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With Sandy Opp«nheimerBvoryttm* w# hear shrieking tlron and squealing brake* we instinctively putt oar hood Into oar collar. The reaeon for It might be because we have been hit by other cars three time* in the past year. Twice we were standing still at a red light and the third we were motionless at a stop sign.Body and fender men think our car is the best bulwark against recession in their industry and have promised us free mechanical service to keep us out on the highways.Well, despite this aversion to hearing those two noises that usually precede a crash we went out to the Langborne Speedway yesterday. There you can hear plenty of tires shrieking but not much of the squealing of brakes.pull Into the pits and the mechanics would frensledly go to work. The announcer said that a team could change four tires in 28 seconds which Is about the time It takes the ordinary driver to (Inlsh cursing his luck and get out and take a look at the offending wheel.Joe Sostillo led at the 68 mile point, but he had to pull over because of a leg cramp and sickness. Although he was deathly sick, he had wheeled his Bardahl Special one lap as Ernie McCoy got ready to take his place.IThese big car driver* pat their f«K»t on the accelerator and rare-|y u»e the brake. They had mmiles to go and. although trafficwasn’t as had as It was aa Raate 1 outside of the track, It was moving a lot qnlcker.For the fans It was a beautiful cloudless day hat for the 17 start, ers It was kind of hot to go eknra*Ing aroand on the mil# dirt track. However, tke driver# had heea reading the plalatlva press re* leases romlag oat of the Irv Fried and AI Gerber publicity mill ahoat Langhorne track loslag the mil# record. II seems Mike Sasaruk had gone the dlstaaea In ttJ* seconds (or a boot IM miles per boar) wblcb Is even a bit taster than Kaiser employee raa make It at qalttlag time.When Sostlllo got oat, he coaid. n't stand, and his blackened fare wonld have made a Falrfeas Steel stoker look pale. He was la agony for almost an hoar before be ronld lay qaltely. After tbe racewas over be bad recovered enonghto get np and arrept a tropby forkls fast time.Other racers also had troable with either the driver or the ear breaking down. Meanwhile the speedy merry-go-roand went on with the cars slipping aroand the turns and sending np a elond ofdirt to fall on the spectatorslarky enongh to get seats rlose to the traeh.There was only one craokup of note. On the 37th lap Roger Ward,Los Angeles, and Frank Arml. Hansford. Calif., collided. The two had to leave the race, but to therelief of most only the cart were hurt.So the big cars were tuned snd the drivers were ready to oee if the speed record couldn't bo recap-tu red.The crowd sat quitely watcbing the time trials. If there waa an empty seat In the stands our dirt spattered eye couldn’t find It Many rare critic* will tell you that the majority of racing crowds ar* Just there to see someone killed. It’s probably a bit truer that the crowd Is there for exciting crackups but most would rather the driver camethrough all rightThla seemed to bo a hop crowd and aa you wandered through them you could hear talk about bores, stroke and piston dlsplacsmont For those who weren’t too sore, there was an announcer’* vote# describing In detail different phases of the race and the background of drlyora. It was tlementary. but the sport being young it helped th* new customer to understand.Soon the checkered flag was being waved and the gruelling race was over. Led by Jlmmv Bryan, the winner, the cars came to a halt on* by one. Bryan's mechanics thrust a cigar in Kls mouth, and with their arms around him. they helped him toward the Buck s County Rescue Squad hospital bus.Other drivers couldn’t even getout of their cars. They looked like they had bucked the traffic in front of the banka on Radcltff# Street on Friday night. The reecue ambulances took over the track and shuttled back and forth from the racing cars to the hospital bus.The crowd poured down to the center of the stands where th* presentation was to be made. Sos-tillo got his trophy and said ho was pleased, but I would rather havewon the race.’’Everyone waited for Bryan. Promoter Gerber announced that Bryanjad been badly burned at Indianapolis and waa having his woundsbandaged.Kooa the time trials were over. These consist of one driver nt ntime roaring aroand the trackwhile the drivers clocked his time. Favored posHlons were given to those taming In the fastest time. Haring the Intermission between the trials and the race the fans started a ran on the primitive rest rooms and soon long Unes stretched In front of eneh.Eventually th# ears were lined ep. and with a wave of the green llag the ear* were off to me# a 100 miles wlthont going anywhere hat ending np from where they had started. The traeh Is elr. cnlar, of coarse, and the fans In the stands eenld only see a smallportion of It.Around and aronad they reared, and after a few tarns yen eenld. n’t tell who was In front nnless yon heard the annonncer, hecaase they were all straag oat.Boon he earn* walking oat and the mob let ap a cheer. He wascovered with dirt, his face wasblack hat the big cigar stood eat. had heea done on a blisteringhot day. Added to that he had had tire troable and had to make a pit ran which had cost him twolaps.Gerber annonnced the fast time to tbe crowd as Bryaa stood there happily. Ashed to comment on it, Bryan said Into the mike that •Ml anyone waats to go faster than that HI he glad to ran second to him.”AND THIS TOO—It’s tryout tfcne. Phils will hold one today and tomorrow at 10 a. m. in Doylestown at th# War Memorial Park. Cy Morgan will be in charge of the camp The Carda will hold theirs June 28, 20 and SO in Allentown, Pa. Everyone invited to both. Players are asked to bring shoes, gloveEvery once in awhile, a car would I and uniform.• •
Newspaper Details
Bristol Daily Courier
Bristol, Pennsylvania, US
Mon, Jun 21, 1954
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA, USA 28 Dec 2018
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