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: Wall Stadium, the 60-year-old speedway only recently saved from permanent closure, has suspended racing operations pending further notice.
Rumors of the abrupt end to the 2010 racing season began to sweep through the racing community last week and were confirmed when the track posted a notice on its Route 34 marquee reading “Racing Cancelled Till Further Notice” and placed a photograph of that sign on the speedway’s website.
Subsequently, promoter Jim Morton issued a statement saying that the closure was “a flat out matter of money.” Morton, who leases the property, went on to say that he sought to renegotiate the lease, but that he was turned down.
Speaking on behalf of the ownership group, co-owner Timothy Shinn was quoted in The Asbury Park Press, as saying that the decision to close the track was made by them as a result of their not being able to reach an agreement with Morton.
Shinn stated that, “if there are people out there who would have an interest in leasing (the track) we would be more than amenable to sitting down with them;”
Wall Stadium was opened in 1950 and raced continually through 2007, but in 2008 the current owners decided against continuing their own operation and put the property on the market
In late 2001 Morton, a longtime fan, leased the track for the season-ending Turkey Derby and then struck a deal to operate the track regularly in 2009. Morton continued promoting the track in 2010 until the recent action. In January of this year Morton told NSSN that he knew “how to make this place tick,'” but he was not able make ends meet under current conditions.
Winners: Chase Elliott accomplished something Saturday PASS LM that his father Bill Elliott never accomplished during his NASCAR career winning at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Elliott overcame a late-race mistake during a restart to win the Pro All Stars Series South Labor Day Classic late-model event, the first race at the historic .625-mile asphalt oval in 14 years.
“This is real neat,” Elliott said after the 200-lap event. “All the huge names that won here back in the 90s and the 80s. It’s just really cool to be a part of that. This has gotta be one of the biggest races we’ve won.”
The young Georgia native took the lead for the first time during pit stops under caution on lap 128, beating polesitter and race-long leader Jody Lavender out of the pits when Lavender’s crew had issues jacking up his Chevrolet.
Elliott quickly pulled away from the field during the restart, eventually pulling out to a straightaway lead over Lavender. Things changed when Brandon Ward slammed the turn-two wall on lap 186, allowing the field to close on Elliott.
During the restart Lavender got the jump on Elliott, passing him for the lead entering turn one.
Lavender began to stretch his lead before Preston Peltier spun exiting turn four.
With 10 laps left the field returned to racing and Elliott made his move, charging by Lavender around the outside with eight laps left to secure the triumph.
“That first one (restart) I messed up,” Elliott said. “I just messed it up down on the inside. Then we had that next caution and I knew that was my time to get him, so I just gave it all I had there.”
Lavender wound up second after leading the most laps.
“Unfortunately, Chase was a little better than us there at the end,” Lavender said. “The next to last restart I really felt like we had it. and without that last caution we may have. He passed me on the outside. He ran me clean. We got beat.”
Andy Loden, who broke Ernie Irvan’s track record with a 18.815-second lap during qualifying, finished third. Joey Coulter and Devin Jones completed the top five.
30 Years Ago — 1995
News: Former Formula One driver Christian Fittipaldi, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year, has been named as Paul Tracy’s replacement at Newman/Haas Racing.
Fittipaldi, the nephew of two-time Formula One world champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, will drive the Kmart/Budweiser Lola for team owners Carl Haas and Paul Newman in 1996.
Also, Haas announced he will stay with the Ford/Cosworth engine lease program rather than switch to Honda. Tracy leaves Newman/Haas after one season to return to Marlboro Team Penske, where he will return to a three-car operation that also includes drivers AI Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi.
“We’re going to start testing immediately, so there is no time to rest,” Tracy said of his return to Marlboro Team Penske. “I feel good about our chances for next year and am happy to be back with the team.
“I want to thank Carl Haas for giving me a chance with the 1-year deal with Newman/Haas this season. Over-all, we had a pretty good year.”
The 24-year-old Christian Fittipaldi, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, will team with Michael Andretti in the two-car Newman/Haas operation.
Fittipaldi joined the lndyCar series this season with team owner Derrick Walker after spending three seasons in Formula One racing. He finished just 2.4 seconds behind winner Jacques Villeneuve in the May 28 Indianapolis 500 after qualifying 27th.
“Paul Newman and I are delighted to welcome Christian to our team,” said Haas, who co-owns
the team with the famed American actor. “He came to ‘Indy Car racing this year with a solid record In Formula One and other international series and has adapted well to this type of racing. We know It’s been a learning experience for him, and believe that with the knowledge he has gained this year, Christian will be able to compete successfully for us in 1996.”
Winners: Rusty Wallace took out a season’s worth of frustration Saturday night on Richmond Int’l Raceway, and the rest of the field didn’t stand a chance.
Wallace’s black Miller Genuine Draft Ford sliced through the field like a Vegamatic stuck in overdrive, and he won the Miller Genuine Draft 400 by nearly 6 seconds over Terry Labonte in front of 88,000 fans, the largest crowd to ever witness a sporting event in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“It’s been a long dry spell, but this Ford’s really been strong,” Wallace said. “We’ve been leading a lot of races, we almost won the Brickyard, we almost won this, we’ve almost won that. Today, we had everything together.”
Wallace led 254 of the 400 laps to score his second victory of the season and 41st of his career. It was also his fifth victory on RIR’s .75-mile D-shaped course.
“Robin (crew chief Robin Pemberton) and the guys did a killer job making this car handle,” Wallace said. “I just aimed this thing. We’ve been knocking on the door. I told everybody this year we’d win six or seven races, so I guess I’ve still got time.”
It was simply a case of too much Wallace and not enough room for much of the race, as 33 of the 38 starters were running at the finish.
Wallace used the traffic to his advantage and kept a battling Labonte and Dale Earnhardt behind him on the way to a $64,515 payday.
“I didn’t have any problems with the lapped cars,” Wallace said. “My spotter, Don Miller, was real good about keeping me aware of where everybody was, and I worked real well with the lapped cars. I’d come up on ’em, and if they were racing, I’d lay back and Jet them do their deal. I could have stuck the nose up under them, but that’d probably get them all nervous and make ’em crash.”
Wallace and RIR just seem to suit each other. Wallace has won four of the last seven
Miller-backed races at RIR. He’s also won 11 of the last 25 short-track events on the Winston Cup schedule (44 percent).
60 Years Ago— 1965
News: Buren Skeen, a 28-year-old Denton, N. C., driver, died Monday at McLeod’s Infirmary here from injuries suffered in a second-lap accident of the Labor Day “Southern 500” at nearby Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Skeen’s 1964 Ford scraped the third tum rail on the second lap of the race and was bumped by another car, turning it sideways.
After bouncing off the rail he went down on the track where he was hit by Reb Wichersham.
Wickersham’s car plowed headlong into the driver-side door of the Skeen car at over 120 mph.
Skeen was removed from the car, which was almost tom in half, by workers using cutting torches. It required almost 10 minutes to extricate him from the wreckage.
On arrival at the hospital, Skeen underwent chest and brain surgery. He suffered multiple fractures, including a skull fracture and a ruptured spleen.
Winners: Richard Petty set a track record Friday as he whipped his 1965 Plymouth home three seconds in front of David Pearson to win the 100-mile Buddy Shuman Memorial NASCAR Grand National race at Hickory Speedway.
More than 12,500 persons turned out to set a new attendance record, while Petty went about the business of touring the four-tenths mile dirt track in one hour, 20 minutes and 41 seconds for a 74.365 mph average.
The former mark of 72.130 mph was set here in May by Junior Johnson.
NASCAR Grand National circuit point leader Ned Jarret wound up third in a 1965 Ford.
Petty took home an estimated $1,200 for his efforts while Pearson’s ’65 Dodge won $600 and Jarrett won $900 which included appearance money.
Young Petty grabbed the lead in the 211th circuit when previous leader Johnson had to pit for tires on his 1965 Ford. After that It was all Petty despite vain efforts by Pearson to overtake him in the final miles.
Johnson, fastest qualifier for the event, eventually nailed down fourth place.
