Stock Car Racing Action from 1951!

today is the day in the poor man's racing championship it's the 100 mile sportsman stock car finals for local champions who have come here from 14 states from new england florida and nebraska it has cost drivers and crews more money than they could afford to come here to langhorne pennsylvania speedway but this is the mecca for 106 drivers who are scheduled to start in today's race these cars have been all summer long in collisions on one-fifth and one-quarter mile tracks and believe me what rex [Music] this is the circular track at langhorne pennsylvania it's called the fattest mile in the world the pit is a busy place these are not truly stock cars but sportsman stock cars with souped-up motors the bodies have been picked up in automobile graveyards a track official tries to keep up with the unprecedented number of entries meanwhile every hand is put to work tuning up motors and wiring together the bodies this race is sponsored by the national association for stock car automobile racing nascar what manner of men are these who drive these cars let's hear an interview with one by russ catlin our auto racing expert are you the driver of this car yes i am uh also owner that's right my brother uh what's your name preston niblet uh well preston uh where do you come from denver delaware or you race down in delaware uh tell me if you want any races yes i have well that's good this looks like a pretty good car you expect to do any good today i hope to uh something i'd like to know about it uh do you strap yourself in yes we do let's let's get in take a look at it show me how you do it well that's the same kind of a strap to use in airplanes isn't it that's right well now let's uh let's look at the front of the car see what's happening up here this thing here interests me what uh what's the purpose of it that's a screen to keep the dirt on the radiator that real fine dirt keeps clogging up on a long race yeah i see the screen but i mean all this uh this heavy iron here well that's uh protection if you hit somebody in front the other part of it just for the whole screen up there that's all would he ever hit anyone oh yes once the wall had a little excitement is this what's called a hot rod that's right uh how about how fast would you say it would go that is straight-up speed i'd say anywhere from 100 to 110 miles an hour these drivers are hometown heroes high point winners in the season's nascar sponsored races on short tracks young speed demons like wally campbell here [Music] wally campbell already has a crowd around him here's russ catlin preparing to interview him on my left is wally campbell a champion of sorts right wally that's right uh where where do you hold your championship now wally uh right now i'm leading points from the grand nationals well that's the grand prize the grand champion and on the right is pepper uh cunningham uh he expressed it a few minutes ago i don't know why you want to talk to an old-timer like me is that right there well uh right here i think you have the present in the past wally being the president and i think i'm the past uh pep haven't you won a race here yes 1946 i 100 mile uh championship race here and in 48 i was second uh wally uh if you want to race here i won last two uh how are you setting today i got the pole that's right out front uh now tell me something fellas uh i know some uh some fellas own their own cars and others uh drive for other people uh how about yours wally uh i don't own this and i wally mark owns this car oh you drive for him there hi driving uh pepper is it uh more advantageous to own your own or to drive for somebody else well uh in this day you can't drive a car and own it and be very practical about it because you make too many race meets a week and it takes the driver has to help don't get me wrong i mean it's practically impossible for one man to keep a car up it takes two because in the old days we used to run one race a week on sundays and work on the car all week now today you run five or six days or nights a week and you have maybe one day free to work on the car when was this car new this car was brand new this winter well uh what happened to it the meanwhile well uh the first race it was out uh i wasn't driving another driver was driving and had the misfortune of flipping it a few times campbell and cunningham managed to make a good living at this perilous business [Music] and it's back to work on the cunningham car after the interview as russ catlin moves down the line of cars in the pits he spots another outstanding driver what's your last name gabe danny where you from steve try new york troy new york well you've got a automobile here that's very interesting what kind of a motor does it have chevrolet most of them were forged why did you pick a chevrolet just to be different well does it run yeah it does we won 13 features right now well i should say that is pretty good uh thanks a lot steve thank you let's move along the pits with russ dick eagan where are you from dick bristol connecticut sir uh dick you drive all kinds automobiles don't you yes i've driven midgets big cars stocks uh what do you do for a living day race you just raised well you're listed as one of the old pros your car looks uh rather irish to me uh are you worried yes slightly and uh my owner mechanic he's also irish now this uh duffy and uh eagan uh uh by gallery gonna have to get an o'reilly in here someplace uh what do you uh what kind of a motor you have dick there's a what we call a duffy engine a duffy engine yes uh it's a v8 engine modified course internally the veteran dick eagan and campbell and cunningham who was interviewed earlier are perhaps three and three thousand of these drivers who are dying in the wool racing professionals tires and wheels are checked carefully because on this mile long track these cars will be going a lot faster today than they have on the short tracks this wife's a good sport about it [Applause] but these stay safely behind the fence crews are doing all they can to prepare these cars for their longest and most important race everybody is tense so let's get down get under every driver and crew hopes to win today and so the crowd begins to gather at the langhorne speedway for this world series of the souped-up jalopy some of the days speed addicts got their start with an investment of as little as 200 these determined drivers gather to learn the rules the red and yellow flag means slow and single file after a serious accident [Applause] the yellow flag means to go slower and hold positions the drivers listen carefully because if they don't abide by the rules they may be disqualified this is too important to race for that this is the finish line drivers will push their throttles hard to get there first now it's time for the 106 starters to line up in order that they qualify fastest qualifying time was 85 miles an hour b2's driver is nick linder of new jersey wally campbell number one has the pole position he goes through the window track officials check to see that all's clear and mounted police look for spectators who might get into dangerous positions this picture is from the base car which is moving up to the head of the long line the cars are strung out around most of the mile long track these souped-up motors must be held to 15 miles an hour for the pace lap and there must be no passing until they cross the starting line after the pace lap [Music] the flagman nervously surveys the large field wally campbell at number one and willie turner and number six lead the parade these men have been used to driving in second gear on short tracks but with a mile to race on well they'll go into high gear today they come 106 of them the race is on campbell and number one at printer number six lead the pack around that shop curve look at that long string of racing cars and turner number six holds ahead of campbell the first black hands and turner at number six overtakes the tail end of the field before it has crossed the starting line campbell edging ahead of turner in number six but not for long the crowd and the parks and routers in the pits see a terrific battle for the lead now turner number six hedging ahead and now campbell in number one watch them speeding among the cars like broken field winners the football game turner on the inside of the track and campbell riding high the veteran wally campbell is pulling ahead the lead is his for sure now order of number one that campbell's so proud of is roaring ahead a graph of 54 nick linder and b2 they're bunching up now turner number six is quite a way behind these four could see cars begin to boil up some have had to quit already this is not like the slam bang races on the quarter mile tracks they're making pit stops and groves the crews jump into action one puts in oil another water pit crews stay back for safety because cars are fitting fast number 76 looks hot look out there a geyser it's all over for him careful there boy back up you've got to have a clean windshield the race goes on past him our interview friend preston nipple then 22 d wheels alongside wally campbell number one pulls on ahead and threads his way through the crowded track he gets through them all [Music] now we have a new contender in the race frank schneider at number 88 schneider has really got going and he's gaining on wally campbell in number one he's had that one thousand dollar first place money the total purse is four thousand two hundred fifty dollars gambler number one is a new contender after him holly bunn in the car with a big x on the side fun the bristol connecticut boy is squeezing a hand where out of that crowd did he come from snyder and number 88 and linder and b2 are still battling preston nibbling 22d is trying to work through the bunched up cars what's wrong a car is strolling out of the race it's a wreck he turned over another car hits him the first crash of the race and 18 laps the nascar official waves the yellow caution flag the cars slow down driver john stefan of newark new jersey is hurt another comes to help him and official runs to help too the pace car flies a red and yellow flag the racers must follow slowly in single file until the track is cleared there goes the wreckage of sterling's car he's painfully but not seriously hurt the last of the wreckage is cleared away for resumption of the race the green flag signals full speed ahead and they're at it again holly bonds ahead and x but gambler number one goes alongside they're neck and neck as they go into the sharp turn campbell's pulling a hand while he's still in the lead as they come past the grandstand holly bunn in x is closing in though watch this battle around the curves of the circular track x is ahead holly bond in x is trying to increase his advantage this race has everything bonded x manages the game just a little wally campbell in number one is pulling up on bond in x and the head now bun comes up and bun goes into the lead what's happened to campbell holly bond in x is really surging ahead campbell has been left far behind here comes campbell number one he's in trouble and has to pit his crew doesn't waste a second same old geyser trouble and oily dust on the windshield meanwhile holly fun and x is gaining all he can and lapping every car in sight he passes two at a time but wally campbell is down the race not by a long shot anything can happen it doesn't take long to pick up speed right now holly bunnett x has clear sailing out of the pack where he can make the best speed but trouble is dogging wally campbell he's back in the fence before he could really get going the pits are still swarming with activity look at the oily dirt in the mesh in front something's got to be done in a hurry the grass worked up ahead of steam and number 66 the first steamer we saw in the race goes back in again diblet in 22d and dick kohler in three five two speed pass but holly barney x is way out there now another wreck a car goes through the guard rail and into the woods driver's okay he waved to the anxious spectators campbell's going strong again and fun in x as the man campbell's after a car is stalling there's a fire in the pits gasoline oil feed the flames started when frank holtz our came in with his car a flame and badly burned himself he'd caught fire on the back stretch and his brakes failed the hole say those men are going in after another car will they make it they get the car out okay the red flag stopped the race drivers can't see for the smoke firefighters have acted quickly but keep their distance flames from explosion burst high in the sky the blast is terrific flames reach the fuel tank firefighters are doing their best to get the flames under control can they succeed till the race can be resumed well we'll see this is what fire has done to this car our driver looks pretty ejected about it meanwhile tow cars and crews are busy clearing away stalled cars and wreckage around the track here's the one that went into the woods a while ago here's the driver all cleaned up 48 laps have been run half the 100 laps must be run before the race can be considered officially completed they'll have to start again or it's no race there goes another rank they're going to start again they're all lined up as nearly as possible in the order they stop official checkers have been counting the laps of each car that's veteran dick eagan on the right he's replacing holly bunn at the wheel of x the last of the wrecks comes in to allow the race to go on here they come eagan and x frank schneider of maryland in 88 wally campbell in number one two more laps and somebody will be an official winner whatever happens they're off again eager to next is keeping the lead now camera number one is pulling ahead of 88. campbell number one has second for sure now but he has to gain five laps to overtake eagan well that's possible higgins experience will be tough to beat though schneider in 88 hasn't given up and he's gaining he's even with campbell in number one this battle has been going on all afternoon there are still some 60 of the 106 starters in the race and a lot of them still hope to finish in the money dick kohler in 3-5-2 for instance dick linder in b2 is still a contender and number one is pouring it on again there comes 88 from the crowd gambler number one holds the edge over schneider in 88 but he has to give it all he's got look out well that puts schneider's number 88 out of the money he do is really driving now he's one of the standouts in the crowd egan's skill is apparent he could show off well at any rate but campbell's the one who's in a hurry he's heading into the field again with some 20 miles to go look at him taking everything in his way [Music] and he gets through our cameraman is keeping a close watch on this curve it's rough watch some of the cars as they hit runs from the pits the blackboard signal flash isn't okay is it really okay a car hits the wall another hits him he's heading for the wreckage it's wally campbell he's spilling gasoline holly campbell still in the burning car he's out he's safe [Music] [Music] [Music] pit crews want to help drivers out of their cars and now please please this smoking hope was wally campbell's pride and joy fire has ruined it now the race is over of course at 83 miles wally campbell is given second place behind dick egan in number x down there 10 cars are piled up ladies and gentlemen this is the most spectacular wreck ever photographed in an automobile race the driver of the car which first hit the wall don black has escaped with a compound fracture of the leg you saw campbell get out of his flaming car and go scot-free some of the others have been bruised and that's all why did cars keep on piling into this mess well some 50 of them were still in the race things happened so fast that they could not be warned in time and driving in bunches they sped around the sharp curve to be confronted by fire and wreckage some got through some didn't the drivers themselves can't really explain it and thus ends the poor man's championship the 100-mile sportsman stock car race one of the most thrilling speed events in history veteran dick again received the trophy in the gathering biscuit langhorne speed [Music] bye

Channel: Minnesota Max Channel

Views: 1,157

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: 4FR97KhaeLM

Length: 24min 42sec (1482 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 31 2021