Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 92 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: Taking a page from the NASCAR playbook, NHRA announced a new multi-tiered Countdown to the championship in all four professional categories of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Utilizing the final elimination round concept synonymous with the sport of drag racing, where winners move on the losers go home, the Countdown to the Championship features three distinct periods during the 23-race season.
“The historic change in our championship point structure will add more excitement and drama to the entire season and magnify the spotlight during the season’s final six races — for our fans and the entire racing community,” said NHRA President Tom Compton.
In the Countdown to Eight, representing the first 17races of the season, competitors in all four professional categories — Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle — will battle each race to secure a position in the top eight in the point standings, with the final race to reach the Countdown being the Aug. 16-19 event at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
The Countdown to Four begins during the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. The top eight in each category have their points adjusted. First place will begin with 2,070 points, second with 2,060 and so on to eighth starting with 2,000.
The Countdown to Four will consist of four races, with the last race being the Oct. 5-7 at Virginia Motorsports Park. Following that race, the Countdown to One begins when the top four in each category have their points adjusted yet again.
The final two races of the season — in Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. — will see the final four competitors battle it out for the championship.
Winners: Kasey Kahne scored a victory that was vital to his efforts to make NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Kahne capitalized on rookie Reed Sorenson’s late misfortune to win Sunday night’s Sony HD 500 at California Speedway.
It was the series leading fifth victory this season and sixth career for Kahne, who entered the weekend 90 points behind veteran Mark Martin for the 10th and final berth in the Chase.
But Kahne made a visit to victory lane when he needed it most and heads into next weekend’s regular-season finale at Richmond just 30 points away from the cutoff for the 10-race playoff that will determine the 2006 champion.
“The team worked their butts off to get back in the Chase,” said Kahne, who completed a double-duty sweep after winning both the Busch and Nextel Cup Series races this weekend. “The only way we can do it is lead the most laps and win the race.”
40 Years Ago — 1986
News: Cutting the engine output of Indy cars by as much as 100 horsepower is the latest concept developed by the major sanctioning bodies to halt the upward speed spiral in the open-wheel division of racing.
Top officials and mechanical specialists of the United States Auto Club and Championship Auto Racing Teams met last week at USAC headquarters in an effort to come together in key elements of their rules for 1987.
USAC sanctions the Indianapolis 500 and CART the other 16 races on the PPG Cup schedule.
Roger McCluskey, vice president and director of competition for USAC, and Kirk Russell, operations director and technical supervisor for CART, headed up the two three-man delegations in the conference.
McCluskey and Russell both said that principal consideration is being given to cutting engine power by restricting the size of the air orifice into the turbocharger.
Russell said this would be accomplished by using a restrictor plate similar to the carburetor restrictor used by NASCAR.
He said that tests were being made with the restrictor cutting air intake to turbos by 10 percent.
USAC and CART agrteed to a joint testing program on the method of cutting engine power.
Winners: Jack Hewitt remains undefeated on the dirt tracks of the USAC Silver Crown circuit this season after winning the Labor Day USAC 100-mile event at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
The show was billed exactly as the play two weeks earlier, at Illinois State Fair featuring an auto race to close out the weeklong pagent. The stage had been moved 150 miles south, but the cast of Chuck Gurney, Gary Bettenhausen and Jack Hewitt was the same.
Nor did the grand finale feature a different leading actor.
Driving the recognizable Hampshire No. 63 machine, Hewitt took the lead from Gurney on the 55th of 100 laps and remained out front the remainder of the distance, beating Steve Butler to the checkered flag by a significant margin.
“I didn’t’ let up cause the car felt so good. I didn’t know whether I could believe Hamp (Bob Hampshire, owner and chief mechanic) or not when he signaled that I had a straightaway lead. The car is so versatile, it could run anywhere.”
60 Years Ago— 1966
News: Indianapolis racing cars will run in the St. Louis area for the first time when a $1 million facility in St. Louis county begins operations next spring if plans disclosed by American Raceway Enterprises, materialize.
Seven major events annually are planned at the new track, with at least three for Indy cars. Late model stock cars and compact sprint auto will also compete with purses of about $50,000 for each event.
The paved oval track, on which construction is expected to begin this month, will be on Bypass U.S. 40 in Bridgeton, about two miles east of the old St. Charles bridge on the Missouri river. The milelong track will be banked.
A 30,000-seat grandstand and room for 10,000 more temporary seats are planned at the facility, which will be pattered after the nationally known track in Milwaukee and built to United States Auto Club specifications. All races will be USAC sanctioned.
Winners: Determined Darel Dieringer, in the most hotly contested Southern 500 in history, calmly preceeded to the front of the pack with six laps remaining Monday afternoon to nail down his first major stock car racing victory in the 17th annual Labor Day classic.
And the last six laps resembled a Bugs Bunny cartoon following a horror movie … in color.
Dieringer led the scrap on eight occasions and inherited the lead from Richard Petty, who had to limp home with a ruined tire on the 358th lap of the 364-lap race.
Dieringer, 40, one of the most popular drivers in the business and certainly one of the most deserving winners in the history of the sport, couldn’t have piced a better time and a better place to score his initial classic victory.
Ten drivers led the rich event on 28 occasions and a capacity crowd of 70,000 couldn’t have seen more thrills if they had gone over Niagara Falls without a barrel.
Driving a Bud Moore Mercury Comet, Dieringer led 107 laps and collected $23,395.
