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 (July 22, 2009): After seven races and 600 laps worth of competition, the battle for the Indiana Sprint Week title came down to a battle between Levi Jones and Bryan Clauson. In the end it was Jones who hoisted the trophy, besting a determined drive from Clauson to win the finale at Tri-State Speedway and claim the race victory and the overall Sprint Week title by two points over Clauson.
Other Happenings: Donny Schatz held off Dale Blaney to win the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway in Ohio; Antron Brown inched closer to a sweep of the NHRA’s Western Swing with a victory at Pacific Raceways in Washington; Ryan Phelps won his first and second Super DIRTcar Series big-block modified features in consecutive days at at Cayuga County Fair Speedway, earning more than $20,000.
25 Years Ago (July 20, 1994): A record crowd at Pocono Int’l Raceway watched as Geoff Bodine drove his No. 7 Exide Ford to victory in the Miller Genuine Draft 500. Bodine, utilizing Hoosier rubber, dominated the race by leading 156 of 200 laps. He pocketed $103,720, which included the Unocal 76 Challenge bonus of $30,400. The top-four finishers were all utilizing Hoosier tires.
Other Happenings: Michael Andretti outran Bobby Rahal on the streets of Toronto; Doug Wolfgang settled his lawsuit against KSE Racing Products stemming from a crash in 1992 at Lakeside Speedway that left him severely burned and injured; Derek Lynch won the ACT True Value 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway; Les Richter was named vice president of the proposed California Speedway by Roger Penske.
50 Years Ago (July 23, 1969): With a little help from relief driver Richard Petty, David Pearson won the wreck marred Volunteer 500 at Bristol Int’l Speedway. Pearson, who was suffering from the flu, gave up the car to Petty just past the 50-mile mark. Pearson got back in the car just before halfway and proceeded to win the race by three laps over Bobby Isaac. The victory pushed Pearson’s season-long winnings above the $100,000 mark.
Other Happenings: Mario Andretti earned his fifth victory of the season in the STP Oil Treatment Hawk Ford after winning the Trenton 200 USAC National Championship race at Trenton Speedway; American Raceawys Inc. announced that plans were moving forward for a $7 million racing facility to be known as Eastern Int’l Speedway in Burlington County, N.J.; Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina Motor Speedway, Darlington Int’l Raceway and Bristol Int’l Raceway announced plans for a merger.