Langhorne Speedway. A name that would become synonymous with death itself. But what was it that gave Langhorne Speedway such a bad reputation among drivers?Well ladies and gentlemen, it's quite a story so sit back and relax while I bring you the tale of Langhorne Speedway.
Langhorne Speedway was built in 1926 by a group of racing enthusiasts from Philadelphia known as the National Motor Racing Association, NMRA for short. The track was built as a 1 mile dirt track; it was unique in the sense that it was an almost perfect circle.
The track held its first race on June 12 1926 (The race was originally planned for May 31st but was postponed due to rain). Freddie Winnai set a qualifying time of 42.40 seconds, a
new world record for a 1 mile track. Freddie later went on to win the 50 lap race. NMRA operated the track through 1929 hosting 100 lap races every Labor Day and occasional shorter races.
Unfortunately problems were arising such as track preparation difficulties, management disputes and poor attendance. These problems drove Langhorne to the brink of bankruptcy.
Fortunately Langhorne would be saved when famous promoter Ralph Hankinson took over the track in 1930. Hankinson brought in 100 lap AAA Championship races and like the NMRA he continued to stage shorter races on the track this time with sprint cars. Langhorne even hosted one of the very first stock car races in the northeastern United States in 1940.
Unfortunately dark times were ahead for Langhorne. Hankinson sold the track to stuntman Earl Teter in 1941 after he had a falling out with the AAA. Teter's time with Langhorne was short lived as he died while performing a rocket car stunt at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on July 5 1942. That same month the U.S. government banned all auto racing due to America getting involved in WWII and as if things couldn't get any worse for Langhorne, Ralph Hankinson passed away. This left a huge void in Langhorne's management. Langhorne sat idle until 1946.
Sometime while the track was idle management was handed over to John Babcock and his family. Racing resumed at Langhorne in 1946 with the 100 lap and shorter races returning. With the track receiving promoters Irv Fried and Al Gerber in 1951
Langhorne continued hosting races on the dirt until 1965 when it was reconfigured to a D-shaped oval to better cater to the USAC Champ Car Division.
Langhorne kept on until 1967 when developers' offers became too tempting for Al and Irv. They announced the track's sale to shopping mall developers in 1967. Langhorne chugged on for 5 more seasons with the last race held on Oct. 17 1971.
Right after Langhorne's closure the track was razed and
the shopping center was developed. No physical remains of the track exist today.
Now for the moment you've all been waiting for. What gave Langhorne such a bad reputation among drivers? Well the facts speak for themselves 18 drivers, 5 motorcyclists,
3 spectators, and 1 flag man were killed at Langhorne. Despite all these deaths Langhorne was a fan favorite and in its later years as a dirt track had high attendance rates.
