Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 91 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 20, 40 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.
20 Years Ago — 2006
News: International Speedway Corporation director Michael Printup said Friday that the national track builder will press for a rescheduled public hearing of its New York-area raceway proposal while reaching out to Island officials.
“What happened on April27 was a denial of due process,” Printup said at the Port Richmond Moose Lodge. ‘Mer spending $250,000 in filing fees, we want to go through the city’s Uniform Land Use ReView Procedure. It is everyone’s right to have a hearing without prejudgment.”
Printup was referring to the April27 New York City Department of Planning environmental scoping hearing on the raceway proposal that ended after 45 minutes of incivility.
That session included a confrontation between labor union treasurer Christopher Wallace and City Councilman Michael Lanza.
Lanza and James Oddo declared their opposition to the speedway and retail shopping center the next day.
Planning department officials said they were going to reschedule the hearing for June. iSC’s proposal to convert a remediated petroleum tank farm by the Goethals Bridge into an 82,000-seat, three-quarter-mile speedway and 620,000-square-foot shopping center is ultimately to be decided by the 51-member New York City Council next year.
“I’ve called and talked with the councilmen in the last week,” Printup said before an audience of 41. “I said that they should not pre-judge and decide after the hearing process is done. We want to listen and work with all public officials.”
Winners: It has gotten to the point where Sebastien Bourdais even wins the races he thinks are not winnable.
Bourdais won Saturday night’s Champ Car Grand Prix of Houston despite starting fifth on a bumpy and confirmed temporary course in a car that hadn’t hooked up on Bridgestone’s red alternate tires during qualifying.
“In the warm-up, I thought, ‘My God, this thing is going to be a parade,’ Bourdais recalled. “I really thought it was going to be impossible to pass. And then it turns into one of the best races in a while.
“That’s racing. You expect the unexpected.”
The 27-year-old Frenchman was 1.2.38 seconds ahead of Paul Tracy after a green-white-checkered finish. Polewinner Mario Dominguez, who led 63 laps to Bourdais’s 33, took third place.
A two-for-two start to the season has already sparked speculation about whether the Frenchman can win a third-consecutive Champ Car title.
“We need to shy away from getting too excited because the wheel can turn around very quickly,” he cautioned. “Let’s make sure we don’t get too crazy about that. There’s a long way to go.”
40 Years Ago — 1986
News: The 1982 IMSA driving champion, John Paul Jr., was handed a stiff five-year prison term here last week when he appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Susan Black for sentencing on racketeering and false passport charges stemming from his part in an alleged marijuana smuggling ring headed by his father.
The young Paul had plead guilty before Judge Black last August to one count of racketeering and one count of using a false passport as part of a plea bargain agreement with government officials that saw a number of other charges dropped by the government.
Paul has been free on bond pending his sentencing and was expected to compete in the May 25 Indianapolis 500 as part of the official March-Buick team.
However, Black ordered Paul taken into custody and indicated that while he may be released on bond in order to put his personal affairs together, he may not leave Florida nor race prior to reporting to prison.
Many in the racing community were shocked by the severity of the sentence. However, others close to the judicial system know that Paul had previously been convicted on a felony drug charge and that when he appeared to have substantially rehabilitated himself since that, the prior guilty plea forced the judge’s hand to a certain extent.
Paul was also handed a suspended five-year term on the passport charge and ordered to do 500 hours of community service upon his release, which insiders said should be in approximately 20 months.
It is not known whether or not Paul will be allowed to continue his racing career while he remains on parole.
Winners: There’s no place like home. And Sunday when Bill Elliott returned to his home track, Atlanta Int’l Raceway, he not only dominated “The Winston,” he picked up a record $240,000 for his efforts.
Elliott, from nearby Dawsonville, and his Coors Ford Thunderbird ran away from the 10-car field to win NASCAR’s second annual “All Star” race. He averaged 159.123·mph around the 1.5-mile oval and held a 2.55-second margin over Dale Earnhardt’s Wrangler Chevrolet at the checkered flag.
Elliott led all but one of the 83 laps. The only lap he didn’t lead came during the lap 40 mandatory pit stop. Elliott’s pit was located short of the start/finish tine and Earnhardt passed him en route to his pit, beyond the line.
Elliott was in the pits for 14.4 seconds to take on left side tires, and Earnhardt had only a I5.8-second stop, but Elliott passed Earnhardt in a dramatic pit road drag race as the pair raced back into action.
Elliott drove with an aggressive style never before seen from the red headed driver who won 11 superspeedway races last season. In victory lane, Elliott said he was “bound and determined to do well in this race, even if he had to drive like it was a dirt track race.”
Elliott and Earnhardt were the only drivers who opted to change left-side tires during their pit stops. All other cars changed right-side rubber.
When asked about the tire change, Elliott said, “It was a gamble. You can change left sides a lot quicker than the rights, and the gamble paid off.”
60 Years Ago— 1966
News: The possibility of a meeting between Henry Ford II, NASCAR ‘s Bill France, and major speedway officials to see what requirements would be necessary for Ford to return to stock car racing — if the company wants to — became stronger last Wednesday.
The new angle in the Ford-NASCAR feud developed after a day-long test at the Charlotte Motor Speedway of Ford’s controversial single overhead cam high performance engine by Fred Lorenzen in a Holman-Moody prepared Galaxie.
Under the direction of Joon Cowley of Ford’s performance division and John Holman, president of the Holman-Moody organization, the test never really got off the ground.
According to Lorenzen. the car ran on only seven cylinders because of spark plug or distributor problems. Fred’s fastest speed was 145.5 mph.
Ford announced last month that the company is through slock car racing for the 1966 season because rule adopted by NASCAR, USAC and ACCUS approving use of the engine, but with a weight handicap are not fair.
France, here for the test, said earlier that the weight handicap was placed on the new engine because a street version is not available.
However, he told promoters here for the test, if Ford wishes to return to racing and makes a street version of the overhead dealer channels, he will carry the matter to ACCUS for action.
“I did not say that I will drop the extra weight,” said France. ”I cannot do this because I did not adopt the rule. But I am certain if Ford makes the engine available, dropping the weight will be considered by ACCUS.”
France met with the promoters and accessory firm representatives for nearly six hours at the Charlotte track, before watching Lorenzen make the test.
Winners: Would you believe five pit stops in a 250-lap race on a half-mile dirt track?
Would you believe using 16 tires in only 125 miles? Would you beIieve a track record?
David Pearson and Cotton Owens can’ t believe it either, but they know it’s true.
They also know they won the “Capital City 250” stock car race here Sunday afternoon despite five stops and some rapid tire changing.
Pearson drove the Owens-owned and prepared 1964 Dodge Coronet to a two-lap victory over Plymouth driving Richard Petty in the fastest stock car race ever run on the hardpacked Virginia State Fairgrounds oval. His average speed was 66.51 mph, despite his constant trips to the pits. The old record, 66.33, was set in a 150-mile race in 1963 by Ned Jarrett.
Two of Pearson’s five stops were made under a caution flag with 60 laps remaining and enabled him to get four new tires.
Petty made only four s tops in the race, but all were under the green flag.
Finishing third behind Petty in the tire-eating battle was J .T. Putney in a 1966 Chevrolet. Paul Goldsmith was fourth in a 1965 Plymouth and Darel Dieringer was fifth in a ’64 Ford.
