Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 91 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: General Motors is set to return to the IZOD lndyCar Series as an engine manufacturer· for the first time since 2005.
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard called the report “premature,’ but it appears that a full-fledged lndyCar turbocharged engine will he used by Target Chip Ganassi Racing beginning in 2012.
Leading to the speculation that GM Racing will return to IndvCar is Ganassi’s decision to remain with Chevrolet in NASCAR Sprint Cup after it appeared the team would switch to Ford.
Once Ganassi learned of GM’s desire to return to IndyCar, the decision to become its factory-backed team in the open-wheel series beginning in 2012 was made.
That would give lndyCar Honda and GM as engine suppliers in 2012. Honda Performance Development officials have long expressed a desire to have competition in the series after it has been the sole supplier to lndyCar since 2006.
GM first fielded a Chevrolet-branded Indy V-8 from 1988·1993, winning the Indianapolis 500 six·
consecutive times. GM also won the 500 with an Oldsmobile-branded engine five times in a row from 1997-2001 with GM’s last victory at Indy coming with a Chevrolet-branded V-8 in 2002 with Helio Castroneves winning the second of his three Indianapolis 500s.
The new engine would be a turbocharged V·6 the engine platform the series approved for competition beginning in 2012.
Winners: Matt Hirschman collected his third victory in the modified portion of the North-South Shootout Saturday at Concord Speedway, ending the two-year reign of Southern ace Burt Myers.
Driving the No. 60 modified, Hirschman started third and ran in the top five most of the afternoon. He was running second behind leader James Civali on lap 89 of the 125-lap race when contact between he, Civali and third-place Ryan Preece sent all three spinning, giving fourth-place Ted Christopher the lead.
Christopher didn’t hold the lead long. After a spin by Civali in turn two forced a second restart, second-place Rowan Pennink dumped Christopher entering turn one, causing a melee that eventually included seven cars.
Pennink was sent to the rear of the field for causing the crash. George Brunnhoelzl III inherited the lead, but Hirschman had missed the previous crash and was fourth for the restart.
Hirschman quickly asserted himself, moving into second by lap 105.
Eight laps later Hirschman took the lead for good, passing Brunnhoelzl in lapped traffic exiting the final corner at the half-mile track. He survived one final restart with four laps left to earn the victory.
“I can’t believe it really,” Hirschman said. “I just beat myself up so bad because I thought I gave the race away [on lap 89). Sometimes I’m just not aggressive enough, maybe, and too worried about making a mistake. I almost cost myself a shot to win there. I gave away the race and that wreck helped give it back.”
Polesitter Chuck Hossfeld finished second, followed by Brunnhoelzl, Eric Beers and Ron Silk. The race featured 11 caution flags and two red flags.
30 Years Ago — 1995
News: ACDelco has signed on as primary sponsor for Kurt Johnson’s NHRA Pro Stock team, announced GM Service Parts Operations director Ken Robinson Saturday.
Johnson is to debut the Delco Freedom Battery Pontiac Firebird for the NHRA Winternationals
here at Pomona Raceway in February. The first Pro Stock pilot to break the 6-second barrier won two NHRA events this season.
“I’m really charged up about next season with Delco Freedom Battery,” exclaimed Johnson. “It’s an honor to be part of a team that includes Delco, AC Spark Plugs, GM Performance Parts and Pontiac. I’m confident that we’ll reach our goals on and off the race track.”
Winners: The war is over, a first-time battle is won, and the “Fat Lady” has burst into song. SCRA’s season finale Saturday night on Jim Naylor’s finely manicured quarter-mile clay produced Lealand McSpadden edging Ron Shuman to win the season-long point war while Troy Cline posted his first sprint car feature victory. Shuman finished second and McSpadden third to give McSpadden the title by a mere eight points.
The car owner championship was settled by the driver’s (McSpadden and Shuman) as Ron Chaffin won his first car owner title, in his first try, edging Skip Schuck.
Cline won the race on the opening green in his Crenshaw Motors Picks Engine Special by front row starters Rip Williams and Bobby Michnowicz, along with second row pole starter Bob Meli to take the lead out of turn four.
Three quick caution flags, in the first five laps kept bringing Cline back to the pack.
The race right behind Cline had all eyes on Shuman’s Texaco-Havoline Ellis, moving from his seventh starting spot to second at the halfway mark, with McSpadden, who started fifth, bouncing through turn one keeping Shuman in sight lap after lap.
Cline, 25, in his fourth year in a non-winger, was not to be denied, as he moved through heavy traffic from the midway mark to win by a comfortable margin over Shuman, McSpadden and Ostling, who started 10th.
60 Years Ago— 1965
News: The United States Auto Club board or directors voted to extend indefinitely the current formula governing the size of engines in championship racing.
However, the board did not rule out the possibility of a smaller engine being able to compete in 1968.
Currently there is a 4.2 liter (255 cubic inch} formula, but there has been some sentiment for the 3-liter (183 cubic inch} engine.
In their resolution, the board said: “The engine specifications presently in force for championship racing are extended indefinitely. The board, however, reserves the right to establish varying minimum weights in relation to engine size below the present maximum, as well as minimum weight for the maximum size.”
For 1966 the minimum weight will be raised from 1,250 to 1,350 pounds.
The board directed the rules committee to begin a study of a power-to-weight ratio formula and to report its findings to the regularly scheduled meeting of the board in January.
“The board, by its action ln this special meeting, Indicated they are interested in a 3-liter formula,” said Thomas W. Binford, the U.S.A.C. president.
But Binford said this would not come “at the expense of the American car owners who collectively have several millions of dollars invested in present equipment.
“Any change will have to be a gradual one,” he added.
The USAC board had voted at a September meeting in Indianapolis to limit the size of championship non-supercharged engines to 3 liters or 183.06 cubic Inches, effective Jan. 1, 1968.
Winners: Mario Andrettl was crowned as USAC’s 1965 National Champion, set a new world’s record for one mile tracks in qualifying, and led the Bobby Ball Memorial 200 miler for all but 15 laps Sunday under cloudy skies at Phoenix International Raceway, but A. J. Foyt led the all-important lap 200 and picked up the winner’s check of $6.030.
Foyt, one of five drivers to break the existing track record at PIR, managed to break Andretti’s bare lead from laps 100 to 108 and again from 193 to the end. In between, Andretti’s lead had ranged from a half a length to 200 yards at most.
Andretti gained the pole with a sizzling second qualifying lap of 29.64 (121.4 mph) breaking Gordon Johncock’s national one-mile mark set at Langhorne last summer of 121.049 mph. Johncock, attempting to break his own mark had just lowered the PIR standard to 29.86 when the Dean Van Lines 12 came on the tri-oval.
The blow to Andretti’s hopes came when he brushed Dempsey Wilson’s car and knocked a limited slip disc loose in the rear end of the Brawner-Brabham Ford that carried him to the top USAC spot this season. He had to immediately cut his speed, but Foyt was still the only driver that could pass him.
Bobby Unser, a lap back, was third, with Joe Leonard fourth and Don Branson the first roadster pilot to finish in fifth spot.
A crowd of 16,248 was on hand.
