DO NOT PRINT, POST OR PUBLISH IMAGES APPEARING IN THE VAULT WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM PHOTOGRAPHER/PHOTOGRAPHER'S FAMILY OR PROVIDER
 
Photo ID # I03.08.12_043_JOH_LAN_0053S_1
Car #: #43
Driver (s) : Lou Johnson
Location: Lanham Speedway - Maryland
Date: 1953
Photographer: Bill Webster
Photo provided by: Larry Jendras Jr.
Comments: Senior Moment From Larry Jendras:

 "West Lanham Speedway and The New Jersey Drivers"

 West Lanham Speedway in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. was built especially for midgets. It opened on June 24, 1941 and brought in some of the top names in Eastern midget racing. It was a 1/4 mile asphalt oval with some banking. By 1948, the racing scene along the east coast was changing as stock cars were taking over many tracks. On Wednesday June 22, 1949 stock car racing was introduced to West Lanham with the cars of the Eastern Stock Car Racing Assoc. Most of the cars and drivers were from New Jersey and Pa. The winner that night was Lou Volk in #88. Some of the drivers in that first race were Volk, Frankie Schneider, Johnny Cabral, Vince Cannizaro, Charlie Muscatel, Paul Barbiche, Bill Gross and Eddie Ader. Three of the cars were the Pappy Hough owned #81, #82 & #83.

 The following week the American Stock car Racing Assoc. would take over sanctioning for 1949 and 1950. Out of 10 stock car races held in 1949, 7 were won by New Jersey drivers, with Baltimore veteran Ken Marriott winning the other 3. Wally Campbell would be the first stock car champion and repeat in 1950. In 1950 & 1951, New Jersey drivers would dominate again and also make their marks at Baltimore's Westport Stadium in 1951 and 1952.

 The weekly lineup would soon add more out of town drivers such as Wally Campbell, Tommy Coates, Pappy Hough, Bill Tanner, Lucky Loux, Ed Tyson, Lou Johnson and Ken Wagner along with local drivers Marriott, Preston & Bob Welsh, Vernon Kirk, Cotton Kind, Vernon Storm.

 Pictured is Lou Johnson of Trenton, N.J., (later Elkton, Md. and Wilmington, De.) and who first came down in 1949 and drove several different cars before settling into the Charles Brown #40 coupe of Silver Springs, Maryland. He won features in 1950, 1951, 1952 & 1954 and would take the 1952 track championship also. Pictured here in 1953 in a #43 coupe, he was starting to split his time with open wheel cars that he would later stay with and become a URC champion. Note the towing package of the day mounted on the roof, which was a license tag and a brake light. He won 2 feature wins in 1954 at Lanham in a #505 1937 Ford opera coupe.

There was an article in the Washington Post that an inner dirt track was going to be built in 1953 but urban development took over and Lanham was closed after the 1954 season.

Larry

Visitor's Comments To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here
Date: Visitor's  Name:

Comment:

03.16.12 Remax24 I only remember Lou driving sprints in the jersey pa area.
12.05.12 Marian Yarrington

I think the #43 car turner out to be # 40 as Brownie bough it from Nick Binder back around early 50 s!

09.30.13 Ed Johnson

This was my Uncle Lou. Watched many of his URC races at Flemington, NJ

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Back