Photo ID # | 12.01.02_FLM_PVS_10.02.90_1 |
Car #: | N/A |
Driver: | N/A |
Location: | Flemington, NJ |
Date: | October 2, 1990 |
Photographer: | unknown |
Photo provided by: | 3-Wide |
Provider's comments: | The news that shook the world...well at least my world. |
Visitor's Comments | To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here | |
Date: | Visitor's Name: | Comment: |
12/20/02 | Dave | The beginning of the end... |
12/26/02 | Todd | Aint that the truth The end of tradition at the square |
03/01/03 | Chief 2 | I took my son to Flemington for the last two years of its existence, and now we go to Wall Stadium. I would give anything to have Flemington back, I loved the asphalt |
03/03/03 | 3-Wide | I would have liked the asphalt if I hadn't
spent years watching and listening to drivers sliding 3 wide the entire way around the
track on the dirt surface. I only went 1 time once it was paved, but as paved tracks go it
was probably pretty good. In fact, probably the only thing wrong with it as a paved track
was that it could never match the excitement that us diehard dirt fan had come to expect,
and never really could accept - that was intentionally taken away - without warning,
without permission. (Let me save those who might be
inclined to begin foaming all over their keyboards because of my last statement with gems
like "Kuhl didn't need your permission", or "Hey, if you know so much, why
don't you buy your own track....", or the ever popular "They had no
choice....they had to pave it because of the town, and the neighbors, and the calcium or
whatever...." The bottom line is that they paved it without asking the
competitors or the fans what for their opinion and as a result, they alienated the
hundreds and maybe even thousands who loyally called the place home on Saturday nights,
which forced them to develop a whole new fan base.. |
04/23/03 | Dominic K | I grew up at this track. I don't know what entered the mind of "The Purple Monster" to pave the track, I think he thought he could hop on the NASCAR band wagon but he failed to understand the reason why the stands were packed every saturday night was because it was in our blood. Paul could have raised the ticket price to 30.00 a person, I wouldn't have cared. I like so many others loved that track. It's such a shame to see what has happened to it. I promise you one thing though. If I win the lottery, I'm buying the fairgrounds, tearing up the asphalt,laying the clay dirt back down and geting back to some REAL racing and continue a magic that was a staple of northeastern dirt racing for so long !!!- |
12/05/03 | Paul Garzillo | I agree with your comments. Paving
Flemington Speedway was the equivalent of George Steinbrenner dumping the N.Y. Yankees,
installing a soccer field and having Manchester United play soccer @ Yankee
stadium,, and then wonder why it didn't work out. The Kuhl's alienated their entire fan base, which I might add had been cultured since 1915.[earlier than the yankees] Plus, you could not expect low budget race teams to junk their dirt set-ups and build asphalt cars-[ this was a working mans sport] so most drivers eventually left- unless Kuhl paid 'appearance $'] So, with no dirt, and new drivers, you can't expect fans to stay loyal.A dirt fan isn't always a pavement fan[i know i'm not]. I really believe with a little innovation, it could have stayed dirt and been as popular as ever. Hey Paul, what about a new advanced type of surface with less or no dust?[silly putty] Or building a raceway/mall/restaurant type of thing, like todays modern baseball parks- the women/kids shop while the guys go racing. In the end, I think Kuhl got tired of all the headaches and watched "Days of Thunder" too many times in 1990-and got caught up in the NASCAR craze. After the pavement gamble washed out and they saw the $$$ of the properties worth - 50 acres in Rartian Township is worth a kings ransom - they went for the green. Paving the speedway will go down in history as the death of Modified Country USA, and rightfully should be remembered as such. |
04/04/04 | L Talbert | THEY STOPPED PROMOTING new jersey as a
dirt area. They could have run special show concerts etc. Lots of enduros
down sized the grounds etc worked with nascar the truck event the ROC. It was easier
to just sell the place and all the history not just racing, but also the fairs, the
personal history of growing up and going to the fair. My father-grandfather-my son... making it like Latmore Valley would have been better than tearing it down. So now all the people that bitched (about the dust and noise) can suffer with the traffic, and THE KUHLS can have more money. (They did a great job for 20 years) and DESTROYED history. MAY THE FAIRGROUNDS RIP and the souls of TAS, JACKIE, OLSON, TOBY AND ED MCVAY |
02/11/06 | MARK 81 | TWO THINGS KILLED FLEMINGTON SPEEDWAY. A LOSS OF LOVE FOR THE ROOTS OF RACING AND GREED. |
07/28/06 | Jay | If I remember it right wasn't it the
e.p.a. that closed down dirt racing at Flemington?? The dirt was contaminated and instead of digging it up the Kuhls paved it? If that's the case and then it wasn't a bad move in order to keep racing in Flemington. If not it was the stupidist thing any race promoter could of ever done. We could of followed it and helped it, The same drivers as before were there and we refused to go! When the craftsman truck series was there no one and I mean no one went even though Billy Pauch was in a Evernham Truck. Were all kind of to blame for the demise of a great racing facility with centuries of memories... East Windsor followed for the same reasons. No crowds, low car counts and a town breathing down its neck. Whats a owner/promoter to do when all your options are spent. Well I hope someone does something with E.W.S. so as not to loose another great racing facility. The funny thing no one seems to care if E.W.S. is saved or not. It will matter when they tear it down just like Flemington... Thanks Jay c/o fastrak motorsports |
07/28/06 | 3Wide | Point #1: East Windsor is done. Rather than addressing your comment, my suggestion is that all of those who are still holding out hope that racing will one day return, pay a visit to the East Windsor Municipal Building and take a look at their Master Plan. Then, while still in the East Windsor area, try to find one local politician who would support the position of holding races at the Airport Road facility. And if you're still not convinced, stop by and ask people who you see walking the neighborhood near the track, or those shopping at the Home Depot just over the tree line from the pits... see how long it takes to find 10 people who would support turning the lights back on. Better yet, see if you can find one person who used to go to the races, or even knew that's what they used to do there! In addition, please realize that the owner's of the speedway have lost their desire to run races. Many of those who used to help them out have either passed on, or are too old to contribute as they once did, or just flat out lost interest. Keep in mind that the owners of the property also would not entertain offers made by interested parties to lease the track shortly after they closed the doors... (and I do know that these were some very capable and financially sound parties.) EWS is done. Point #2: |
02/23/07 | George Pavlisko | Two friends talking... My dad and Mr.
Kuhl. The KEY thing my dad said to me: Paul wants to go NASCAR, there goes
the dirt. That was in 1984 the year my dad died. I would love to know if anybody else heard this rumor back then. |
04/11/07 | Hoyer | Take an already rich guy kuhl, add some
more greed, make excuses about the dust, lack of fans more greed nascar promise, and what
do you get? Lies and more lies. Those of us that grew up ther on Saturday nights
with parents and friends will never forgive Kuhl and his greedy ideas !!!! Those of us
that got the chance to see how good it was will always have those memories. Thanks to Paul
Kuhl our kids will never know the thrill of a Saturday night at the square, covered in
dust close to family and friends!!! We all paid and never asked for for more. We had it all. Hey Paul, you can't take nothing else from us. we still have our memories !!!!!!!! |
04.14.14 | 3-Wide | Well... here it is about 12
years later... from the time I created this page and included the newspaper
article and the comments written above. I kinda feel bad because in
the years since originally writing it, I had the chance to meet both Paul
and Ricky Kuhl, and through all the success, I honestly feel that when
Flemington closed, it took a piece of them with it. I think just
like all of us, they would have liked for time to somehow freeze somewhere
around 1972 or '73... and to have just had another successful season opener
this past Saturday night... with Stan, Billy O, Mike, Sammy, Dick, Oliver
and Sammy all ready to go at it for another year. I've also spoken to many that will defend the position that if it wasn't for the vision and the guidance of Paul, Flemington, never would have been "the Flemington" that we now remember it to be, and for that we should be grateful. (If you think about that long enough, it's hard to disagree.) So I don't know what to say other than I don't what happened, but the day they decided to pave it is still one of the saddest days that I can remember. And rather than looking for heroes and villains decades later, I've mellowed to the point of just being glad that we had what we had and to worry about it decades later only takes away from what it was. I hope you guys feel the same way... Life's too short as it is. |