ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 22, 1996 TAG: 9611220061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
When his heart gave out, Elmo Langley was sitting where he was most comfortable - behind the wheel of the NASCAR pace car he handled so smoothly during the 1990s.
Langley, 67, a former stock car racer, was driving around the Suzuka circuit in Japan on Thursday afternoon with retired NASCAR driver Buddy Baker when he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was pronounced dead at Suzuka General Hospital.
Langley was stricken in the midst of the most grueling trip of the year at the end of the longest NASCAR season in more than two decades. His death put a damper on the activities leading to Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup exhibition race in Japan.
But he was in a good mood when the end came, reportedly talking and joking with Baker as they made their way around the road course. Suddenly, according to several reports, Langley slowed the car, reached over and grabbed one of Baker's knees and collapsed onto the steering wheel.
It was not immediately clear whether Langley stopped the car or Baker took control, but the pace car stopped on the circuit.
And as Baker hailed corner workers for help, Ron Hornaday reportedly pulled his car off the track and came to Langley's aid, performing CPR. But all of the resuscitation efforts were for naught.
``Elmo was a longtime friend of the NASCAR family, of which he was a vital part,'' Bill France, NASCAR's president, said in a statement. ``We are all very saddened by this sudden development.''
Quiet and reserved, Langley was most expressive behind the wheel of the pace car, where he displayed the total confidence and command of a race car driver.
A native of Landover, Md., Langley started his 26-year driving career on the short tracks at Beltsville (Md.) and Old Dominion (Va.) speedways. He did all of his winning on the NASCAR Winston Cup (then called Grand National) circuit in the space of two months in 1966.
He won a 100-mile race in Spartanburg, S.C., on June 4, 1966, then romped to a seven-lap victory at Old Dominion on July 7. He finished fifth in points in 1969 and 1971.
``Not only was he a great driver - a good race car driver - but he's continued to be an asset to the sport,'' said Winston Cup driver Darrell Waltrip.
Although Langley was a loyal NASCAR member after being hired by the organization in 1989, as a driver he was one of the so-called independents and was more than willing to show his independence.
He was a vice president of the Richard Petty-led Professional Driver's Association in 1969 when it boycotted the first Talladega race. And in 1970, he was one of a dozen independents who quit at the beginning of a race at Martinsville Speedway to protest prize money distribution.
Perhaps Langley's greatest moment as a driver came after he retired as an active racer. He won the NASCAR legends race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 19, 1991.
On the last lap, Langley cut inside of Cale Yarborough on the backstretch, muscled past Yarborough in the final turn and nipped him by about half a car-length at the finish line.
Langley is survived by four sons and his wife, Nancy. They had lived apart for many years, but remained married. She is the banquet manager at the Speedway Club at the Charlotte track and was informed of his death by NASCAR officials Thursday morning.
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Elmo Langley drove a pace car for NASCAR races afterby CNBretiring from racing following a 26-year career.