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: There should be something for every faction in the new IndyCar that will begin competition in 2012 including cost-effectiveness, efficiency, innovation and most importantly — American·made.
Although the Dallara concept was chosen over Delta Wing, Swift, Lola and BAT, the Italian carmaker has agreed to move its IndyCar production facility to Main Street in Speedway, Ind. That will return lndyCar racing to its heritage, which began with the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 when the winning car was a locally built Marmon Wasp.
Dallara will build the “safety cell” with the tub and other components to IndyCar specs, but the rules will allow any manufacturer to build the body parts that will be added to the car such as aerodynamic wings, sidepods, etc. That is where the manufacturer completion will return to the car:
“Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and I sat down about two months ago and considered putting a mandate in the chassis proposal to have them move to Indiana and of course the Governor loved that,” said IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard. “By the time we gave Dallara the first chance to come we had them here on July 6 and that process came to conclusion quickly.”
The announcement made July 14 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art was the single-biggest move made by Bernard since his tenure at the helm of this sport began March 1. It was the result of ICONIC Advisory Committee, which Bernard created in May. The committee included seven of the leading experts in different areas of racing.
Bernard wants to make sure the ICONIC Advisory Committee remains in place to help write the rules.
“I want to make sure we reach out to the auto manufacturers and make sure they come in here and be partners,” Bernard said. “We want to help them sell cars and that is our commitment to them. When we did this, we are thinking longterm and thought 2013 would be when some of the other manufacturers come in. But there are some opportunities we can have additional kits by 2012.”
Winners: Steve Kinser broke Kerry Madsen’s heart Saturday night at Eldora Speedway as The King of the Outlaws was crowned Kings Royal champion for the seventh time in his career.
Kinser used a double-file restart with three laps to go and slid under Madsen to take the lead and the $50,000 payday after his fifth World of Outlaws triumph of the season.
Kinser has competed in every Kings Royal and is the winningest driver in the history of the prestigious event.
“It feels good to win one for Tony Stewart Racing and Bass Pro Shops,” said Kinser. “I know that Donny (Schatz) has won a few for them. It was a lot of fun to get out there and win it tonight. Kerry ran a great rare and I hated to get into him last night, but you have to go for it when you can go for it. I just really enjoy getting to run at Eldora.”
Following a caution on the 22nd lap, the next 15 circuits went green, putting the leaders in lapped traffic as the laps wound down. With 10 to go, Kinser had tracked Madsen back down and tagged the wall a couple of times, nearly taking the lead at a few different points on the track.
“I was reeling him in pretty fast and got into the wall on the frontstretch and got right back on him and got into the wall on the back chute or l was going to go by him,” explained the winner. “I was catching him pretty quick and messed up both times. I got a third chance, so l guess it ended up all right.”
Kinser lined up on the inside of the track on all but one of the double-file restarts on Saturday night.
The one time he lined up on the outside, he was in front of the field. He was very strong on the last three double-file restarts of the race, keeping right with Madsen and nearly taking the lead a couple of times.
Madsen led 27 laps en route to his best career finish in the Kings Royal. a second-place effort aboard the Hall Haulage KPC.
30 Years Ago — 1995
News: Jack Long, executive director of the Indy Racing League, reacting to comments made by Andrew Craig, president and chief executive officer of IndyCar in the July 19 edition of this newspaper on discussions between the two series executives, indicated most of what Craig said was correct, however noted some important omissions.
It is those points which kept an agreement from being reached.
Among those was the insistence by the current team owners in Championship Auto Racing Teams that it continue as owners of the IndyCar portion of the schedule.
Also, the proposed new governing body would have control over the Indianapolis 500 as to rules and regulations for the annual Memorial Day race.
Also, while Craig spoke only of one meeting held in Indianapolis in February, there were actually three meetings including one at Daytona Beach, Fla., the day before the Daytona 500 in February and one in New York in mid-March, which included Roger Penske, said Long.
It was at the third meeting that counterproposals were found unacceptable by both sides, after which the bitter rhetoric which has sparked this battle began to intensify.
“I think what was presented by Craig was a characterization of what took place,” Long said last week in an interview with ICR Online. “While the statements are true, there are more issues involved than presented.
“There were three meetings, not one, early February through mid-March. By the IndyCar opener in early March, there were prospects of a resolution, most certainly.
“In the first meeting, those from the Indy Racing League included Tony George (president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), myself, John Cooper and Dick King of USAC. From the car owners, in addition to Andrew Craig, were Carl Hogan, Carl Haas and Chip Ganassi. That group came to us and proposed a restructuring. There would be two clearly autonomous groups operating together in a series whereby points would be awarded at all races and it would be appropriate for teams to show up at all races.
“At issue in the meeting, if we had five races and there were only two incremental races added, that was a number everybody could live with. That would have made 18.”
Winners: Dave Blaney admitted to being lucky when he won his first King’s Royal sprint car race in 1993 and said he had a little luck Saturday night as he again captured the $50,000 top prize in Earl Baltes’s 12th annual event at Eldora Speedway.
But it wasn’t luck that put Blaney in victory lane, it was pure dominance. Blaney started fourth in the 40-lapper and raced Casey Luna’s Vivarin-backed J&J into the lead on a lap-10 restart to dominate the remainder of the race.
However, a brush with lapped traffic and the outside retaining wall at the fast half-mile dirt oval nearly cost him the race.
While attempting to lap Sammy Swindell, who had started in the last row and was blitzing through the field, Blaney slid high and hit the wall creating a shower of sparks.
“I was trying to lap a few cars, one of which was Sammy and I had plenty of room,” Blaney said. “The car just slid high and I rapped the wall.”
He continued to lead the event but when Greg Hodnett flipped hard on lap 32, Blaney got a break he needed, although it cost him a half-lap lead.
“It bent the front axle and we had to change the whole front axle under the red flag,” Blaney said. “We’re lucky it didn’t break.”
Blaney had three lapped cars between himself and runner-up Steve Kinser on the restart and raced unchallenged to the victory.
60 Years Ago— 1965
News: Johnny Roberts of Baltimore, a three-time National NASCAR champion, died Sunday at Hanover Hospital of head injuries suffered 2 to 4 hours earlier in a modified heat race at Lincoln Speedway.
Roberts, 41, a last-minute substitute driver for Bob Ballentine, slammed headlong into the outer retaining wall when his throttle apparently jammed in the seventh lap or the event after tangling with Ron Phones. He drove a car owned by Rube McBee.
Track officials said Roberts was wearing a shoulder harness at the time of the mishap.
A 15-year veteran in NASCAR competition, Roberts won the national sportsman championship in 1953 and copped the national modified titles in 1960 and 1961. He leaves a wife and four children.
Winners: Ned Jarrett drove his 1965 Ford across the finish line just 19 seconds ahead of Dick Hutcherson, also driving a ’65 Ford, in the rain delayed and wreck slowed Volunteer 500 late model stock car race Sunday.
Jarrett, who won $4,315, also collected enough Grand National points to put him 28 ahead of Hutcherson. Jarrett, of Camden, S. C., and Hutcherson, of Keokuk, Iowa, have been running close in the point race all year.
Sunday’s win took the national point lead from Hutcherson, who got $2,275 prize money.
Sam McQuagg of Columbus, Ga., also driving a 1965 Ford, was third and won $1,650. Jim Paschal of High Point, N. C., fourth in a 1965 Chevy, won $1,125. Junior Spencer of Hamlen, W. Va., collected $1,000 for fifth place in a 1964 Ford.
Rain and accidents took their toll as the 250-mile race — 500 laps on the half-mile track — was slowed to a snail’s pace. More than 100 laps were run under the caution flag and only 13 of the 36 starters finished the race.
