomer in sports history. I wonder what he is up to these days.
- Trying your best to NOT LOOK AT YOUR FOOD while you ate. Because, no matter where you were (grandstand, in your car, the next town over, whatever) your food was BLACK. Who cared?!
- Johnny, the vending guy. Nobody ever knew what the hell he was saying. We thought he was yelling "FUTURE HEAD!" We were lucky enough to get to know Johnny, after running into him at American Hobbies R/C track. Not a bad guy after all. He's still out there, you know. Still yelling "FUTURE HEAD!"
- Racing our R/C cars on the front stretch after the show. Holy moly that was fun. As a teenager, that was the highlight of my week. Good times.
- Placing bets, even with other fans seated around us, to see which of the Kelly boys would spin out twice first.
- The "Run Wutcha Brung" shows. These were also known as the "Billy Pauch Charity Race."
- The sound of the gravel under everyone's feet as we made our way back to the car. "CRUNCH crunch crunch CRUNCH." Music to my ears.
There's just not enough time. I'll write more later. Goodnight Flemington Fair Speedway, wherever you are.
Dave Kosch
DH 04/30/05
- I have been a race fan since I was a little boy. I was a huge fan of Billy Pauch, and Jimmy Horton. My father owned a store in the Watchung Flea Market, and every summer we took the shop on the road. Doing motorcycle runs, and fairs, and stuff of the like. My favorite time of the year was when we would get to Flemington. It was the last fair that we would do for the season. When it closed on Memorial day than i knew I had a long summer, and it was time to go back to school. I can remember when I first started going to Flemington it was still dirt, and we had to wipe our cases off frequently while the races were going on. I looved the food, the smell, the sounds of the fair going on. But most of all I loved hearing the cars run off of the first turn, and down the front stretch right in front of our tent on Machinery Row. It was awesome. And I would look forward to it every year as it was my favorite place to go, and my favorite time of the year. Although it changed when the track was paved I still got the best feeling from the smell of the exhaust, and the sounds of racing which was right in fron of me but at the sametime in the backround.
- When I was older I joined a couple of small race teams. I worked on a couple of Enduro cars at Flemington, and then when they closed I went to East Windsor, and worked on Street Stocks, and Modifieds. I miss Flemington a lot. I have 2 boys who never got to experience all that I did from my childhood. Neither at Flemington, or East Windsor. I live about 10 mins. from the track now, and now when I drive past where it is (was) I remember what it looked like during fair time, and on race nights. It brings back some great memories.
Alex Rogovin 03/25/05
- My father hated Ray Liss (because he had an altercation with someone in the Navy who's last name was Liss).
- Me liking Ray Liss for the same reason my father hated him!
- Cool old names that make me remember those days: Howie Cronce, Fitzcharles, Ray Liss and of course Stan the Man and others.
- I always thought the green and yellow Christmas lights were cool.
- Sitting in the short chute between 1 & 2 my first ever race-- must have been '74 or '75.
- Our friends the Kennedy's who were huge Ploski fans. They had a really nasty rooster they named Ploski that used to chase us.
- Lived in Readington Township abt 5 miles at the time and hearing the races on nights we did not go.
- Moving to Cherryville in 1999 and hearing the races again! Like old times.
- Bringing my family and friends to the track in the last few years to see the enduros.
- ISMA Supers!
Dawn Horton Parker 02/26/05
- Hearing about my parents honeymoon in 1971 spent at the track
- *The best damn 4th of July show I think I had ever seen as a kid
- *Hanging out in the pits after the races meeting all the drivers
- *Sitting in my cousin's car
- *Looking like a racoon, leaving the dirt track (don't have many dirt tracks here in Florida)
- *The excitement of watching those cars slide sideways around the turns
Glenn Grafton 01/29/05
- Standing at the back gate during the fair watching the cars being towed in.
- Seeing who was running injection or a carburetor that night.
- Noting the different suspension setups..... An era in short track racing and car design that will never return.
Spike Greenleaf 01/21/05
- ..."The Sound of Music".... The best of days for me
at Flemington was listening to them flying into the first turn (dirt of course) screeching
of the tires and rippen down the backstretch so fast that I couldn't believe the speeds
they traveled. IT WAS AWESOME
p.s. Go Glenn Fitzcharles
Bob Jones (San Diego, CA) 01/14/05
- Just heard about the website today - fantastic. .......... Damn I'm getting goose bumps just reading all the memories.
- Me and the guys Saturday night at Flemington - flirting with the girls before and after the races, but all businees once the green flag dropped.
- ...And don't forget the Whitehouse roller rink.
Leonard Slemmer (San Diego, CA) 12/20/04
USAC, June 23rd 1978. We lost Toby.
Ron Alleger (San Diego, CA) 12/20/04
My brother who still lives in NJ told me about the site and I decided one day to check it out.... I truly was not prepared for the emotions that soon started flowing over me....
My mind flashed back to the summers of 1965, 66 & 67, when I worked at the concession stand in turn one serving up hot dogs, burgers and some of the tbest "French Fries" you could ever want. I can remember arriving early to do our routine set up in preparation for the always great crowds of people that would come to Flemington to get their weekly summer dose of incredible excitement. My fellow workers and I would take turns watching out for who would be coming in from the backstretch racer's entrance. The names of Bob Pickel, Al Tasnady, Jackie McLauglin, Lee Hendrickson, Sammy Beavers and Stan Ploski just to name a few, strill bring a rush of excitement to me.
I was fortunate to get the duty of working the first turn food stand because that was the best corner I thought at the whole track. On the starts they came charging right at us as we would looked out the back door with an unrestricted view of the track. You could look right in the car and watch the driver's hands turn the wheel to throw the car into that famous dirt track power slide as they powererd thru the corner on one continuous slide into turn 2. Then the smell of the fuel, oil, rubber, exhaust and the ever present blowing dirt from the track into our faces. Feeling the powerful roar of the engines and watching the sparks fly as they would bump each other. Knowing that these fearless drivrers were mere inches apart from each other and even less from the incredible launch that the car would do if they hit the other car's tire or just went a little to wide and "hooked" the wooden fence. Those were great days!
Thank you for bringing back those feelings of the best of times. I am ordering one of each of the 6 cars that you have available so that I can build them and paint them up like my favorite drivers from that time and display them proudly to give me that forever warm happy feeling from my youth. Feel free to put this in your memory page. My hope is that others will feel the spirit that was once our youth and the grandeur of Saturday Night Races at Flemington Speedway.
Ron Alleger - San Diego, CA
Jerry H 12/18/04
- I work at a Caddy dealer in Trenton/kinda slow-went on a extended road test today - Before I knew I was on RT 31 - Rang a bell with me! - Kept goin/Next thing I knew I was at a circle-sign still there - Fairgrounds! Didnt wanna go but had too! - Last time I was there was 79? Laureno in the 125 won a big race-stood there lookin thru the fence knowin the old girl aint coming back! Man I wish I was 10 years older (But I still feel like it.) I would have loved to be there in the mid 60s/70s-we will never see tracks like this again.
Rocky 11/19/04
- I remember seeing somebody walking around Bridgeport with a Flemington Speedway shirt on and thinking to myself, I'll have to take a ride up there and check it out. Five years later I was still going every weekend to Flemington. Even on the last race I didn't think the track would shut down because it looked like they repaired the roof. But when I saw the top three drivers end the race, then go around the back side of the track and have a little sort of drag race they stopped and started throwing their racing gloves on the track then, then I knew it was finished .
- The other pictures in my head I remember are:
- Pouring rain in South Jersey then going north and the skys parted sunshine and I knew I was right about making the trip. Monday, fellow workers were shocked my weekend wasn't a washout.
- The cleaning man in the bathroom that never saw a race!
- Finding out that a box was empty and I could buy all six seats! Who cares if I can talk enough friends into going.
- Bugging my Napa dealer all year for Super Truck tickets and never knowing until last second that I got em!
- Bringing family and friends and watching their faces as they witness the enduro for the first time.
- The start of the enduro when it seems the guy in front always spins and has to ride backwards.
- Seeing Joe Hall find a fire extinguisher made of lead laying on the track!
- Trying to see whats wrong with a car by smell as it goes around the track (gear oil, motor oil, trans, antifreeze exc.)
- Seeing the race held up by duck, cat, and skunk crossing track before all hell breaks loose.
A Fan... 11/06/04
- hi there.......was just looking at your web site...and it brings a tear to my eye reading about the track. im 50 now and have been a dirt racing fan since childhood....i am not from flemington, but i identify with your story. I've heard about the track and read about it in speed sport news many times. I've wondered how long the exspensive sport of auto racing in rural america or even in large citys where men and machines challenge the good earth and each other every week will last. For the wealth of good times, and memories of heros, and for some the ultimate price they paid for thrilling and inspiring people, these famous parcels of land should be shrines....just as a grave yard is kept in reverence and in tact.
I'm fortunate that there are 3 dirt tracks near me I can still attend each week. I cherish every moment now, for I know the end will come. Thank you for keeping the memories of this great place alive.
..............a fan.
Jerry 09/08/04
- Goin there in the mid - 70s being an asphalt guy - Wearing a white shirt!
- Sitting on turn 1 - Eatin' the greasiest chicken anyone could survive/and havin a ball! - p.s beers didnt hurt!
- Still rememember sayin to my buddy (whats with the goggles?)
Lance Huff (North Carolina) 6/16/04
All the asphalt and NASCAR in the south doesn't even come close to one Saturday Night at Flemington. If you have been there you know what I mean. I remember more about Flemington than any track I have ever been to. I was five years old in 1980 when I made my first of many trips there. What do I remember?
- * Sammy Beavers driving the black and gold 81- Billy Pauch in the "L" car - Stan Ploski in the # 65
- * Driving 500 miles every August to watch the 4-20's
- * Billy Pauch # 15 rolling over Roger Laureno # 125 in turn 1in the heat: Duck Taping the body together and making the feature with the body hanging off
- * Billy Pauch # 5 winning three of four 20's and being passed by Stan Ploski # 74(Trenton Mack) on the last lap of the fourth feature beating Billy at his own game using the "outside sweep in turns 3&4"
- * Jimmy Horton # 85 winnig all 4-20's and doubling up on a Small Block / Big Block show.
- * Any Modified driver on any given night being able to win
- * The Blondes in turn 1 Tee Shirts "My Dad Drives J-9" = Joe Coverdale
- * Kenny Brenn's # 24 Red bandana to keep the dirt off his face
- * The Blackest Dirt you've ever seen
- * Billy Dupavic(pardon Spelling) putting the blue and white "$" in the turn 1 seats
- * The Fair - The Man with the Snow Cones that gave you extra syrup behind turn 1- Sprints at Fair Time
- * Modified Sprints
- * Flem Man on the wrecker while Steve Miller Band's "Abbra Caddabra" plays in the back ground
- * Harry Dee one of the first flaggers I remember that gave the two to go flags in every race -the way he would flip and twirl the white and yellow with two to go - his double checkers
- * Bill Singer's magic voice - "through the short shoot and down the back ; into the nuber three corner they come"
- * The "Charge" of the Bugle as the Modifieds came through 3&4 to take the green.
- I now go to New Egypt when I come up, my cousin drives the # 00 in the Rookie class. The atmosphere reminds me of Flemington, and the racing is better than anything you can get here asphalt country, but there will never be another Flemington Fair Speedway. Thank you for the memories! Lance Huff - Burlington, North Carolina
MIKE S. 5/19/04
- I / We have so many memories over our twenty years at Flemington. I started going when it was still dirt and before my kids were born. Kept going when it was paved and my children were born. We went almost every Saturday night and it became a real part of weekly plans. It was 1 hour door to door for us. The kids would crawl into sleeping bags and sleep in the back of my truck on way home. We would switch around sitting in 4th turn, 1st turn, Grandstands. Didn't know which was best all had their own vantage point. We had our favorite drivers we followed each week, Loved going to pits after races to sit in cars and get pictures and autographs. Must have hundreds of pictures through the years. Besides the regular show i.e. Mods, Late, and Stock we loved special races i.e. Sprints, SuperMods and special nights like Night of Destruction and Monster Trucks and Jet Car Meltdown. Who could forget Flem Man.? Good Fireworks on 4th of July weekend. Just too many memories to write them all. Tried several other tracks since, none compare. When Flemington closed a part of us sensed a loss. "FLEMINGTON SPEEDWAY WE MISS YOU, THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT MEMORIES!"
NY JIM 04/26/04
- Watching the stockcars being hauled up rt. 31 on open trailers on their way to the speedway. That is how I got interested in racing by watching those cars go past my house as a kid.
Danny H 04/26/04
- I used to work at the Flemington Fair from the time that I was a little kid. My father and I used to have a biker stand on "Machinery Row". I did this with him for many years. On Saturday nights before they paved the track he used to let me stop working, and watch the races where I became a huge Jimmy Horton fan. I watched him every weekend battle it out with Billy Pouch until they paved the track. Then being old enough to drive I would go watch Jimmy Horton at East Windsor, or New Egypt speedways. I will forever be a fan of Jimmy Horton, and Flemington Speedway for turning me into the NASCAR / auto racing nut that I am today. I have worked on cars from Flemnigton Enduros to East Windsor Modifides, and Street Stocks. I now live in Washington NJ, and have to pass the speedway on my way to work, and every morning I drive by it, and remember the way it smelled, and how the hot dogs tasted, and the smell of "funny fu! el". So those are my memories of Flemington Speedway.
Len Thacher 04/23/04
Thanks to a coworker I recently learned of this site. It was like turning pages of my life as I looked in awe at some of the great photos that brought back so many memories of my friends at "The Square". From the 70's and into the early 80s "The Race Chasers" ran from Woodbridge Va. to Williams Grove on Friday nights and then across to Flemington with a motorhome caravan with whoever I could persuade at the Grove to follow along for an all day/night affair at Flemington with so many friends. Those early years, while writing for Area Auto Racing News, will always be remembered for spawning so many of the friendships that have lasted the test of time.
The Kuhl's were always good to us, allowing us a key to access the back gate in the wee hours of Saturday, AM when we arrived for a full day and night of excitement at Flemington before heading back to Virginia and home by noon on Sunday. While we were not there every Saturday night, we were always in contact with our Flemington friends to keep up with the action.
Flemington has a special place in my heart. It produced by far some of the greatest battles that I have ever witnessed in my 50 plus years of attending races. The incredible car counts when the midgets or sprints were added to the evenings activities...my friend Bill Singer who I haven't seen in years but whose voice was no doubt "The Voice" of the speedway...purple...so ugly yet impossible to forget...my friend Doris and the fried chicken...the first turn gang...Charlie, Harry, Al, Kathy, Doris, Merideth, Jeff, Don and all the kids....who have long since grown up...Flem-Man's continuous failed attempt at entertainment...Harry Dee...Tas....my friends Ken Kuhlman, Wendy Kennedy and Rick Kuhl...the ICEEEEEE Cream Man who sold at Reading and Nazareth and then Flemington only to have his son follow in his foot steps...with the same bellow of "Iceeeee Cream!"
Your right...it's fun to remember...and yes they are memories I will cherish as the friendships that survive despite the absence of the sounds of motors in NJ. Thanks to you all!! Yes, we are still at the races from late January to November... somewhere in America...and still enjoying the job, the people, the racing and the friendships!
Len Thacher Director NASCAR Statistical Services
Frank Miller (A die hard race Pauch fan from Section 1 and 2 in the 1st turn)) 04/14/04
- (1977) It was my 3rd year at Flemington . I became a Gerald Chamberlain fan (FORD POWER). His long time car owner Joe Bullock retired at the end of 1976. Gerald won the EASTERN STATES 200 that year also. He and Gus Fear started C and F racing . Thay had put a modified together from what was left of the Bullock stuff and changed the car alot but only had little success. Then it happened... Gerald flipped in turns 3 and 4. The car could not be fixed and they were headed home when Glenn Fitzcharles' car owner Jerry Verona asked if Mr. C wanted to drive their back up 23 car. He said yes. He started almost last in the consi but still qualifed. He started in 20th spot I think and was able to pick them off one at a time . He had some help from a first lap crash which he missed. A yellow flag or 2, and all of a sudden he was leading. A late caution bunched up the field. He held off Stan the Man Polski who got 4th, Tom Gillmam got 3rd and SCREEMING GLENNY in the chevette got 2nd. Gerald won. They both went to victory lane . What a night. (Frank Miller section 1 and 2 in the 1st turn)
- In 1981, twenty four year old Billy Pauch tied Al Tasnady's wins in a row record with nine, and the single season win mark with thirteen. From July 19 to October 24, Billy won ten times and had 6 second place finishes including the streak of nine wins in a row. He swept the four 20 lap feature program in August. He won the championship by over 200 points.
- In 1986, Billy Pauch was in the DEBLASIO # 5 that year. He won the track champtionship for the 4th time. He had 6 mod wins 3 Modified Sprint 1 Pepsi small block. He was the pole sitter at Syracuse NY .He won the Victoria 200 and a 40 lap race at Grandview also.
DJ 02/04/04
- The pictures that you have at Flemington also brings a tear to my eye where they closed, what I believe, is the greatest dirt track in the country. I have been to Knoxville, Eldora, Ascot, Manzanita, Devils Bowl, Perris Auto Speedway and other great dirt tracks in the country but I never saw any track that produced as much action as Flemington did. I have always told my wife that if I ever win the lottery, I am going to build a dirt track just like Flemington with some improved safety features, great lighting, great sound system, and great scoreboard. The layout has to be a square just like Flemington. Maybe I am being biased as I feel like the track is a great part of my life. Don't get me wrong, your pictures are awesome, and if you find anymore on Flemington, please post them but when they shut Flemington down, a part of me was shut down too.
CHARLES PAE (1963 NOVICE DRIVER #26) 12/05/03
- MY WIFE AND I ATTENDED THE RACES @ MODIFIED COUNTRY FOR 7 YEARS BEGINNING 1956. I KEPT TELLING HER I WAS GOING TO RACE HERE SOMEDAY. FINALLY AFTER MUCH COAXING SHE AGREED THAT I COULD RACE AFTER 7 YEARS OF BEING A FAN.
- BACK THEN THE NOVICE CLASS ONLY RAN ONE RACE, NO HEATS, NO FEATURES. I REALLY HAD A BALL RACING FOR THAT ONE SEASON. I DROVE A 1940 FORD WITH A FLATHEAD ENGINE. THE FIRST RACE I STARTED 26TH AND FINISHED 25TH, AS ONE CAR DROPPED OUT (HA). AS THE SEASON WENT ON I DID IMPROVE SOME. FINISHED 3RD IN ONE RACE.
- I REALLY ENJOYED WATCHING THE BIG (MODIFIED) GUYS RUN. ALWAYS ROOTED FOR AL TASNADY AND HE SURE CAME THRU WITH QUITE A FEW FEATURE WINS!!ENJOYED SEEING HIM RUN WITH S. BEAVERS, B. MALZAHN, J. MCLAUGHLIN, W. CAGLE AND OTHERS.
- MANY GREAT MEMORIES OF FLEMINGTON, ONE OF THE BEST DIRT TRACKS EVER!! WAS REALLY SAD AT THE CLOSING OF THE TRACK.
- ENJOY THE "FLEMINGTON MEMORIES" SITE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!
Nancy 11/18/03
- My Mom so hoarse she could hardly talk after a night of booing Stan Ploski and cheering for Billy Osmun. I was never really sure if there was a track rivalry between those two, but Mom sure thought there was. Of all the stuff I have managed to retain in my memory over the years I am glad I still have that one.
Paul 11/11/03
- My Flemington memories started back in 1976 when my sister and future husband would take me to the "mighty d" on a Saturday night. My now brother in law Gary would tell me to route for the black and gold car with the #81 and the horse on the quater panel. Since then I've been hooked. I love Flemington and always will! I shed some tears when I was there last month seeing the cars go around the track for the last time. It even got worse when I went to the auction. Im really glad I got some great stuff so I never forget. I still can't believe its gone. It's sooooo sad. Thanks again for a great site! I always check it out!!!
Shaun 11/06/03
