Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 90 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 15, 30 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.
15 Years Ago — 2010
News: Lola Cars lnt’l and Roush Yates Engines have formed a technical partnership that will offer a variety of Roush Yates-powered engines in Lola LMP designs next year.
Roush Yates Engines and Lola will be doing a study on the 2011 LMP2 design equipped with a Roush-prepared Ford 3.2-liter twin turbo V-6 with direct injection.
In addition to the V-6, Roush Yates also is evaluating its Mustang V-8 for LMP competition. Both the engine constructor and Lola are investigating the potential for LMP1 cars in the future, perhaps as early as next year.
“This is a significant and obviously very positive development for us,” said Scott Atherton, the American Le Mans Series president and CEO. “It is another example of a manufacturer that shares our view of racing’s relationship to the showroom- using a high-performance environment such as the American le Mans Series to develop relevant, innovative technology that can be transferred to production cars.”
Lola and Roush Yates previously worked together from 1991 to 2001 at Kremer Racing, earning two victories during the 2000 season.
Winners: Bryan Clauson scored his second-straight Belleville Nationals victory, capturing the 33rd annual Speedway Motors Belleville Midget Nationals Saturday night at Belleville High Banks.
Clauson joins Stan Fox (1979-80) and Kasey Kahne (200-01) as the only drivers to win the prestigious race back-to-back.
The event got off to a rocky start when Andrew Felker flipped on the opening lap, and on the second lap the caution was displayed for a stalled car. On the restart, Clauson and Brad Sweet pulled away from the field and began lapping cars on the eighth lap.
On lap 14, Clauson got trapped behind two slower cars, giving Sweet the lead exiting turn two. Sweet brushed the backstretch wall, giving Clauson back the top position. One lap later, Zach Daum stalled on the track, bringing out the caution.
Clauson and Sweet were separated by one car length as they began lapping the field with 10 laps remaining.
The final caution flag appeared on lap 33. On the restart, Clauson opened his lead to three car lengths over Sweet.
Clauson, driving the Corey Tucker-owned Parker Stone-Bel Spike/Ford Esslinger No. 39, finished 1.13 seconds ahead of Sweet.
It marked the second-straight runner-up finish for the 2008 Belleville champion. Jerry Coons, Jr., Brad Kuhn and Davey Ray completed the top five.
“This is the toughest midget race we run on the driver and car. Brad was there the whole time challenging me. The crew had the car perfect,” said Clauson.
30 Years Ago — 1995
News: President Clinton’s proposed ban on cigarette advertising at sports events, announced last week, created quite a stir within the NASCAR Winston Cup community gathered for the 10th Bud at the Glen at Watkins Glen Int’l.
After all, series sponsor R.J. Reynolds is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cigarettes, and provides as much as $5 million annually to series competitors and track operators.
For the most part, anger was the predominant emotion.
“It’s a legal product that the government subsidizes through farm programs in North Carolina, my native Kentucky, Virginia and every state where tobacco is grown,” three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip said in a KnightRidder report. “More and more, it seems the government, our government, wants to control the whole world and every aspect of it.
“I don’t smoke, but If I wanted to I should have that choice,” Waltrip continued. “Where does government responsibility begin and personal responsibility end?”
Clinton’s crackdown on tobacco, ostensibly aimed at protecting the nation’s youth from the evils of nicotine addiction, is instead an “attack on the nation’s 46 million adult smokers,” said RJR spokesman Nat Walker. “Winston has been a sponsor of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for 25 years and it is clear that this sponsorship does not contribute to youth smoking in any significant way,” Walker said in a prepared statement. “The federal government’s own studies support this contention. For example, the Centers for Disease Control Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey
(TAPS) demonstrates that Winston is hardly a blip on the radar screen of underage smokers. In its most recent survey, CDC found that just 1.2 percent of 12-to 18-year olds who are classified as smokers choose Winston.”
In the face of Clinton’s plan, R.J. Reynolds and five other tobacco companies immediately
filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration.
Winners: “Been there-done that,” easily describes Mark Martin’s domination of the Bud at the Glen in Jack Roush’s Valvoline Ford. Built in 1990, the work-horse chassis has delivered three poles, three victories, a second and a fifth for Martin and Roush Racing.
Martin pulled off a historic double three-peat, three poles and three victories, by beating former teammate Wally Dallenbach to the checkered flag Sunday. Each of Martin’s three triumphs has come after winning the pole on the 2.45-mile road course. Two of them came over Dallenbach, making the Glen a bittersweet experience for the former driver of the
STP Pontiac. It was just last year that Dallenbach was relieved of his duties with Petty after just one Winston Cup outing, Sears Point in May.
Dallenbach, starting 12th, led 20 of the final 26 laps and had the race well in hand when the caution nag waved on lap 82 for oil on the track.
Able to close the gap, Martin then passed him six laps from the finish.
“I really hate cautions,” said Martin. “But I didn’t mind seeing that caution.
“I hate cautions, I saw the oil and I had mixed emotions. I have a dislike for caution flags, but I never said anything on the radio. Someone else must have. As it turned out I am sure it was better for us., The final caution pitted Martin against a former teammate with whom he remains friends. But, in racing, friendships end with the green flag.
“I realize It (the final caution) gave me the chance to win. I would have liked to see Wally win here today but not at our expense.”
60 Years Ago— 1965
News: USAC Director of Competition Henry Banks Tuesday said no action would be taken against national champion A. J. Foyt or Mario Andretti for their failure to appear at a sprint race at Terre Haute on Sunday.
“There was no apparent fault on the part of the drivers,” Banks declared, adding, “It was an unfortunate misunderstanding at the height of a busy racing season.”
USAC Zone Supervisor Russ Clendenin recommended that the two be banned from the weekend sprint show at St. Paul, Minn., because they failed to appear at Terre Haute although entry blanks had them listed as participants.
“The only fault here likes with the car owners (Rufus Gray and Steve Stapp),” Banks said. They filed entry blanks although Foyt and Andretti had informed them they could not make the Terre Haute show a week earlier.
Winners: Kenny Weld, the young Kansas City driver rewarded the durable auto racing fans at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway by furnishing an exciting finish to the national supermodified championships as a repeat winner of the event.
Weld was in hot pursuit of leader Jerry Blundy from the ninth lap, taking over for an instant on the 24th lap, then speeding past Blundy on the final lap to win by a couple of car lengths.
The 25-lap feature finally was complete at 3 a.m., 6.5 hours after the scheduled start of the program and nearly four hours after the actual start.
An estimated 8,000 of an original crowd reported at 11,000 stayed for the finish.
Blundy pushed ahead of fast qualifier Bob Williams on the sixth lap and stayed there until Weld’s spurt carried him to the $1,500 top prize.
Dick Fries finished third and Williams was fourth.
