The “good old days” for a new generation of drivers appears to be happening now at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va. The 59-year-old facility has seen the ebbs and flows of lean times and boom times, and managed to survive and flourish.
For 35 years, writer Al Pearce covered the .395-mile paved Langley Speedway for the Newport News, Va.-based Daily News until his retirement from the paper in recent years. He is now a correspondent for AutoWeek magazine and does freelance work.
“The first race I covered for the Daily Press was in July of 1969 and stayed with until a few years ago,” Pearce said. “The NASCAR Late Model Sportsman division brought great drivers and huge crowds to the track. You really have to put Langley in the league of tracks at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) and Hickory (N.C.) Speedway so far as historic significance.
“Harry Gant, Morgan Shepherd, Butch Lindley, Paul Radford, Ray Hendrick, Sonny Hutchins, Bill Dennis, Tommy Ellis, Sam Ard, Jimmy Hensley… Geoffrey Bodine got his first win in a non-Modified car at Langley driving a Late Model for Emmanuel Zervakis.
“When Joe Carver promoted the track (1973-1983) he held big national championship races and brought in Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Buddy Baker over the years, and he drew a lot of people."
Pearce said he found the track to be a lively place during a recent race night visit.
