How did you get your start in racing (as a fan... as a crew member... as track staff/media.... car owner...., or as a driver?

Not much structure here so maybe let us know the first track you ever remember attending... or a relative/neighbor/other that you maybe stopped by their garage/shop that had a racecar...  or maybe the track or press that you first started working for... or maybe even how you came about owning a racecar, or getting behind the wheel of a racecar for the first time.

How did you get started?

My brother got me started. He went to Flemington with a friend. Came home and said to me "you have to come and see this guy drive." I went. "This guy" happened to be Al Tasnady! I didn't miss a Saturday at Flemington   for 25 years, until they announced it was being paved. That was my last night there. But, I was the Flemington representative for the Al Tasnady Fan Club! Very proud to say!

1965 as a 12 year old fan in the stands at Dorney Park. Racing and rides in the amusement park at intermission.

My parents started going to Nazareth and Dorney Park before I was born, which I thought was weird because everybody else in Upper Black Eddy went to Flemington. After I was born, Dad was serving in the Navy, we lived in Upper Black Eddy with my grandparents. Mom started going to Flemington with friends, one Saturday in 1962 they took me along and the rest is history. Jackie McLaughlin won the first race I attended. It's ironic, Mom was saying on Christmas that somebody asked her when my brother and I started going to races, I told her. I told her that I read it in a letter she wrote to my Dad, she gave them all to me after his passing. 

Started going to Englishtown with one of my brothers. A former employee at my dad's business was a partner in a top fuel dragster. Then started to go to Flemington with my other brother.  Stan Malamut Sr. kept his 1948 Flexible Bus and rented a spot on the property from the landlord. Stan raced Hatfield, Old Bridge, and several other tracks back in the day. I got involved with helping Stan Jr when he got his Uncle's old Reading Car. The rest was history. 

I always like the Motor Home the destination spot said "Jack Ass Flats" always was a conversation started around the tracks. 

From Joe Sulpy III. Joe and I are first cousins. His dad and my dad were brothers. Growing up with Joe,            I got to admire his artistic abilities and what he could do with a race car and about building cars and racing.

His cars were green 13 with cool paint and lettering. As a result my stock cars were green 13 as well.  

Dean Sulpy

went to Hinchliffe stadium with my aunt and uncle back in 1947 that got me started,been going racing ever since...... saw all the great stars and cars and many great memories.

Went to Heidelberg Speedway when I was three. I can still remember a small part of the day. When we moved to NJ my dad started taking me to all the local tracks. I have great memories of Langhorne...

My Father raced from 1950 to 1956 so i was at the races at an early age.Here is a photo of me and my brother with my father taken at Nazareth in May,1953.I'am on the right with the goggles on.I have been going to the races ever since.I was four years old in the photo and now i'am 74 year old.

An Esso station in town sponsored Chic Cossaboone's 7A Modern Stock.  As a young teenager I was able to power wash the car a few times and attended racing at Pleasantville.

A relation started racing Micro Sprints and I crewed for him.  Later I bought the car and drove it for several seasons.

I built a handful of cars for different people over the years.

Later I became a Race Director and then A Flag Man.

I owned a car that ran indoor races in Atlantic City and a motor for a sprint car.

Now I am lucky if I can make it to a race.  

Good Luck to all of the teams and the people that make it all work in 2024,,,

1963 as a seven year old. Born and raised in Harmony NJ. Carl Van Horn and Dick Crouse built a race track outside the village of Brainards. My parents would drive slowly down River Road so we could watch and hear the excitement. At times we'd stop along River Road which ran parallel and quite close to the backstretch, we could easily see the drivers inside their cars as they raced through the dogleg, through turns four and five, and onto the frontstretch. I was hooked.

Years later at an early Dirt Track Heroes Show I was able to personally thank Carl for his efforts in introducing me to the wonderful world of auto racing.

The first time I took a Kodak Instamatic camera to the races at Nazareth Speedway was in 1970. The first picture I ever shot at a track was one of Del George #52.

In 1974, I snuck through the torn-open fence section in turn two at Nazareth. I saw people sneaking in there in between the heat races while I was sitting in the grandstands with my camera like always and something told me right away that this was my big chance to get into the infield pit area and shoot pictures like the real racing photographers do. So I left the grandstand in a hurry with my camera and walked up route 191 and ran into the infield with a few others that were waiting there for the heat race to end. Not long after I got in there, I started photographing the next race and promptly got in the way of the track photographer, Bob Snyder, who I didn’t know at the time.

I think it was 1971. I was in 1st grade. My dad drug me to East Windsor one Friday night and i say drug me because I thought it was drag racing, loud and I didn't want to go. Boy, was I wrong. I fell in love with stock car racing and have a fan ever since. 

I can't believe how the sport has evolved (good and bad) but I still LOVE racing and will watch pretty much anything. I lost count of the number or hours of the Tulsa Shootout I was watched on Flo this weekend (kids are running sprints cars these days - why doesn't every track have a micro/mini-sprint track to get these kids to the track?). 

- David

I remember my parents taking my brother and I to Little Lincoln Speedway in DE in the late 60's/early 70's. I beleieve Eddie Pettyjohn won in his 8ball! Later it was Dad taking us to Delmar, Georgetown, Reading, Bridgeport, or where ever we begged him to take us. That has turned into me taking my daughters to the races. (Oldest has humored me once, by trying it!) 

Lost Dad this June. Was such a good feeling to get back to the track later. Looking forward to HOPEFULLY get my grandkids out to a track as they get older.

 Allen Urry

THANKS AGAIN FOR TAKING US TO THE RACES DAD!!!

Mr. Lengenfelder (John (IndyLegs' father) taking us to Trenton Speedway; and for short track racing Stan Bozowski taking us to East Windsor and letting me work on his car.

Mr. Lengenfelder would also take us to watch Dick Ivins raacing movies at the Bromley Inn. Mr. Ivins gave me my first camera. Here is Ed (Lil' Abner) Goeke with his car sitting on top of Al Whitehouses' car at East Windsor Speedway, and Al much later on at New Egypt Speedway.
 

My guess is the back stretch at Trenton. I think I was maybe 6 or 7 and seeing those Indy cars go by about ten feet away I hooked . The smell of castor oil , the drivers in tee shirts and bandannas and those helmets and goggles I can close my eyes to this day and I go right back.

I don't recall. I was pretty young then!

Without question it was my father that got me hooked. Word has it I was at my first race at a year old.

I don't recall my first race but have early recollections of Langhorne, Reading, East Windsor and Wall. I also remember sitting in the car of the Z1 coach of Lee Hendrickson. For some reason, I want to say Stafford was involved.

Through the years I was involved with the Skoal Motorsports Report led by Charlie Roberts, sold PDI programs for Steve Barrick and worked on a couple of crews locally and with Cup.

When I was 11 years old, my Uncle asked me if I wanted to go to the Flemington Fair with him.  Little did I know that there was racing taking place that night.  At the time, he worked at the Piscopo Bros garage in Morrisville.  After the races, he took me into the pits where I met Budd Olsen who was driving for Davey at the time.  A couple of years later, one of the customers on my paper route was Mark Lenhart.  As I got to know Mark and his family, he eventually took me to Flemington, where he had reserved seats in the covered grandstands.  I was hooked, and never looked back.  I am 67 now, and as active as ever in racing. Working with 3rd generation driver Mike Thompson with his sprint cars, after previously serving as his dad Len's crew chief back in the late 90's, early 2000's.  Before that, helped best friend Bruce Bowen with his URC cars, competing against Mike's grandfather and granmother, Bruce and Bev Thompson.  Having my own "off season rebuild", currently recovering from open heart surgery. Looking forward to Motorsports in a couple of weeks to get the next season started.  Allen

Allen Doan ??

Yes Lee.  Thanks for the call.

 Great Question!  I loved reading everyone's story on how they got involved in racing.  For me, it started in about 1954 when I was 5 or so.  My Dad worked on and lettered the hot rods of his brother-in-law, Clyde "Big Woody" Kelly.  My Dad's brother, Mel, drove Woody's #4 at New Egypt, Hightstown (the original asphalt track) and Arneys Mount..  My Dad passed in 1963 and so my Mom (Ruth), who was a big race fan and we continued going to New Egypt (the original asphalt 1/4 mile) and started going to Wall Stadium and Old Bridge.  When Old Bridge closed (1965?) Mom switched to Windsor and Flemington with me in tow.  Also in 1965, our neighbor Chic Ronan bought an old hot rod off of Augie Moschera for a stagging $ 200.00 and started his limitied sportsman career that lasted about 10 years.  Some of my fondist memories are of the nights spent in Chic's garage, at Tighman's Used Auto Parts looking for parts, and in the pits at Windsor, Flemington, and even at the old Atlantic City Speedway.  My short owner/ driver career (end of the 1975 season at Windsor) convinced me that I was a much better pit crew guy (I grade my self at C at best in that category) and an even better fan than I was driver!  I now hit New Egypt, Bridgeport, and Grandview about 10 times a year as a fan.  There was a period when I wasn't going at all until I discovered 3Wide. And I'm glad I did as reading the posts and viewing the great photos got me back to the track.  Scott Ely  

1973... Mom was injured and laid up for awhille in a bad car accident, so Dad was looking for something to keep his 7 yr. old son occupied. He had always taken me to Walt Emery's shop in Ringoes and I loved sitting in that beautiful blue coupe and pretending to drive it.  

Dad decided to take me to Flemington early in the season and made sure to point out this "Stan" guy driving a yellow #24 coupe that Dad had worked with at a construction company in Hopewell.  That #24 car won the race that night and afterwards Dad took me in the pits to meet the driver.  

I was hooked, there was no way I wanted to ever miss another race at Flemington and I believe it was years before we did.

1972. My Grandfather takes me and my brother and a couple of the neighborhood kids to Wall Stadium for the Joie Chitwood Stunt Show. The show was neat, but the Modifieds blew me away.  Then off to New Egypt, Trenton, Windsor, Flemington, Islip, Pocono, and and many more, it became life for me. The 70's and 80's (formative years) were great at Wall Stadium.  Would'nt trade it for anything.

I just wish as I get older, I stop bitching about this and that in racing and simply enjoy it for what it is. I hated when I was young at the races and there were always older fans who bitched that the 50's and 60's were much better and the 70's or 80's sucked. I don't want to be that old man!

Careful you don't break hip ! Now GET OFF MY LAWN !

lol

My brother and I did a bunch of stuff around auto racing, karts, drags, street racing, stocks, my brother raced motorcycles and we were spectators throughourt in all realms of motorsports ... all came from my late father, Art Naprstek and his days racing at the Nutley Velodrome with an HD powered midget back in 1938.  

Joel

My dad took me and my brothers to Flemington early 70's during the fair. I was hooked from then on. My buddy Greg Smith asked me during the winter on 78 if i wanted to work on his car for 79. Haven't looked back since and still involved in some ways today.

That is really cool your Dad raced there. I am so intrigued by Nutley. I have the book and have read it multiple times. Had to be the craziest place to race at ever, bar none! Do you have more photos and info on your Dad racing there?  Thanks!

Thanks Kevin.  Nutley always intrigued me too.  I should have questioned my dad about it more than I did, which regretfully, wasn't much.  Contact me at racenart@optonline.net and I'll see if I can scan what I have.  Here's a "Big Car" that he and his pal, Will Youakim built to run at HoHoKus but they never got it to the track.  

Joel

Greg waving to the fans.

I think we all made it back the next week!

I grew up a mile as the crow flies from Shangri-La Speedway.  My dad was involved in sprint car (big car) racing there in the 1940s, and at Campville Speedway before that (long gone, now a pumpkin field) in the late 1930s.  So when I was like 5 or 6 and asked him what that noise was, he was foolish enough to be honest with me.  Started going there in 1966-67.  The noise, the way the cars were lettered, the speed, all of it was fun.  When Mike Zopp, then driver of the Manny 10-10, waved at us when we waved at him, and then later that year when Bullet Bill Strosahl (who knew my dad) let us sit in his McClure 15 ride, I was hooked.  Dad and I spent decades going to various tracks and following the modifieds, whether dirt or asphalt, and made many friends along the way.  I don't go nearly as much now that my dad has passed and Shangri-La is a hole in the ground and I moved to the Albany area, but it will always be in my blood.