When sportsman driver Maddox Langham crashed out of the track two weeks ago, Jonathan Langham got into a skirmish with the driver he felt had caused his brother’s crash. Jonathan received a season-long suspension for his actions, but that didn’t stop him from watching Maddox race.
Jonathan rented a man lift and watched from property adjacent to the track, Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama.
(For more on the crash, read “Maddox Langham: Into the Woods and Into Victory Lane”.)
“Maddox’s car was destroyed, I finished second in the sportsman feature,” Jonathan, of Mobile, Alabama, said. “Then, my little brother went out and won his first feature in the pro truck class. When he drove a third division … I stood by with his truck at the post-race inspection booth. Then some guys began taunting me.
“One of them flipped me off, which rubbed me the wrong way, so I told him how I felt,” said Jonathan. “Then, I walked away to defuse the situation.”
Jonathan added that the crew entered the Langham’s pits, where more harsh words were exchanged.
“The same guy kept running his mouth, which fired me up again,” Jonathan said. “Then, he pushed my dad. So, I put him in a headlock to protect my dad. No one touches my dad.”
The track suspended Jonathan for remainder of the season as the result of his actions. Track officials also prohibited him from stepping on the grounds of Mobile International Speedway.
“I took full responsibility for my actions,” said Jonathan. “I don’t want no one bashing my track.”
Jonathan Langham said he never missed a race at his hometown track. So, he rented a man lift and spectated from the property next to the speedway. Jonathan said he’ll do it again at the next race. He will also continue to race at Montgomery Motor Speedway, where he holds a 12-point lead in the street stock class, with three points-paying events to go in 2023.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
