SPEED SPORT has been reporting on and covering motorsports happenings from all over the world for 85 years, so we thought it would be fun to take a look back in the archives to see what happened 10, 25 and 50 years ago each week.
So check out what SPEED SPORT was covering 10, 25 and 50 years ago this week in Looking Back!
10 Years Ago (June 10, 2009): Jimmy Owens earned a $100,000 payday for his victory in the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway. The 37-year-old racer charged from the 19th starting position, passing five-time Dream winner Scott Bloomquist and NASCAR star Tony Stewart in one lap to grab the lead for good on the 73rd circuit.
Other Happenings: Spencer Massey took home his first NHRA Top Fuel victory at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.; Helio Castroneves used a fast pit stop to win the Indy Racing League event at Texas Motor Speedway; Tony Stewart utilized a fuel gamble to earn his first points paying victory as a car owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania.
25 Years Ago (June 8, 1994): Roger Penske had two reasons to celebrate as his drivers Al Unser Jr. and Rusty Wallace each scored victories in their respective series’. Wallace kept his car off the wall on a day when many others didn’t to win at Dover Int’l Speedway in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Unser bested his teammates Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy to win the PPG IndyCar World Series event at The Milwaukee Mile.
Other Happenings: Glenn Allen Jr. drove to victory in the American Speed Ass’n event at I-70 Speedway in Missouri; Nigel Mansell lambasted USAC officials for their handling of the Indianapolis 500; Frankie Kerr won twice while Joey Saldana and Kelly Kinser each won once with the All Star Circuit of Champions; Tom Kendall won in SCCA Trans-Am action at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
50 Years Ago (June 11, 1969): Art Pollard survived a first-lap crash then went on to win the Rex Mays Memorial at Milwaukee’s State Fair Park. Pollard set off the chain reaction crash that collected 13 cars, with 10 of them failing to finish the 150-lap event when the transmission in his car broke and he locked wheels with Lloyd Ruby. Pollard was able to continue after the incident, taking the lead from Mario Andretti on the 90th lap and pulling away to a comfortable win.
Other Happenings: Bobby Isaac kept his hot streak going with a victory at Smoky Mountain Raceway in the Maryville 300; Don White drove his 1969 Dodge Charger 500 to victory in a 100-lap late model stock car feature at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Iowa; Jan Opperman was the winner of the Hawkeye Futurity at the Iowa State Fairgrounds; Larry Cannon won a 30-lap USAC sprint car feature at Eldora that also claimed the life of newcomer Roy Young.