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: The IZOD IndyCar Series will return to New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 30, 2011.
“We’re pleased to restore an Indycar short oval to the schedule to further increase our diversity of venues,” said Randy Bernard, chief executive officer of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IZOD lndyCar Series. “As evident last weekend in Iowa, our cars produce tremendous racing on short ovals. Additionally, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is strategically located in the Northeast, which fills a geographical gap in our schedule. I have to thank Bruton Smith and Jerry Gappens for giving us a great opportunity here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.”
Bernard was joined by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. founder and chief executive officer 0. Bruton Smith, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch and Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“This is three-year deal in the making,” said Gappens. “As an Indiana native and a fan of open-wheel racing, I strongly believe that the people of New Hampshire will embrace this new breed of speed much like they do NASCAR.”
New Hampshire Motor Speedway played host to one of the five Indy Racing League events in its inaugural year (Aug. 8, 1996) with Scott Sharp taking the checkered flag.
It also was the site of Robbie Buhl’s first victory (Aug. 17, 1997) and Tony Stewart’s third (June 28, 1998). CART sanctioned races at the track from 1992 to 1995.
Winners: Steve Kinser led a trio of Hall of Fame drivers Saturday night at Lakeside Speedway as he earned the 556th victory of his World of Outlaws career, battling Jac Haudenschild and Sammy Swindell to the checkered flag.
Kinser used a strong restart on the 12th lap to charge around Joey Saldana, who had an engine going sour. Kinser used the low side of the track to get the jump on Haudenschild on a lap-17 restart and beat Haudcnschild to the checkered flag by half a second.
Kinser gained 30 points on Saldana in the race for the title.
“We had a very good race today” said Kinser, who won for the fourth time this season. “We could run the bottom or the top. I was able keep the car under me. It’s always good to win. We should have a few more wins this year, but we’ll take what we can get. I’m glad the way it turned out today.”
On the first restart of the night on the fourth lap, Kinser lined up on the outside of the second row in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim and powered his way past SwindeIl for third, before charging around the high side of turn four to get around Haudenschild for second and setting his sights on Saldana.
“I really could start anywhere, the car was that good,” stated the winner. “When you have something working good like that, it makes the decision a lot easier.”
The podium finish of Kinser, Haudenchild and Swindell marked the second time in the
last three races that the trio of Hall of Famers, who are all older than 50, were standing on the front straightaway after the checkered flag.
“We have three pretty old guys up here, but we’re all running up front,” quipped Kinser.
Haudenschild started on the pole and finished second.
30 Years Ago — 1995
News: Indy Racing League founder Tony George indicated early on that starting spots in the Indianapolis 500 would be. chips in the ongoing high-stakes poker game for control of Indy car racing.
George tossed in his first ace announcing that would indeed be the case for the inaugural IRL season next year that will see five races worth a total of $12 million to IRL loyalists.
In addition to the guaranteed minimum purse of $1 million per race, exclusive of contingency awards, the IRL announcement spelled out qualifying awards of $22,000 per car per race. The rival PPG Indy Car World Series has a current policy of paying holders of its 24 franchises $20,000 per car per race.
In Monday’s formal announcement, George and IRL Executive Director Jack Long set forth performance-based qualifying and prize money distribution data for its races.
The most significant aspect of the IRL announcement involves the 33-car Indianapolis 500, which will guarantee starting positions to the top 25 in IRL points, leaving only eight places open for “at-large” participants.
This format will incorporate traditions such as Pole Day and the four-day qualifying practice, as well as bump day. Bumping will apply only to at-large entrants as the 25 IRL point leaders will be guaranteed their places.
“We want the Indy Racing League to appeal financially to all participants,” Long said. “And we want to be a unified series.”
Long reiterated all IRL races in 1996 will be carried live by the ABC television network.
Winners: Saturday’s Pepsi 400-NASCAR Winston Cup race, on a day when the temperature climbed into the 90s, produced the color and excitement of a January blizzard.
Only a late charge by Dale Earnhardt, and a restart with one lap to go, kept enthusiasm from melting quicker than the ice.
Jeff Gordon won the Big Enchilada, beating Sterling Marlin and Earnhardt in a last-lap drag race. Marlin outbanged Earnhardt down the stretch to finish second. Mark Martin and Ted Musgrave finished a weak fourth and fifth, respectively.
In fact, Gordon and Marlin, and occasionally Earnhardt, packed so much punch they made everybody else look like they might be saving their best moves for a late afternoon pool party.
Only eight times the lead changed among four drivers. Gordon and Marlin shared top honors. Each led 72 laps and both received five bonus points for leading the most laps. For 10 laps Earnhardt blazed the trail, and Ricky Rudd even pushed his Ford out front for five laps. Rudd’s performance was the most Ford had to crow about. Chevrolets dominated the show.
The Winston Cup point race, however, remains close. Marlin arrived here with a six-point advantage over Earnhardt and now leads Gordon by seven points. Gordon, third and 12 points out of the lead, jumped into second place and Earnhardt, who now trails Marlin by 16 points, dropped to third.
Earnhardt, the pole winner, led the first 11 laps and then faded as far back as 10th as the race progressed. With 40 laps to go, the seven-time champion showed up eighth in the rundown.
The second of three caution flags waved on lap 130 of the 160-lap event when Jeff Purvis spun, thus closing the field. The restart set the stage for a 25-lap dash. Gordon maintained first under green and Earnhardt quickly passed Marlin for second.
Gordon seemed to have the race under control, although Earnhardt trailed by a few car lengths when the third caution waved on lap 157 when Mike Wallace spun.
The field received the green flag and white flag at the same time, signaling one lap to checkered flag. Gordon led the pack into the first turn while Marlin tried to pass Earnhardt on the inside.
Earnhardt stopped that move, but Marlin ducked to the outside and the two ran side-by-side into turn three while Gordon pulled away.
Earnhardt and Marlin exchanged sheet metal to the finish line with Marlin winning the dual by half a car length.
Gordon, winner of four races and seven poles this year, averaged 166.976 mph and won $96,580.
60 Years Ago— 1965
News: An elaborate entry into stateside oval track championship racing is planned by John Mecom, Jr., of this city.
The youthful sportsman and industrial executive advised this writer that arrangements have been finalized with drivers Rodger Ward and Walt Hansgen, mechanic George Bignotti and the noted car designer and builder Eric Broadley, to turn a serious and immediate effort toward track racing.
“Our cars, both on road courses and speedways, will be Lolas,” he said. “It is my hope that Eric (Broadley) will do all of his work here in a new machine shop we are putting up. It is big enough so that he should be able to do all of our work and take in outside work,” Mecom continued.
Broadley is due in Houston on July 27 to discuss further details on their effort. Accompanying him will be world champion driver John Surtees, with whom Mecom says he has tentative arrangements to drive in next year’s Indianapolis 500.
“I don’t know what Ferrari will say, but Surtees is receptive and we hope to have him on the team,” were Mecom’s comments.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward is reported to have made this break with Bob Wilke and Mecom said that as far as he knew, he was available to drive in the next race.
Walt Hansgen will be in and of here for the next six months,” Mecom said. “He will be driving our sports-racing Lolas and helping out on the overall project. He may well be driving for us in next year’s Indianapolis 500,” he reported.
George Bignotti, the master mechanic who split with four-time champion A. J. Foyt after the most successful driver-mechanic partnership in racing history, is to concern himself with speedway cars only until after Indianapolis.
“Then he may turn his attention to our sports cars,” Mecom advised.
Winners: In a race in which the lead was swapped 18 times by 7 drivers, A. J. Foyt drove to his second consecutive victory in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4.
In contention with his Holman-Moody Ford from the start, the USAC ace wrested the lead from his NASCAR rivals for good on the 137th lap of the 160-lapper and breezed to the win by almost a lap from the second-place car, a hemi-head Plymouth driven by Buddy Baker.
Foyt’s winning average speed was 150.046 mph, a shade off the record pace of 151.451 mph he set in winning a year ago. His victory was worth $13,300.
G.C. Spencer, driving a 64 Ford was third and J.T. Putney in a 65 Chevrolet was fourth.
Run under a blazing sun, before a crowd of nearly 50,000, the race had its major turning point on the 109th lap when Cale Yarborough, whose flying Ford had dominated the race until that point, blew an engine on the west turn.
No one was injured in the melee that followed, but four of the leaders were wiped out — Ned Jarrett, Darel Dieringer, Dick Hutcherson and Yarborough.
Until this accident the race was a tightly bunched battle, for all the knocked out cars were battling for the lead. Now it became a battle between Fred Lorenzen, driving relief for Marvin Panch and Foyt. These two cars passed the 110-lap point in this position, with Lorenzen a lap ahead of A.J.
With a lap to make up, Foyt ran all out in an effort to gain, but made little headway on Lorenzen. Then the Panch-Lorenzen car blew a head gasket on the 136th lap and went behind the wall.
Only 14 cars were running now, the hot sun and hurried pace having exacted a heavy toll of the 40 starters. Baker made a run at Foyt, but lacked the speed to make a serious challenge.
