Footage from June 23, 1963 Langhorne Speedway racetrack in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. A.J. Foyt in Meskowski/Offenhauser first, Jim McElreath second, Jim Hurtubise third. 100 laps on 1 mile dirt oval; 100 miles.
There will never, ever be a more versatile, tougher race car driver than A.J.FOYT. He could beat the best of the best on any type of track, in any type of car. We are all fortunate as race fans to of lived in the era of A.J. Once when I was young I got a hat from him. Maaan was I one happy kid. GOD BLESS Super Tex.
The roaring exhaust note of the 255ci. Offenhauser dual overhead cam engine spoke to the brute power these engines unleashed on the USAC Championship Trail in the 1950's and 1960's and the incredible toughness plus bravery these MEN had to have to drive them HARD! I truly loved this era of open wheel racing.
Grew up near this track and Trenton. Great days ...scary races to watch...and the drivers got out of their cars looking like they were in the trenches of WW1. Can't imagine the wine and cheese boys racing these cars. They ought to have one mandatory dirt race to be crowned "champion",
Wow, I hadn't realized this vintage piece of Wide World of Sports material had been replayed! So seldom do we get to see their TV coverage of races from this era and even though it's very limited in nature, it's still how the public was introduced to seeing racing on TV in that era.
Chief mechanic, veteran Jack Beckley, was right...The V8 engine will dominate, eventually. Amazing (?) There is only as of now (12 - 20 - 2020)only A.J. Foyt and Parnelli Jones are left to admire. Great names of the past in this type of auto racing are great to see. The film episode is really good! Audio sound and camera filming, let alone the interviews by Chris E. are great! Thanks for posting this near 60 year old episode of 1963.
If I recall correctly the Langhorne track wasn't oval, it was circular. That's why the cars seem to be in a perpetual left turn. It was a dirt track though, compacted with used motor oil.
Okay. This was 'my' era. I'd pester my maternal great uncle for a quarter to buy a heated can of hot chocolate. My great uncle would get a can too. My father was in the pits with out neighbor working with the Scrappy's crew. We had a large piece of the nose of Sammy Sessions car behind our freezer in the laundry room for decades after Mr. Sessions suffered a crash on the first 'turn' in front of the grandstand. The drivers called Langhorne the 'Big Left Turn' or something close to that. On race day the sound was heard for _miles_ .
it's funny, if you watch the 1951 Jalopy race, it was filmed A LOT better than this ESPN version!! So much for "better" technology!! Still glad we have this footage!!
this track was SO TOUGH thatSEVEN of TWENTY rides that came including 2 of the top 3 entries couldnt make it past qualifications. Only THIRTEEN started
Langhorne was a track that many drivers skipped. Many famous drivers lost their lives there such as Jimmy Bryant. Roger Ward would not run Langhorne and you notice he was not in this race. I don't see Eddie Sachs or Lloyd Ruby either. There was always a spot that was a bit damp and soft called "Puke Hollow". It tended to get rough as the race went on and that's where Bryant lost his life.. It was paved in 1965. I'm not sure which. Made it even faster but not less dangerous.
No power steering, no tearoff's, no roll cage, no seats with head and neck support, no pit stops if you were going to win, going sideways for 100 miles. That was a time when men were men.
