Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Langley Speedway
From Thoroughbred Horses to Late Model Cars
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
1. Langley Speedway Marker
In the late 1940s the property on North Armistead Avenue was home to Dude Ranch, an eight-tenths-mile track for thoroughbred racing. The owners occasionally hosted stock car races, which generally attracted more fans than the horses. They eventually shortened the oval to four-tenths and turned their attention to cars. In 1963, ex-racer Henry Klich paid $1,000 for the lease and renamed it Langley Speedway.
Today, Langley remains southeastern Virginia's longest-running professional sports enterprise and one of the oldest in the Commonwealth. In the 1960's and early 1970's it hosted nine Grand National races featuring many of NASCAR's greatest drivers: Richard Petty, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaac, Benny Parsons, James Hylton, Marvin Panch, Buck Baker, Buddy Baker, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Tiny Lund, Junior Johnson, Donnie Allison, Pete Hamilton, Dave Marcis and Wendell Scott. Other famed racers included Jimmie
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Klich led the track into the modern era. Realizing that NASCAR was about to abandon its dirt tracks, he paid a local contractor $25,000 to pave Langley shortly before its May of 1968 Cup date. To many fans and competitors, the speedway's savior was Joe Carver who created something of a "Golden Age" for local racing. During this period, the Late Model Stock Car class was born and nurtured. When Wayne Wyatt and partner Jim Wood came along in1995 Langley began growing again at a steady rate.
Wyatt and Wood replaced the aging steel guardrail with a concrete wall. They repaved the track and replaced the board-and-scaffolding bleachers with an iron-and-steel grandstand. They added more than a dozen skyboxes and VIP suites, and a modern race control and media booth. With Langley about to celebrate 60 years of racing, former racer Bill Mullis bought the track in 2009 and vowed to make the grand old speedway shine again.
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Langley Speedway
Langley Speedway Official Program in 1978 All images courtesy of Langley Speedway
Drivers and Staff at Langley Speedway
Erected by Explore
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
2. Langley Speedway Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Roads & Vehicles • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1950.
Location. 37° 5.2′ N, 76° 23.12′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It can be reached from the intersection of Dale Lemonds Drive and Commander Shepard Boulevard (Virginia Route 172). The marker is located on the walkway near Gate 1. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 Dale Lemonds Drive, Hampton VA 23666, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginias Peninsula and in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Syms Free School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chesterville Plantation (approx. 0.2 miles away); National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (approx. 0.2 miles away); Henry Lawson Wyatt (approx. 2.2 miles away); Big Bethel UDC Monument (approx. 2.3 miles away); Battle of Big Bethel (approx. 2.3 miles away); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (approx. 2.3 miles away); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hampton.
Also see . . . The Langley Speedway Story. (Submitted on July 13, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 265 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 13, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
