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: Paul Kruger, instrumental in the operation of DIRT MotorSports since the company was formed and purchased the World of Outlaws and DIRT, resigned Friday.
Tom Deery, who was hired as DIRT president several months ago, was immediately elevated to Kruger’s position of CEO.
In addition, the investment group that helped to launch DIRT MotorSports less than three years ago has demonstrated its confidence in the new management team — which also includes Chief Financial Officer Brian Carter, Chief Marketing Officer Rob Butcher and Executive VP of Operations Ben Geisler — by providing funds necessary to eliminate all company debt (other than mortgages on two of its seven race tracks) and the financial resources necessary to reach the company’s long- and short-term goals.
“We have an incredible company with the most recognized brands in dirt racing,” said Deery, who grew up helping his family operate short tracks before setting off on a long and respected career in motorsports. “This is a world-class racing and sports entertainment company. This transaction will allow us to advance our business plan, ultimately increasing the exposure, awareness and consistency of dirt racing across the country for our fans, promoters, team owners and drivers.”
“We are only left with the mortgages on a couple of tracks which are no different than a mortgage on a home,” Carter said. “We make payments just like everyone else.”
While the spotlight is on DIRT MotorSports’s touring series, Deery is committed to supporting and growing the weekly and regional classes to create a strong backbone for the future of dirt-track racing.
“The strength of dirt racing depends on the fans and drivers that compete all across the country every Friday and Saturday night,” Deery said “We will continue to support those involved week in and week out”
Winners: Not new pavement. Not harder-than-normal Goodyear tires. Not even a multi-car accident that depleted the field could dethrone Jimmie Johnson as king of Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Johnson, who has won the last four point races at the 1.5-mile superspeedway, dominated the final 20-lap segment of Saturday night’s Nextel All-Star Challenge, posting his second victory in the non-point event. Only 10 cars finished the race.
“I think there is a line around the race track that my style fits, and we just keep adjusting to it,” said Johnson, who earned $1 million for his Hendrick Motorsports team. “I stay set in my ways and the line I need to run, and we adjust the car to it I’m not sure I drive the right line when the sun is out, but at night when the lights come on we are really good The way I drive the track here just works.”
After a trio of caution-plagued events last season, Lowe’s Motor Speedway was resurfaced this spring, and Goodyear brought hard tires that many drivers blamed for the cars getting abnormally loose. But Johnson’s Lowe’s Chevrolet was hooked up from the start.
Johnson took the lead early in the opening 40-lap segment but was caught speeding on pit lane during mandatory four-tire pit stops prior to lap 20 and barely managed to stay on the lead lap. He finished 11th in the opening segment and charged to the front, dodging the multi-car crash on a lap-49 restart during segment two.
“I had adversity to overcome speeding, the inversion didn’t work out,” Johnson said. “I thought I was in perfect position -and that didn’t work, but we still came back and won.”
40 Years Ago — 1986
News: Gary Bettenhausen, a battle-scarred veteran of the dusty sprint car tracks and the perilous high banks, ended four years of frustration Sunday when he qualified for the 70th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
His 209.756 mph average in the Vita Fresh Orange Juice March Cosworth bumped hard-luck guy Dick Simon from the field and put Bettenhausen in the 31st starting position.
There were only six qualification runs on a rainy, wind-swept weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Simon, driver of the Duracell Copper Top Lola Cosworth, was the only driver bumped from the fastest starting field in speedway history. It averages 210.358 mph, compared to 208.138 for last year’s 33-car lineup.
A teary Bettenhausen embraced by younger brother Tony, who was alteady in the lineup, said, “For the last four years, I’ve been wondering if I could drive one of these things.”
Also making the grade on the final day, Sunday, was veteran George Snider, as·always a late runner with minimum practice time. He put the Calumet Farms March Cosworth, owned by A.J. Foyt, in the show at 209.025 mph, gaining the middle of the last
Joining them there is 1969 winner Mario Andretti, who will be forced to start 33rd and last in the Newman-Haas Racing Lola Cosworth. Andretti wrecked his primary car in a practice accident last Wednesday. The car was beyond repair and, according to USAC rules, he has to start his backup car at the back of the pack. He would have started fifth except for the unfortunate incident.
Winners: Geoff Bodine has never claimed to be a student of Civil War history. But Sunday here at Dover Downs Int’l Speedway, the New York native led a small band of Yankee troops against an army of confederate invaders and came home the victor.
The battle was the Budweiser 500, round 10 of the NASCAR Winston Cup stock car series. But just as in several battles during the blue and gray encounter, luck played an important role.
Harry Gant had been the dominant car during a majority of the grueling 500-mile grind around the high-banked one-mile oval.
But with 471 laps in the record book, the engine in Gant’s Skoal Bandit Chevrolet erupted in a ball of flame.
“It just blew,” said the dejected Gant, who had won two of the last three races here and finished second in the other.
“I felt bad for Harry because he had run so strong all day,” said Bodine, who made his charge in the closing laps.
Temperatures in the high 80s and the always-tough high-banked track pushed both drivers and cars to the limit, while a record crowd of 51,000 baked in the May sun.
“We made some adjustments on the final stop and the car was workingreal good at the end,” said Bodine. “I ran faster at the end than I did during the beginning.
“Everything went well today,” he added. “You can’t make any mistakes in this business.”
At Harold Kinder’s checkered flag, Bodine’s Levi Garrett/Exxon Chevrolet was three seconds ahead of Bobby Allison’s Miller American Buick.
60 Years Ago— 1966
News: Two sprint car drivers were fatally injured in separate accidents Sunday night as the Big Car Racing Association of Colorado presented its Inaugural program of the season at Air Capital Speedway.
The victims were veteran Lee Smith, 43, of Lakewood, Colo., former president of the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association, and Barrin (Shorty) Burltbolder, 29, of Seneca.
Both accidents occurred in the same spot on the half mile speedway.
The night’s program was canceled after the first lap of the feature when Burkholder was killed instantly as his car rolled and flipped seven times. No winner was declared for the event.
Smith, former midget chauffeur who has not been in competition in several years, filled in for his son, Bob, who bad recently been drafted.
The mishap occurred in the first heat when Smith’s car locked wheels with the vehicle driven by Bob Chester, Smith died of head and chest injuries when his mount went into a series of violent flips.
Chester was listed in satisfactory condition at a nearby hospital. Howard House copped the second and winners heats and the dash after Burkholder won the first event.
Winners: Marvin Panch would rather switch than stay out of the racing — and it paid off.
Richard Petty, driving in relief of Panch, pushed Panch’s year=old Petty-engined Plymouth to victory in the seventh annual World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
If Panch, who had been a factory Ford driver until the Dearborn company pulled out of stock car racing, hadn’t decided to continue to do the thig he loves best — racing — there would have been no Petty car in the winner’s circle.
Only eight days ago, Panch and Poppa Lee Petty worked out a deal for the Daytona Beach driver to run the 1965 Plymouth.
“I never made a better decision did I?” asked Lee Petty.
The answer was pretty obvious.
Panch took the lead for the first time on lap 302 of the 400-lap, 600-mile race. Eighteen laps later, Panch asked Richard to take over the driving duties.
Richard kept the Plymouth in front the rest of the way to register a two-lap victory over second-place finisher G.C. Spencer, also in a 1965 Plymouth. A surprisingly, good crowd, estimated at 45,000, watched the race.
