Flemington Speedway ’75-‘85

In addition to watching the greatest dirt racing, I recall so many memories of being at this place, both in the stands and the pits.  With no cell phones there was a lot of entertainment all around us.

• Purple water trucks, Peep-Peep with scratchy Johnny Cash playing on the PA.
• Watching the timing of Paul Kuhl in the purple Barracuda with American Flag for the National Anthem.
• Jim Williams hawking “Ice Cream” all night.
• The voice of the God from the sky at 5:15 pm, Bill Singer, “Please close the back gate…”
• Observing Ace Lane with 3 cameras, and others, capturing history
• Witnessing the transformation of stock chassis to professionally manufactured chassis.
• Coupes to Gremlins, then evolved to sheet metal bodies to fit the newer chassis.
• Everyone occasionally stopped/stared in amazement at the Brenn machines.
• The sound and ground shaking feel of open headers fire breathing engines with fuel injection horns protruding through the hood, with a whiff of alcohol.
• The unusual smells and fun people in the 3^rd turn bleachers.
• Christmas lights, for those that were there – nuf said
• Harry Dee, with a white cowboy hat, mastered control of the race action.
• The legendary Al Tasnady, controlling the chaos in the pits in the purple Cushman.
• Sportsman’s Consi’s with 24 cars and two to qualify. Days when qualifying was an achievement.
• The grandstands stare into pits to see all the action.  The sight of pit crews working, the sounds of the engines, impact wrenches, and staging area, …  all in between the racing. Such a racing atmosphere !
• The smell of chicken permeating throughout the air.
• The buzz in the air when an invader crossed over in the back gate.
• So many other memories…

3 Wide, thank you so much for keeping our racing gods alive on your website.  So many times, I must go to a happy place, the “3 Wide’s Picture Vault”.  Thank you very much.

I know a different time and era in those days.  But…

Flemington Speedway ’75 -’85 – The Best Place on Earth

That's a heck of a recap there... and a lot of great memories.

What an absolute perfect recap ! I was not a Flemington regular, but was there enough times to know exactly what each and everyone of your memories pertained to. I was a Grandview regular from early childhood forward(done say I have yet to mature)... your reference to sitting there getting excited when watching an invader come through the gates while sitting in the stands brought back a memory for me. Me and my buddy Johnnywere sitting in the stands when we noticed Smokey Warrens unmistakable school bus roll in. Needless to say, we were excited to see how our local racer would fare against Flemingtons finest....Much to our bewilderment, his hauler sat there for at least 45 minutes. Hot laps were going on and ol Smokey was still sitting at the gate. Finally he was let in, and made it to the back of his gear w/o a minute to spare.  We found out later in the night that he hauled all the way down there and didn't have the $ to get in. Not sure where he finished that night, but I'll never forget sitting in those stands seeing Smokey roll in.

Similar employment situation for me Dave, only it ended up working out...

I had a retail job at Bambergers/Macys in East Brunswick NJ ('78 - '79) that was tied in with a course (job was mandatory) that I was taking at school, and there were only two shifts available for part timers that had to work the evenings during the week..... 

Either you worked M, W, & F 6pm to store closing (10pm), plus Saturday store opening to 6pm.

or

T & Thurs 6pm to to store closing, and Saturdays 3pm to store closing (10pm).

Doing the math... you can see that neither shift above would allow for a full night at Flemington.... 

I have no idea how I talked my way into it, but I was the only part time employee in a store that probably had well over 100 - employees, that had a "custom shift" which was M, W, & F 6pm to store closing, and Saturday store opening to 6pm store opening to 3pm!

That left me just enough time to go home, change, pick up my date (if I had one for that night!), and head up over Neshanic to get to Flemington before the Rookie Feature took the green!

A few more things I remember about Flemington, especially in the early/mid 70's when I was still a teenager:

• Staring up at the top 10 in points boards (wooden) that were posted up high, behind the stands, across from the concession area. 
• Checking out Ace Lane's photo booth to see if he had any new pictures of the #292
• Walking the skinny road between turn 4 to turn 3, just outside the fence, and hoping that the cars would stay on their side....
• Running back up to my seat in time to catch the next heat race before it went green...  Something about the Flemington pea gravel/stone that made you feel like you were able to run faster than you ever had before.
• Scavenging for discarded parts of racecars when the races were over that the wrecker crew had tossed over the wooden fence when cleaning up an accident from hours earlier...

Good memories.... 

Really great memories of a big part of my life. Add to the list "sitting on the side of Rt.31 waiting for the gates to open". Sad to see the tear down photos.

How about the hanky panky in the parking lot during the rain delays? 

How about Ms. Flemington speedway loosing her top in a mud wrestling contest on the frontstretch?

I'm just posting for a friend.

Great recap Cannonball.  Great memories.  And how about the sparks flying in the infield as welders patched up cars so they could return to action?

I remember sitting in these in the old Grandstands.  Joe, do you remember the day they tore the Grandstands down and we went through the rubble looking for keepsakes? Great post! Thanks for taking us down memory lane again.

I remember that day Lenny....  I remember you telling me that the demolishing was happening right then so I took the ride up to meet you for lunch.  The pictures I have are from Jan 6th, 2006.  It wasn't until then that I think I ever accepted that it would really be gone forever.

Do you remember walking around with you, and me grabbing what I thought was just a (one) block, but it turned out to be the cornerstone for the 4th turn corner of the main grandstands (2 blocks connected at an angle)?  It ended up 3X heavier than I thought it would be....  I remember as I tried to drag it away that maybe it wasn't such a good idea, but we ended up getting it to the car.

Still have it, an still have a piece of the green wooden catwalk too.

This is a much older picture of the Grandstand. No catch fence. Must have been just a horse track then.

I had a few of those memories mentioned in the original posts. Plus some sad Fair pictures. Add your pictures and share them here.

Thr famous Crows nest.

The main Grandstand entrance and cross over gate.

MARK FUSCO'S CHICKEN SHACK. That's mini stock driver Big Ray Vernon getting his order.

The day a box seat section collapsed. 

Turn one.

The Purple room. They sure knew how to throw a party! lol.

The day they tore down the old wooden fences and replaced them with steel. My Pictures.

A young Stephen Swider. He'll be 30 next month.

The beer tent area during the Fair.

What happened to the VW drivetrain sprint car? I think there was a modifie, too. 

Well I think it 1955 when I went the first time with my dad, I was five yrs old. It was like someone took me to heaven, I was hooked like I was on drugs.

I remember it being so cold that guys set fire to the trash drums to warm their hand and my dad carried me to the car because my feet were so cold but I didn't care I didn't want to leave. I had a great dad who put up with me nagging him every week to go back. I don't know how he put up with me.

I remember all the things mentioned above and more.

I got to first drive on the dirt in a micro stock and I remember how some folks thought w some kind of joke until we ran a second off what the street stocks were running. I will never forget that first lap I was just looking everywhere I couldn't believe I was finally out there. Finished second that night but I felt like I won.

In 95 I got to build a street stock and finally run a full size car at the place that was my field of dreams, yeah I only won races there in the little car but it never mattered, I was racing at flemington the only thing that would have made it better was had my dad loved to see it , but I still felt him there and would always wave to that spot in the stands where we always sat.

It always took me back to that cold night in 55.

Was never at a dirt track prior to 1978, only asphalt. Was attending Rutgers and had a jones to see/hear/feel a race. Headed to Flemington with this girl I tried to get a date with for a long long time. That ended up being the only date I ever had with her. Always wondered what would have happened if I took her to Wall instead!......LOL!!!!!!

Some random best Memories for me through the years

• Billy Pauch's ability to sweep by everyone on the outside between 3 & 4 to win so many races!
• Ron Harrison winning that modified feature in the low buck 37J, late 70's
• My good friend  Bill Dubovick winning his first modified feature, a 20 lapper, and I got to get my picture in victory lane!!
• Remember the days the pits were so full they had to pit many cars outside the pits between 1&2 and 3&4, and that was with small open trailers! So many cars!!
• Bill Singer and his announcing- through the short shoot, angling on the out S I DE....open the first turn gate, here to call the late models, Lou  Brunnell... LOU
• Newsy Notes in the Program

So much to remember, and when I go through all the magazines it all comes back like yesterday!

My parents first took me there in 1960 spent every summer Saturday night there for over 20 years in the box seats even got to spend five or so years on the track. Went to the fair every year, hung Stan Ploski banner over the box seats for years. Been to a few tracks it's still the best ever and thanks to the Vault we all still get to share are memories I hope it never gets turned into shopping center

Just rode by the site where the Flemington Speedway was located this past Thursday on the way to a pool table job in Hackettstown.  Sure did bring back memories of the track, and the yearly fair that was held there.  My favorite story regarding Flemington was when I was helping Chic Ronan in the late 60s. Chic was parked next to fellow limited sportsman driver Joseph Kelly.  Kelly came in to replace a flat tire.  "Pops" Gibbons (Kelly's stepfather), Chic and myself had to push Kelly to get him refired.  As he was leaving to rejoin the heat race, I fell and was dragged by Kelly's 13 for only a few feet but torn my knee up alittle.  Chic insisted I go to ambulance, which I did.  The ambulance folks denied my request for a band aid and rushed me off to Hunderton Hospital (just north of the track on Rt. 31).  Chic's wife Cathy mentioned to my Mom (they were in the 1st turn stands) that "that guy that just got in the ambulance looks like Scott".  My Mom, after looking at the ambulance, disagreed but added "hope he's ok because that ambulance is flying out of the pits!" All medical personnel were great even though I didn't feel my minor injury warranted a trip to the hospital.  Here's the kicker, I had to walk back to the speedway!  Guess I wasn't hurt that bad afterall.  Scott Ely