A Two Story View

Some great photos were shared on the message board a few weeks back showing “big car” action at the Mt Holly Speedway. That brought this senior moment shared with me by a Bridgeton, N.J. resident and USAC race official, Bill Elbirn. Reminiscing about the “good old days” came easy, as he shared a 1939 photo showing him seated in the number 7 car along with a friend Alton Mathis, standing.

Being too young to drive the race car, his mind must have been racing full speed as he sat waiting for the action to begin. A little under two decades later, he and his brother would be on a USAC officiating team working the races at the Langhorne Speedway. He shared his pride in working on that team with another rookie official, Nick Fornoro.

If I could only recall all the stories of the afternoon!

The track was not discussed, but I found out later from research, the grandstand at the Mount Holly Speedway was double-decked. The half mile track was located at the Burlington County Fairgrounds. The grandstand was the only double-deck at any fairgrounds on the East coast.

Somehow, after studying the photo, I don’t think I would have felt safe on the upper deck. The support structure looks a little light to me! But, back then would I have given it a thought?

Senior Moment by Russ Dodge

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