Photograph of Gordy Hemrich's #33 Car at Langley Speedway.

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salishan Place by the River currently maintains a collection of over 9000 photographs, 2000 archival documents, 9000 objects, 500 works of art, and 300 oral history recordings. This collection, spanning hundreds of years, is a wonderful window on the past and present life of our community.

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Object Description

Object Name

Print, Photographic

Object ID

2015.039.510

Title

Photograph of Gordy Hemrich's #33 Car at Langley Speedway.

Date

1969.

Description

Colour photograph of Gordy Hemrich's #33 car at Langley Speedway. The car is red with the number 33 painted on it in black. The car has advertisements on it: "California SPEED CENTRE/ 526-2342" is painted above the right rear wheel in white and orange, and "United AUTO RECYCLING/ 581-4621" is painted above the right front wheel in white and orange. There are two stickers, one that looks like a checkered flag, below this advertisement. There are three men leaning on the opposite side of the car, two wearing red-orange and one wearing black and a hat. Behind the car and the men are other cars and motor vehicles parked in a semi-circle, with the stands of the Langley Speedway filled with spectators beyond.

People/Subject

Hemrich, Gordy

Racer at Langley Speedway.

Langley Speedway

Langley Speedway opened on June 13th, 1965, under original owner Craig Frazer. In 1969 the Vancouver-Fraser Park District (now the Greater Vancouver Regional District) bought the track and surrounding area with the intent to create a park. Frazer obtained a 10-year lease and continued to run the track until Gordon Hemrich took over in 1977. After the 10-year lease expired in 1979 the track came under increasing pressure from local governments. The lease periods became shorter and shorter with each renewal and there were more restrictions on numbers of dates, hours of operation, etc. The Lower Mainland Oval Racing Association took over operation of the track in 1980 and changed the name to Action Raceway. Finally, at the end of the 1984 season (September 15th), the racers were refused a new lease and the track closed.

A wide variety of cars ran at Langley over the years. In the 1960's there were Early Late Models, "A" Modifeds, "B" Modifieds and "C" Modifieds. During the 1970's there were Limited Super Stocks, Claimers, Open Competition and Modified Sportsman. In the final years there were Late Models, Super Stocks, Street Stocks and Bombers.

Numerous touring series also stopped at Langley. The NASCAR Winston West Series appeared a number of times. Hershel McGriff won the 150 lap races in 1971 and 1972, Ron Eaton won the 100 lapper in 1978 and there was another race on July 18, 1981. The NASCAR Late Model Sportsman series appeared regularly in the mid-1970's. There were also Canadian American Modified Racing Association (CAMRA) events and the International Drivers' Challenge (IDC),

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