Stock car racing (and any form of racing, for that matter) is an inherently dangerous activity. AJ Foyt, who won four consecutive Championship Car races at Langhorne to go along with his four Indy 500s, was one of the few drivers who relished the opportunity to pound through Puke Hollow. Thankfully Elliot was able to walk away shaken but unhurt. Pennsylvania speedway had history of death, dismemberment By Mike Hembree Jan 2, 2018 Audrey Hankinson Tiller Langhorne Speedway, which opened in 1926 and closed in 1971, was tabbed with. Eric Thunder is the founder and editor-in-chief of Skyline Speedway, a popular automotive blog covering a variety of topics. Yet Indy still remains a track to be taken seriously, with its formidable flat turns and long straights. Commercial development eventually made the property too valuable to be used for motorsports, and there were complaints about noise from newly built residential neighborhoods. Copyright 2015 IndySpeedway.com All Rights Reserved. Safety improvements across all sports have made them increasingly safer. Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Richard Petty, who all competed in races at Langhorne over the years. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Fourth-generation driver and grandson of The King Richard Petty, Adam Petty also lost his life here at only 19 years old that same year (2000) at the track in what is now the Xfinity Series. Langhorne Motor Speedway was a hub for racing talent, with drivers from across the country coming to compete. The most dangerous track statistically in NASCAR is Daytona International Speedway which has seen 14 driver fatalities since its opening in 1959. It would get awful rough, he said. Gwyn Staley Auto-racing historian Joe Scalzo recalls an additional danger, explaining that "as a cut-rate way of taming the dust storms, management routinely had contractors pump vast . Then in 1951, Irv Fried and Al Gerber became promoters. Across other NASCAR series there has been an additional 54 driving related deaths. See Race of Champions for a history of this race since 1972. 1915 Philadelphia Motor Speedway Trophy and Literature.