| By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
January 19, 2006
10:20 AM EST (15:20 GMT)
One of the original 13 colonies that revolted against British rule, the Old Line State is unofficially the northern-most southern state, according to the survey done by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key saw "bombs bursting in air" while the British bombed Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor, named after Lord Baltimore, who founded the colony in 1634.  |  | ARCHIVE | |
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You can sample Chesapeake Bay seafood while watching Baltimore Orioles (the birds) and Baltimore Orioles (the ballplayers). Annapolis is home to the United States Naval Academy, while the Appalachian Mountains run through Maryland's western counties. The state's most famous natives are an equally eclectic group: Billie Holiday, Thurgood Marshall, H. L. Mencken, Upton Sinclair, Harriet Tubman and Frank Zappa. When it comes to NASCAR, Maryland paced the field -- or its most well-known driver did. Best behind the wheel • Elmo Langley, Landover Most fans remember Elmo Langley as the long-time Winston Cup pace car driver, but he had a pretty impressive career at slightly higher speeds. |  | | Driving the pace car has become a time-honored tradition in NASCAR. Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images |
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Langley began driving modifieds in Maryland and Virginia in 1952, then moved up to Grand National racing in 1954, making his NASCAR debut at Darlington. "The first year I ran Darlington was in 1954 in an Oldsmobile that a guy named Sam Rice owned," Langley said in an interview with Frank Moriarty in 1996. "He was one of the starters of Martinsville Speedway. We drove the car to Darlington, finished 11th, and then drove it home. It didn't even have a roll bar, just a piece of chain around the door post." Running part-time on and off for the next decade, Langley decided to give it a go full time starting in 1965, with himself as owner. In 1966, he scored both of his career victories -- at Spartanburg and Manassas. "We used to run 60 races in a year, and I did it with just me and a helper," Langley said. "We'd tow the car to the racetrack, work on it, get it ready, qualify it, run the race with it, and then come back home that night. A lot of those 100-mile races only paid $1,000 to win." From 1967 through 1975, Langley would consistently finish in the top 10 in NASCAR's final standings, but would not visit Victory Lane again. By that point, Langley decided to remain in the sport as owner, but even then, he wasn't happy. "It was nerve-wracking," Langley said. "I finally decided that if I could find somebody to buy the team, I'd get out of owning the car and go to work for somebody." Langley sold his team in 1986 and was running Cale Yarborough's operation the following season when NASCAR Winston Cup director Dick Beaty offered him a chance to drive the pace car. "You get burned out after 35 years of working on 'em, racing 'em, and managing teams," Langley said. "Those are 12-, 14-, 16-hour days, seven days a week. "Dick Beaty approached me after I had said something about being burned out on the race cars. The opportunity came to do what I'm doing now, to work for NASCAR and drive the pace car. I just decided this would be a lot easier but keep me involved with what I've been doing for 35 or 40 years, so I took the job." On Nov. 21, 1996, Langley died of a heart attack doing what he loved most -- driving the pace car at a NASCAR exhibition race in Japan. Other noteworthy drivers from Maryland • George Davis, Adelphi: Finished fifth at Savannah, his best result in 28 career starts • Clarence DeZalia, Aberdeen: 58 starts from 1955-59, including a sixth at Jacksonville in 1957 • John Dodd, Glen Burnie: A seventh at Myrtle Beach in 1959 was his best in 11 attempts • John Dodd Jr., Baltimore: One of the first father-son teams, drove his dad's Dodge to a fifth at Winston-Salem in 1955 • Harvey Eakin, Baltimore: Made 17 starts between 1954 and 1957, with a 15th at Richmond in '57 • Chuck Hansen, Whiteford: Four top-10s in 26 starts during the '50s • Harvey Henderson, Beltsville: 10 top-10s in 1955 and 1956, including a fifth at Rochester • Reds Kagle, Greenbelt: Three top-fives during a six-year career spanning 25 races • Nace Mattingly, Leonardstown: Fifth at New Oxford twice during a 17-race career that began in 1955 We wish ... George Herman "Babe" Ruth had become a NASCAR driver. The Baltimore-born "Sultan of Swat" excelled both on the mound and at the plate during his career with the Red Sox and Yankees. In 1931, when it was pointed out Ruth was demanding more ($80,000) than President Herbert Hoover's salary ($75,000), Ruth exclaimed, "I had a better year than he did." A 1940 Lincoln Continental convertible given by the Yankees to Ruth sold for $110,000 in 2001. Gone but not forgotten • Beltsville Speedway, Beltsville |  | | DeWalt sponsors the No. 17 Ford of Matt Kenseth. Credit: Autostock |
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The paved half-mile near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway hosted NASCAR's premier series 10 times from 1965 to 1970. Ned Jarrett won the first race, but it was Bobby Isaac who was most successful. He won three races in three consecutive seasons there, including the final 300-lapper. The track closed in the late '70s and is now the site of a community college technical school. A word from our sponsor • Black & Decker, Towson Black & Decker is the nation's No. 1 producer of power tools and accessories, mainly under the DeWalt and Black & Decker names. It also makes electric lawn and garden tools, plumbing products (Price Pfister), specialty fastening and assembly systems, security hardware (Kwikset), and cleaning and lighting products (Dustbuster vacuum cleaners, SnakeLight flashlights). Its largest customers include Home Depot and Lowe's, which together account for more than 20 percent of sales. | 
