Gordon Johncock Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer January 23, 2008. I was in my dorm room at Louisiana State University visiting speedtv.com to look up the motorsports news from the day. A Robin Miller headline immediately stopped my scrolling. CHAMP CAR: Tony George Makes an Offer for Unity Eyes widened, I clicked and read, finding numerous quotes that were smile-inducing. “We’ve got to find a way to make a deal with Tony George,” said 1996 CART champion Jimmy Vasser. “I was never consulted on anything that had to do with the Speedway butRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer After last year’s historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, with a sell-out crowd and a large amount of media attention, I wondered if the momentum would continue into the next century of racing. Indeed, the 101st Running, slated for May 28, 2017, has a tough act to follow. What could possibly happen to top this? Enter Fernando Alonso. The stunning early-morning announcement on Wednesday that the two-time World Drivers Champion would run in the 500 caught the racing community by surprise. Many of usRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer In sharp contrast to some of his contemporaries, who can be found at the race track week-in and week-out, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Gordon Johncock rarely speaks about, or even thinks about, racing these days. He makes precious few personal appearances, only occasionally grants interviews, and is likely to refer you to IMS historian, Donald Davidson, for questions about his racing stats. Now 80 years old, Johncock routinely puts in a full day of work at Quigley Lumber, the business that he owns in SouthRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is making preparations for the historic 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, it is a wonderful time to take a trip down memory lane and examine the rich history of this uniquely American event. Each of the 99 previous races has produced a winner that will forever have his name etched in motor racing history. 67 race winning drivers, and two relief drivers have their images on the Borg-Warner Trophy. There are, however, an untold number of heartbreakingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Contributing Writer 1991 was a pivotal year for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 75th running of the Indianapolis 500 would be run on May 26 and the IndyCar season got off to an interesting start as it led up to the month of May. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Sr. was without a ride as the Alfa-Romeo program signed Danny Sullivan as its main driver, relegating Roberto Guerrero to the sidelines until Alfa-Romeo picked Guerrero up for the race. Unser Sr. was unable to find a rideRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Contributing Writer On April 2nd, the Verizon IndyCar Series returns to Phoenix International Raceway for the first time since 2005, and it is with this upcoming race that we will take a look back at the start of another era in open wheel racing’s history at Phoenix. CART was formed in late 1978 as a response to USAC’s rejection of a change in philosophy for top level open wheel racing in America. As such, CART proceeded to host its own races in 1979 that were sanctioned byRead More