“Keeping Track” - Langhorne Speedway Tribute Highlight of Motorsports 2010
When the Motorsports 2010 Race Car and Trade Show takes place January 22-24 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, there will be something for every type of racing enthusiast to see. Star name national and local drivers, track displays, free seminars, the always popular Ms Motorsports contest and vendors of all kinds filling the aisles of the spacious 275,000 hall.
However, if there is to be one particular highlight of the 25th anniversary off-season racing show it will be the tribute to Langhorne Speedway.
The long and storied history of that infamous speed plant will be brought to life at the Motorsports 2010 as a large part of show space will be devoted to the one-mile legendary track, which operated from 1926 through 1971 and was billed as the “world’s fastest mile.” Drivers feared it, respected it and wanted nothing more than to win at it. A victory at Langhorne was a cherished accomplishment.
It was built in 1925 to celebrate the Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial celebrations, and was known as the New Philadelphia Speedway. At the first practice session in 1926, Toni Dawson’s 94 mph run shattered Ralph DePalma’s world speed record by seven miles-per-hour. After several rain delays, Freddie Winnai won the inaugural 50-lap feature race.
Located on US-Route 1, just north of Philadelphia in the Bucks County town of the same name, Langhorne was one of the most popular stops on the Indy Car trail which ran many events between 1930 and 1970 Indy Cars and garnered the most headlines.
It was one of the original tracks when NASCAR began operating over 60-years ago including the inaugural year of 1949 when Curtis Turner won a 200-lap Strictly Stock, now Nextel Cup, race there. NASCAR’s last trip around Langhorne was in 1957.
It was also the mold for today’s “cookie cutter” tracks. It came to be at one particular Langhorne race when Bill France, Sr., then the head of NASCAR, asked a few fans where the best place to view a race was. They replied it didn’t matter because anywhere you sat was in a turn. Thus it led to France coming up with the design of Daytona and the reason why the bleachers where first lined in the tri-oval.
Langhorne was also the birthplace of the Modified Race of Champions in 1951. It actually was the last event held there in 1971 and still runs to this day at New York’s Oswego Speedway.
Many past greats who competed at Langhorne will be at Motorsports 2010 taking part in a special autograph session.
Hully Bunn, who won the first Race of Champions, is going to come as will Roger
Treichler who won the last race at Langhorne. Indy racer Ralph “The Racer” Liguori, Bill Wimble, Wes Moody and a host of others from that era are expected to be on hand.
“We’re really privileged that we are able to get some of the drivers who raced there to come to the show since it’s been closed for so long especially Dutch Hoag who we’ve been trying to get to come to the show for several years,” said show promoter and Area Auto Racing News publisher Len Sammons.
“He won the Race of Champions there five times both when it was dirt and asphalt. He’ll be coming on Saturday when we’ll be doing a special autograph session that afternoon that will focus on these special drivers. It’s shaping up quickly to be a must see event.”
Motorsports 2010 is a race collectables dream world and there may not be a better item to consider than the newly released book on Langhorne.
Coastal 181, publisher of a variety of top-rated auto racing books, is throwing their support behind the Langhorne Speedway reunion and will have copies of “Langhorne! No Man’s Land” available for purchase. The book, written by Spencer Riggs, has had rave reviews. It covers the entire history of Langhorne Speedway.
The Garden State Vintage Stock Car Club will be spearheading the display that will include vintage Indy, stock and modified cars.
The show opens on Friday, January 22 at 3:00 pm. Saturday and Sunday doors open at 11:00 am. For additional info log on to www.aarn.com
Dino Oberto
