1.
Anaheim, California
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Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 336,265, making it the most populous city in Orange County, Anaheim remained largely a rural community until Disneyland opened in the city in 1955. This led to the construction of hotels and motels around the area. The city also developed into a center, producing electronics, aircraft parts. Anaheims city limits extend from Cypress in the west to the Riverside County line in the east and encompass a diverse collection of neighborhoods, Anaheim Hills is a master-planned community located in the citys eastern stretches that is home to many of the citys affluent. Downtown Anaheim has three historic districts, the largest of which is the Anaheim Colony. The Anaheim Resort, a district, includes Disneyland, Disney California Adventure. The Platinum Triangle, a redevelopment district surrounding Angel Stadium, is planned to be populated with mixed-use streets. Finally, Anaheim Canyon is a district north of California State Route 91. Anaheims name is a blend of Ana, after the nearby Santa Ana River, and heim, the city of Anaheim was founded in 1857 by 50 German-Americans who were residents of San Francisco and whose families had originated in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Franconia in Bavaria. For $750 a share, the formed the Anaheim Vineyard Company. Their new community was named Annaheim, meaning home by the Santa Anna River in German, the name later was altered to Anaheim. To the Spanish-speaking neighbors, the settlement was known as Campo Alemán, although grape and wine-making was their primary objective, the majority of the 50 settlers were mechanics, carpenters and craftsmen with no experience in wine-making. The community set aside 40 acres for a center and a school was the first building erected there. The first home was built in 1857, the Anaheim Gazette newspaper was established in 1870, for 25 years, the area was the largest wine producer in California. However, in 1884, a disease infected the grape vines, other crops – walnuts, lemons and oranges – soon filled the void. Fruits and vegetables had become viable cash crops when the Los Angeles – Orange County region was connected to the railroad network in 1887. The famous Polish actress Helena Modjeska settled in Anaheim with her husband and various friends, among them Henryk Sienkiewicz, Julian Sypniewski, while living in Anaheim, Helena Modjeska became good friends with Clementine Langenberger, the second wife of August Langenberger
2.
United States Auto Club
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The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, ultimately, USAC was formed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman. It became the arbiter of rules, car design, and other matters for what it termed championship auto racing, for a while there was a separate series of specifications for championship cars designed to be run on dirt, rather than paved, tracks. NASCAR drivers including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, the triple crown is earned in USAC racing when a driver claims all three national championships. Only two drivers, Tony Stewart and J. J, yeley, have achieved the triple crown in a single season. Three other drivers, Pancho Carter, Dave Darland, and Jerry Coons, in 2012 Mike Curb and Cary Agajanian became the only car owners to win the triple crown by winning all three championships in the same year. USAC had awarded a championship until A. J. Foyt won his seventh title in 1979. It has announced that it will begin awarding a national championship starting in 2010, a drivers finishes in their 25 best races are counted toward the championship and the 2010 winner received $40,000. Points are accumulated in the three series, sprints, midgets, and silver crown. Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Indiana claimed the championship, topping runner-up, Levi Jones. Bruce White, assistant staff doctor Don Mullendore, owner and pilot of the plane, the effect on USAC, and for open-wheel racing in the United States, was devastating, especially since it closely followed the death of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman. The plane crash came at a time when Indy car owners and drivers were demanding changes from USAC, aside from the Indianapolis 500, USAC events were not well attended, and the owners felt that USAC poorly negotiated television rights. The owners also wanted increases in payouts, especially at Indy, though some think the plane crash was used as an opportunistic way to force change in the sport, it was merely an unfortunate coincidence. The seed of dissent had been growing for years before the accident. Finally, most car owners banded together to form Championship Auto Racing Teams in 1978, USAC tried unsuccessfully to ban all CART owners from the 1979 Indianapolis 500, finally losing in court before the race began. Both the USAC and CART ran race schedules in 1979, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president John Cooper was instrumental in forming a joint body of CART and USAC with the creation of the Championship Racing League in March 1980. However, in mid 1980, Cooper forced USAC to renounce their agreement with the CRL if they wanted to keep officiating the Indy 500, beginning in 1971, all dirt races were split from the National Championship. From 1971 to 1980, the series was named National Dirt Car Championship, Champions From 1956–1960 USAC National Sprint Car Championship was divided into two divisions, Midwest and East
3.
American open wheel car racing
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American Championship car racing, also known as Indy Car racing, is a category of professional-level automobile racing in the United States and North America. As of 2016, the top-level American open wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar, competitive events for professional-level, single-seat open-wheel race cars have been conducted under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1902. A season-long, points-based, National Championship of drivers has been recognized in 1905,1916. The Indianapolis 500, which debuted in 1911, is the marquee event of Indy Car racing. The open-wheeled, winged, single-seater cars have generally similar to those in Formula One. The fame of the Indianapolis 500 leads many to refer to the cars that compete on the American Championship circuit as Indy cars. This form of racing has experienced high levels of popularity over the years, the golden era of the 1950s was followed by a decade of transition and innovation in the 1960s, which included increased international participation. The sport experienced considerable growth and exposure during the popularity of the CART PPG Indy Car World Series in the 1980s. Two organizational disputes in 1979 and 1996, respectively, led to a split that divided the participants among two separate sanctioning bodies, however, an official unification took place in 2008 that brought the sport back together under one single sanctioning body. The national championship was sanctioned by the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association, the AAA first sanctioned automobile motorsports events in 1902. At first it used the rules of the Automobile Club of America and it introduced the first track season championship for racing cars in 1905. Barney Oldfield was the first champion, no official season championship was recognized from 1906-1915, however, single races were held. Official records regard 1916 as the next contested championship season, years later, retroactive titles were named back to 1902. These post-factum seasons are considered unofficial and revisionist history by accredited historians, Racing did not cease in the United States during WWI, but the official national championship was suspended. The Indianapolis 500 itself was suspended for 1917–1918 due to the war. In 1920, the championship resumed, and despite the difficult economic climate that would later follow. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, all auto racing was suspended during World War II, from 1942 to 1945 no events were contested, banned by the U. S. government primarily on account of rationing. Racing resumed in full in 1946, the 1946 season is unique, in that it included six Champ Car events, and 71 Big Car races, as organizers were initially unsure about the availability of cars and participation
4.
Indianapolis 500
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The Indianapolis 500 is an automobile race held annually at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is held over Memorial Day weekend, which is typically the last weekend in May and it is contested as part of the Verizon IndyCar Series, the top level of American Championship Car racing, an open-wheel formula colloquially known as Indy Car Racing. The name of the race is often shortened to Indy 500, the event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, which comprises three of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity is upwards of 250,000, the inaugural running was won by Ray Harroun in 1911. The race celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and the 100th running was held in 2016, alexander Rossi is the defending champion. The most successful drivers are A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, the active driver with the most victories is Hélio Castroneves, with three. Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions with six, the most successful car owner is Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske, which has 16 total wins and 17 poles. For a list of races and winners, see List of Indianapolis 500 winners, the Indianapolis 500 is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5 mile oval circuit. Drivers race 200 laps, counterclockwise around the circuit, for a distance of 500 miles, since its inception in 1911, the race has always been scheduled on or around Memorial Day. Since 1974, the race has been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, practice and time trials are held in the two weeks leading up to the race. Traditionally, the field consists of 33 starters, aligned in a grid of eleven rows of three cars apiece. The event is contested by Indy cars, a formula of professional-level, single-seat, open cockpit, open-wheel, as of 2015, all entrants utilize 2.2 L V6, twin-turbocharged engines, tuned to produce a range of 550–700 horsepower. Chevrolet and Honda are the current engine manufacturers involved in the sport, firestone, which has a deep history in the sport, dating back to the first 500, is the exclusive tire provider. The race is the most prestigious event of the IndyCar calendar and it has been avouched to be the largest single-day sporting event in the entire world. Likewise, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is regarded as the worlds largest sporting facility in terms of capacity, the total purse exceeded $13 million in 2011, with over $2.5 million awarded to the winner, making it one of the richest cash prize funds in sports. Due to safety issues, the race is not held in wet conditions, in the event of a rain delay, the race will be postponed until rain showers cease, and the track is sufficiently dried. If rain falls during the race, officials can end the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events, including ones for motorcycles. The first long distance event, in conditions, was the 100-lap Prest-O-Lite Trophy in 1909
5.
Sprint car racing
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Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, typically they are powered by a naturally aspirated, mechanically fuel injected American V8 with an engine displacement of 410 cubic inches capable of engine speeds of 9000 rpm. Depending on the setup and the track layout these cars achieve speeds in excess of 160 mph. A lower budget but likewise very popular class of Sprint cars uses a 360 cubic inch engines that produce approximately 700 horsepower, Sprint cars do not utilize a transmission, they have an in or out gear box and quick change rear differentials for occasional gearing changes. As a result, they do not have electric starters and require a push to start them, the safety record of sprint car racing in recent years has been greatly improved by the use of roll cages, and especially on dirt tracks, wings, to protect the drivers. Many IndyCar Series and NASCAR drivers used sprint car racing as a stepping stone on their way to more high-profile divisions. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Parnelli Jones, Johnnie Parsons, Al Unser, Sr. and Al Unser, Jr. as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. In fact, having announced his retirement from NASCAR, Tony Stewart plans on returning to Sprint Car racing. It has always been his passion, according to Stewart. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum located in Knoxville, Iowa, there are a few sanctioning bodies for non-winged sprint cars. This series has become the premier non-winged sprint car series on the west coast of the United States, USAC also has hosted the Silver Crown series based in the Midwestern United States state of Indiana for decades. The Silver Crown series was started in 1971 as an offshoot of the series competed for the National Championship Trail including the Indianapolis 500. Non-wing Sprint cars are considered the traditional sprint car, dating back to the first sprint cars in the 1930s and 1940s, today, they are essentially the same car as a Winged Sprint Car, only without wings. In fact, many of them have the stub outs in the frame for adding wings and they use the same 410ci or 360ci Aluminum engines as their winged cousins. Their tuning and gearing are different for performance at lower RPMs than a winged car, chassis set ups and tires are also different. While they dont have the top speed as a winged car. They tend to have a more extreme driving style and are often sliding sideways through corners, unfortunately, this makes them more dangerous than winged cars and their crashes are known for their spectacular nature. They also lack the inherent safety that a wing provides and it is fairly uncommon for someone to be good at driving both wing and non-wing cars, they are very different to drive
6.
New Bremen, Ohio
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New Bremen is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,978 at the 2010 census and it is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. The village was founded by German immigrants in 1832 and is named after Bremen and it is home to the Bicycle Museum of America. New Bremen is also the headquarters of Crown Equipment Corporation. The town was first a community started by Bavarians and Hanoverians, following a route from Bremen, Germany to America, through West Virginia. Once Cincinnati was reached the founders formed a group called the City of Bremen Society and this charter authorized the purchase of 80 acres of Ohio land to build a town. This land was first established as a community in 1832. As the town itself was established, migration to the town had been stunted by lack of usable markets and this all would change with the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal. There were so few in the town that subcontractors had to rely of jiggers or 2oz bottles of whiskey to attract workers, the Canal was soon finished and opened. When opened, the Canal brought new markets to New Bremen, the town became busy place very quickly, with hundreds of freight boats moving few frequently, along with dozens of passengers boats, filled with people making the trip from Cincinnati. The locks from the Canal have been restored along with the addition of a lockkeepers house, the New Bremen Local Schools system consists of a high school, middle school, and elementary school. New Bremen is located at 40°26′11″N 84°22′46″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.15 square miles, all land. As of the census of 2010, there were 2,978 people,1,145 households, the population density was 1,385.1 inhabitants per square mile. There were 1,266 housing units at a density of 588.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 97. 8% White,0. 1% African American,0. 1% Native American,0. 5% Asian,0. 4% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 2% of the population. 24. 5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the village was 38.2 years. 27. 8% of residents were under the age of 18,6. 4% were between the ages of 18 and 24,26. 4% were from 25 to 44,27. 4% were from 45 to 64, and 12% were 65 years of age or older
7.
1960 Indianapolis 500
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The 44th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Monday, May 30,1960. The event was part of the 1960 USAC National Championship Trail and it would be the final time World Championship points would be awarded at the Indy 500. Often regarded as the greatest two-man duel in Indianapolis 500 history, Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward battled out nearly the entire second half. Rathmann took the lead for good on lap 197 after Ward was forced to slow down with a worn out tire, Rathmanns margin of victory of 12.75 seconds was the second-closest finish in Indy history at the time. The inaugural 500 Festival Open Invitation was held at the Speedway Golf Course in the four leading up to the race. Time trials was scheduled for four days, but the day was rained out. Saturday May 14 – Pole Day time trials Eddie Sachs set a record of 146.592 mph to win the pole position. Sunday May 15 – Second day time trials Saturday May 21 – Third day time trials The third day of trials was rained out. Sunday May 22 – Fourth day time trials Jim Hurtubise nearly broke the elusive, hurtubises four-lap qualifying average of 149.056 mph featured a new one-lap record of 149.601 mph, to establish himself as the fastest qualifier in the field. After Carburetion tests, Dempsey Wilson replaced Jimmy Daywalt as the driver for the #23 entry, the race started out with four contenders in the first half. Rodger Ward took the lead on lap 1 from the outside of the front row, two laps later, Ward was back in the lead, and the record-setting number of lead changes was already under way. Troy Ruttman and Jim Rathmann also took turns at the front, the first caution came out on lap 47, after Duane Carter spun in turn 3. He did not hit the wall, came to a rest in the infield grass, later, Jim McWithey came into the pits without any brakes. He brushed the inside pit wall trying to slow the car down, later in the race, Eddie Russo and Wayne Weiler also suffer single-car crashes. Rodger Ward stalled his engine twice during his first pit stop, after getting back on the track, he started charging to catch up to the front of the field. Shortly after the point, Eddie Sachs and Troy Ruttman would both drop out of the race, ultimately leaving Rathmann and Ward to battle it out in front. On about lap 124, Tony Bettenhausen came in for a pit stop. He complained of an engine, but returned to the track
8.
Kurtis Kraft
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Kurtis Kraft was an American designer and builder of race cars. The company built cars, quartermidgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Bonneville cars. It was founded by Frank Kurtis when he built his own midget car chassis in the late 1930s, Kurtis built some very low fiberglass bodied two-seaters sports cars under his own name in Glendale, California between 1949 and 1955. About 36 cars had made when the licence was sold to Madman Muntz who built the Muntz Jet. In 1954 and 1955, road versions of their Indianapolis racers were offered, Kurtis Kraft created over 550 ready-to-run midget cars, and 600 kits. The Kurtis Kraft chassis midget car featured a version of the Offenhauser motor. The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame describes the combination as virtually unbeatable for over twenty years, Kurtis Kraft also created 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners. Kurtis sold the midget car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s, Frank Kurtis was the first non-driver inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Zeke Justice and Ed Justice of the Justice Brothers both worked at Kurtis-Kraft after World War II, zeke Justice was the first employee at Kurtis-Kraft. The FIA World Drivers Championship included the Indianapolis 500 between 1950 and 1960, so many Kurtis Kraft cars are credited with competing in that championship, One Kurtis midget car was also entered in the 1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix driven by Rodger Ward. It was not designed for European-style road racing and with an engine it circulated at the back of the field for 20 laps before retiring with clutch problems. From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship
9.
Offenhauser
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The Offy or Offenhauser Racing Engine is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers. The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the Offy, was developed by Fred Offenhauser, originally, it was sold as a marine engine. In 1930, a four-cylinder 151 cu in Miller engine installed in a car set a new international land speed record of 144.895 mph. Miller developed this engine into an overhead cam, four-cylinder, four-valve-per-cylinder 220 cu in racing engine. Variations of this design would be used in midgets and sprints into the 1960s and they and former Miller employee, draftsman Leo Goossen, further developed the Miller engines into the Offenhauser engines. Then in 1946 the name and engine designs were sold to Louis Meyer, Meyer was bought out by Drake, his wife Eve and their son John in 1965. From then until Drakes son John sold the shop to Stewart Van Dyne and it was under Meyer and Drake that the engine dominated the Indy 500 and midget racing in the United States. One of the keys to the Offenhauser engines success and popularity was its power. A251.92 cubic inch DOHC four-cylinder racing Offy with a 15,1 compression ratio, other variants of the engine produced even higher outputs of 3 hp per cubic inch. Another reason for the success was its reliability, its monobloc construction meant it was not vulnerable to head gasket or cylinder stud problems. From 1934, through the 1970s, the Offenhauser engine dominated American open wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 50027 times, by then, the company had already been sold, right after World War II, to Meyer and Drake, who continued to build the engines. From 1950 through 1960, Offenhauser-powered cars won the Indy 500, outputs over 1,000 bhp could be attained, using around 44.3 psi of boost pressure. The final 2. 65-litre four-cylindar Offy, restricted to 24.6 psi boost, the Offys final victory came at Trenton in 1978, in Gordon Johncocks Wildcat. The Offenhauser shop began to do work for Lockheed in 1940. The last prewar engine was shipped on July 17,1941, after the Pear Harbor attack, the plant worked overtime on hydraulic systems, getting Fred Offenhauser the money and the fatigue to retire. In 1944, Leo Goossen finally became a full time Offenhauser employee, Offenhauser produced engine blocks in several sizes. These blocks could be bored out or sleeved to vary the cylinder bore, Offenhauser frequently made blocks, pistons, rods, and crankshafts to specific customer requests. In their 11 world championship years, the Meyer-Drake Offenhauser engine partnered for at least one race with the following 35 constructors
10.
1961 Indianapolis 500
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The 45th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Tuesday, May 30,1961. For the first time since 1949, the Indianapolis 500 was not recognized on the World Championship calendar, the race celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Indy 500 in 1911. Eddie Sachs and A. J. Foyt were battling for 1st-2nd in the stages of the race. On Foyts final scheduled pit stop, his crew was unable to engage the fuel mechanism. Foyt returned to the track, and was pulling away from Sachs, Foyts car was running faster due to the light fuel load, but his crew signaled him that he would be unable to make it to the finish without another pit stop. The crew borrowed a fuel feed mechanism from Len Suttons team, Foyt gave up the lead on lap 184 for a splash-and-go. That handed the lead to Sachs, who was now leading by 25 seconds, with three laps to go, the warning tread showed on Sachs rear tire and Sachs decided to play it safe. Rather than nurse the car around, he pitted to replace the tire on lap 197. Foyt took the lead three laps to go and won his first Indy 500 victories by a margin of 8.28 seconds. Dubbed the British Invasion, it would be the first notable appearance of a rear-engined car. Brabham qualified 17th at 145.144 mp/h and drove the car to a respectable 9th-place finish and he had planned to run conservatively and make only two pit stops, but tire wear and fuel consumption forced him to make a 3rd stop, negating his strategy. Had he driven more aggressively with three pit stops, he might have much closer to the lead serial. The remainder of the original 3,200,000 bricks now lie underneath the asphalt surface and this meant that the 1961 race was the last 500 in which cars raced on the original bricks other than those at the start/finish line. Nicknamed the Tinley Park Express, Tony Bettenhausen, Sr. was killed in a crash during a run on May 12. He was testing a car for Paul Russo and it was determined that an anchor bolt fell off the front radius rod support, permitting the front axle to twist and mis-align the front wheels when the brakes were applied. The car plunged into the wall, then rode along the top, snapping fence poles. The car came to rest upside-down on top of the outside wall, before the time trials Bettenhausen had been the favorite to become the first driver to break the 150 mph barrier at the Speedway.481 mph. First alternate, Paul Russo John Masariu,38 father of 6, of Danville, on the 127th lap of the race, driver Eddie Johnson spun out in turn 4, but did not suffer significant damage and he was not injured
11.
1962 Indianapolis 500
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The 46th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Wednesday, May 30,1962. A historic pole day as Parnelli Jones breaks the 150 mph barrier in qualifying, rodger Ward and Len Sutton finish 1st-2nd for Leader Cards Racing. The 1962 Indy 500 marked the final 500 wherein the entire 33-car field consisted of U. S. -born participants, time trials was scheduled for four days. Saturday May 12 – Pole Day time trials Len Sutton was the first driver to make an assault on the track record and his fourth lap of 149.900 mph was a new one-lap track record. Parnelli Jones becomes the first driver to break the 150 mph barrier and his first lap was run at 150.729 mph, a new all-time one-lap track record. All four of his laps were over 150 mph, and his four-lap average came in at 150.370 mph, Jones was rewarded by having 150 silver dollars poured into his helmet by Phil Hedback of Bryant Heating & Cooling. Sunday May 13 – Second day time trials Saturday May 19 – Third day time trials Sunday May 20 – Fourth day time trials Parnelli Jones took the lead at the start, the first incident on the track occurred on lap 17. A four-car crash in turn four involved Jack Turner, Bob Christie, Allen Crowe, a lengthy yellow light period was needed to clean up the incident. Rodger Ward led the final 31 laps en route to victory and it was his second 500 win, after winning also in 1959. His Leader Cards teammate Len Sutton finished second, accomplishing the first team sweep of 1st-2nd since the Blue Crown team did it in 1947 and 1948, after dominating much of the early race, Parnelli Jones, who started on the pole and led 120 laps, finished 7th. First alternate, Dempsey Wilson The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network, sid Collins served as chief announcer. Fred Agabashian served as driver expert, newcomer Howdy Bell joined the crew, serving as a turn reporter. It was his first of over 40 years with the network, a few minutes of highlights were shown on ABCs Wide World Of Sports. Indianapolis 500 History, Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site 1962 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference. info 1962 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
12.
1963 Indianapolis 500
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The 47th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday, May 30,1963. Parnelli Jones took his only Indy 500 win despite his car spewing oil from an overflow tank for many laps. USAC officials put off black-flagging Jones after car owner J. C, agajanian ran down pit lane and convinced them that the oil leak was below the level of a known crack and would not leak any further. Lotus owner Colin Chapman, whose English-built, rear-engined Lotus-Ford finished second in the hands of Scotsman Jim Clark, accused USAC officials of being biased towards the American driver, the non-black flagging of Jones remains controversial. Goodyear arrived at the track and supplied tires for some entries, no cars used Goodyear tires during time trials or the race itself. It was the first time since about 1921 that Goodyear attempted to compete at Indy, Goodyear had last won the race in 1919. Time trials was scheduled for four days, Saturday May 18 – Pole Day time trials Parnelli Jones wins the pole position for the second consecutive year. His speed of 151.150 mph is a new track record. Sunday May 19 – Second day time trials Saturday May 25 – Third day time trials Rookie Bobby Unser drives one of the Novis to a speed of 149.420 mph, fastest of the afternoon, to line up 16th. Rookie Johnny Rutherford bumped Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez Sunday May 26 – Fourth day time trials Parnelli Jones started from the pole position, a fierce duel broke out in the opening laps. Jim Hurtubise, who started in the middle of the front row, caught up to Jones down the backstretch, Hurtubise led at the stripe at the completion of lap 1. On lap 2, Jones caught up to Hurtubise again, and took the back in turn four. Hurtubise dove down to re-take the lead in one, but Jones was able to slip by. On lap 3, Bobby Unser swerved to avoid running into the car of Dick Rathmann, Unser spun out and crashed into the wall in turn one. The yellow light would stay on for ten minutes to clean up a gasoline spill caused by the wreck. Jones continued to lead, and when the flag came back out on lap 10. With Jones ahead, Hurtubise was running second, holding off Roger McCluskey, Hurtubise held off their challenge for many laps, his powerful Novi engine blasting down the long straights. By lap 40, however, McCluskey and Marshman finally got by Hurtubise, Jones was all alone though, ahead by over 20 seconds
13.
1966 Indianapolis 500
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The 50th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Monday, May 30,1966. The official program cover for the race celebrated both the 50th running of the race, and sesquicentennial of Indiana statehood, eleven of the 33 starters were eliminated in a first-lap accident right after receiving the green flag on the main stretch. Only A. J. Foyt was injured, hurting his hand scaling the catch fence trying to escape the wreck scene, only seven cars, the fewest finishers ever, were still running by the end of the race. First-time starter Jackie Stewart led by over a lap late in the race in John Mecoms Lola T90-Ford, however, inside ten laps to go, his oil pressure dropped too low due to a broken scavenge pump. Stewart parked the car, and walked back to the pits, fellow rookie Graham Hill inherited the lead and led a total of 10 laps to win, the first rookie winner since 1927. Despite parking the car, Stewart was voted the rookie of the year over Hill, defending race winner Jim Clark spun twice during the race, and finished second. For the second year in a row, the Wood Brothers from the NASCAR Grand National circuit were invited to work pit stops, however, the car dropped out of the race in the crash on the opening lap. Three-year veteran Johnny Rutherford was injured in a crash on April 3 at Eldora. The Mecom Racing Team was scheduled to field drivers Walt Hansgen, Rodger Ward, however, Hansgen died from injuries suffered in a crash during a test session at Le Mans on April 3. Graham Hill was named as a replacement, and his name was not even listed on the enrty list in the official program. Practice for the Golden Anniversary 500 opened on Saturday April 30, chuck Hulse was the fastest car over the first weekend. On Monday May 2, Art Pollard became the first rookie to pass the 145 mph rookie test, Jackie Stewart also passed his rookie test. On Tuesday May 10, Mario Andretti turned a lap of 164.5 mph during practice. Among the others over the 160 mph mark were A. J. Foyt, George Snider, rain washed out practice on Wednesday May 11. On Friday May 13, the day of practice before time trials, Mario Andretti shattered the unofficial track record by more than 5 mph. Rain hampered most of the day, but Andretti put together additional laps of 166 mph, the next-fastest car was Jim Clark, whose best lap was 165.7 mph. Mario Andretti won the position with a four-lap track record of 165.889 mph. His best single lap was a record 166.328 mph, chuck Rodee was killed in a crash
14.
A. J. Watson
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A. J. Watson was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race six times as a car builder. His first win as a car came in 1956 when Pat Flaherty drove the John Zink entry to victory in that years Indy 500. Watson had won the year as a crew chief for Bob Sweikert. A native of southern California, Watson came to Indianapolis in 1948 and he returned the following year with a home-built car that failed to qualify. For the next 11 years, his cars not only qualified but were leaders in many years, from 1955 to 1958 he was associated with the John Zink team, and from 1959 on with Bob Wilke. His cars dominated the race through 1964, although he continued entering cars for another two decades, he was never able to regain the commanding position of his heyday. In 1964, with many teams following Lotuss example and moving to rear-engined funny cars and these worked reasonably well but could not reproduce the success he had with his front-engined roadsters. He built monocoque rear-engined cars in 1966 and 1967 with ever-decreasing success, from 1969 until 1977, Watson ran Eagles and then built a small series of highly derivative new Watson cars in 1977,1978 and again in 1982 based on Lightning and March designs before retiring. He is frequently listed on the Indy 500 entry sheet as the race strategist for PDM Racing and he died on May 12,2014 at the age of 90. He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 and he was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996. Legendary Mechanic Celebrating 50th Year at Indy
15.
Ford Motor Company
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The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16,1903, the company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and most luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer, Troller, and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV, in the past, it has also produced tractors and automotive components. Ford owns an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom, and it also has a number of joint-ventures, one in China, one in Taiwan, one in Thailand, one in Turkey, and one in Russia. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family, Fords former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively, were sold to Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010, in 2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed entry-level luxury cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938. During the financial crisis at the beginning of the 21st century, it was close to bankruptcy, Ford is the second-largest U. S. -based automaker and the fifth-largest in the world based on 2015 vehicle production. At the end of 2010, Ford was the fifth largest automaker in Europe, Ford is the eighth-ranked overall American-based company in the 2010 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2009 of $118.3 billion. In 2008, Ford produced 5.532 million automobiles and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants, the company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40 percent voting rights. The Ford Motor Company was launched in a factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John. During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue and later its factory on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Groups of two or three men worked on car, assembling it from parts made mostly by supplier companies contracting for Ford. Henry Ford was 39 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company and it has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world. The first gasoline powered automobile had been created in 1885 by the German inventor Carl Benz, between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S. Hundreds or a few thousand of most of these were sold per year, in 1908, Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which totalled millions sold over nearly 20 years. In 1927, Ford replaced the T with the Model A, Ford launched the first low-priced car with a V8 engine in 1932. In an attempt to compete with General Motors mid-priced Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Henry Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, in order to compete with such brands as Cadillac and Packard for the luxury segment of the automobile market. The creation of a laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan in 1951, doing unfettered basic research
16.
1967 Indianapolis 500
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The 51st International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, over two days, Tuesday May 30 and Wednesday May 31,1967. The race was dominated by Parnelli Jones in the radically new, with three laps to go, however, Jones coasted to a stop when a $6 transmission bearing failed. A. J. Foyt assumed the lead, and weaved his way through a pileup on the final lap, foyts victory was the first Indy 500 win for Goodyear tires since 1919. After leaving the sport in 1922, Goodyear returned to the sport 1964, the race was scheduled for Tuesday May 30. The race started on time at 11,00 a. m, EST, but after only 18 laps, rain began to fall. The race was red-flagged, and the resumption was held at 10,00 a. m. the following day, though temperatures on Wednesday were cool, skies were sunny, and the race was run to completion. The annual 500 Victory Banquet was scheduled for Wednesday May 31, after the race was postponed for rain, the banquet was still held as scheduled, which was just hours after the checkered flag fell. Going into time trials, Mario Andretti was the favorite for the pole position, on the final day of practice, he turned the fastest practice lap in Indy history at over 168 mph. Among the others that were expected to challenge for the front row were Roger McCluskey, A. J. Foyt, and Gordon Johncock. Parnelli Jones, driving the new Granatelli STP-Paxton Turbocar gas turbine was in the top ten of practice speeds, but never on top, the first car out to qualify was Ronnie Duman. At about 2,30 p. m. Joe Leonard took over the pole position with a run of 166.098 mph. About an hour and a later, Dan Gurney took over the pole with another record run of 167.224 mph. Gurneys time on top was short-lived, however, as Mario Andretti was the car to make an attempt. Andretti set new 1-lap and 4-lap track records to win the position for the second year in a row. His third lap stood as the lap record, and his four-lap average wound up at 168.982 mph. At the end of the day, the field was filled to 25 cars, later in the day, Gordon Johncock squeezed himself on to the front row, qualifying third. A. J. Foyt suffered mechanical trouble on his first attempt, later on, he returned to the track to qualify in fourth starting position. Parnelli Jones in the Granatelli Turbine qualified 6th, the STP crew had Jones qualify with a straight race-day setup, including the use of standard fuel
17.
Lola Cars
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Lola Cars International Ltd. was a racing car engineering company founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. Enduring more than fifty years, it was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of racing cars in the world, Lola Cars started by building small front-engined sports cars, and branched out into Formula Junior cars before diversifying into a wider range of sporting vehicles. Lola was acquired by Martin Birrane in 1998 after the unsuccessful MasterCard Lola attempt at Formula One, Lola Cars was a brand of the Lola Group, which combined former rowing boat manufacturer Lola Aylings and Lola Composites, that specialized in carbon fibre production. After a period in administration, Lola Cars International ceased trading on 5 October 2012. Many of Lolas assets were purchased by a partnership composed of Multimatic Engineering. Lola was one of the top chassis suppliers in the 1960s, after its small front-engined sports cars came various single-seaters including Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1 cars. Broadley designed Lola Mk.6 coupe fitted with the Ford V8 engine, Ford took a keen interest in this and paid Broadley to put the company on hold for two years and merge his ideas with Roy Lunns work, giving rise to the Ford GT40. In 2005, Lola announced that a new batch of T70 coupés, to the original specifications and these will be homologated for historic racing and there is talk of a one-make series for the cars. Various Group 5 and Group 6 sports cars including the T212 and T28x/29x/38x/39x series were built, competing with Chevron, March. Alain de Cadenets Le Mans specials tended to be based on Lola technology, derivatives of this car were successful for some time in IMSA and Group C racing. Later Lola Group C and GTP cars tended to be specifically for manufacturer programmes, specifically the later Nissan Group C entries. Lola also built a car for the 3.5 L Group C formula, the T92/10, more recently, Lola has produced a range of sports cars for Le Mans-style racing starting with the B98/10, which was successful in the European market but less so in the USA. The B2K/10, with its additional central headlight reminiscent of a cyclops or a locomotive was more notable for its looks than its performance, a dedicated LMP675 car was built for MG in 2001, powered by a two-litre four-cylinder AER turbocharged engine. This was entered at Le Mans by the team as the MG-Lola EX257. Later developments of this car have been fitted with assorted small V8s, an updated version of the Lola LMP2 came in 2005 with the introduction of the Lola B05/40. It quickly became a contender in LMP2 by taking class honours in 2005 and 2006 at Le Mans with Ray Mallock Limited. It also earned several wins in the American Le Mans Series in 2005 and 2006 with Intersport Racing, including a second-place overall finish in the 200612 Hours of Sebring. In 2007, extensive updates were made to the chassis, to accommodate the all-new Acura powerplant run by Fernandez Racing, in addition, an essentially brand new LMP2 prototype, the B07/40, was built to house the new AER-based Mazda engine
18.
1968 Indianapolis 500
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The 52nd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday May 30,1968. For the second year in a row, one of Andy Granatellis STP Turbine-powered machines was leading late in the race, on lap 174 Lloyd Rubys engine misfired allowing Joe Leonard to take the lead in the Lotus 56 Turbine. Leonard, however, suffered a flameout on the lap 191 restart, Bobby Unser in the venerable piston-powered Offenhauser, inherited the lead, and despite gear linkage trouble, went on to win his first of three Indy 500 victories. This was the final Indianapolis 500 to feature a car in the starting field. Of the 33 cars,32 were rear-engined machines, Jim Hurtubises entry, which dropped out after only nine laps, was the last front-engine car to race in the 500. This was also the first 500 won by a turbocharged engine, during the month, film crews were on hand to film various action shots and stock footage of the race proceedings to be used in the upcoming movie Winning, starring Paul Newman. With 9.25 inches of precipitation in the Indianapolis area, rain hampers practice and qualifying, but does not affect race day. Time trials was scheduled for four days, but for the first time under the current schedule format, most of Bump Day was rained out, and the track closed due to darkness with the field not yet filled to 33 cars. A special session was held Monday in order to complete the field, the 500 Festival Parade was held Tuesday night, May 28. The 1968 Indianapolis 500 was the second and ultimately the final year of participation by the controversial STP Granatelli Turbine machines. For 1968, the Pratt & Whitney turbine engine was installed in the Lotus 56 chassis, often known colloquially as the Wedge Turbine, in a veiled effort to curtail the turbines power output, USAC had imposed revised regulations regarding the maximum annulus inlet. Mike Spence was fatally injured after a crash in one on May 7. A tire broke off his Lotus Wedge Turbine and struck him in the head and he died of his injuries a few hours after the accident after being taken to the hospital. Spences death came one month after Jim Clarks at Hockenheim, clark was scheduled to drive one of the Lotus Wedge Turbines at Indy. Graham Hill the 1966 winner in the #70 STP Turbine was first to qualify, later, his STP Lotus 56 teammate Joe Leonard in #60 won the pole position with a speed of 171.559 mph. Rain kept cars off the track most of the day, only two cars were able to make an attempt, and only one was run to completion. At 5,45 p. m. the track was opened for qualifications. At the conclusion of the first weekend of time trials, the field was filled to 16 cars, sixteen cars made a total of 24 attempts, and filled the field to 26 cars
