Remembering a Champion Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer This is the final article of a four-part series focusing on the life of Greg Moore, who lost his life at Auto Club Speedway on October 31, 1999. PREVIOUS STORIES: PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 The term “what if” is often tossed around the world of motorsports and Greg Moore is among those racers who are heavily associated in that category. Each story you’ve heard validates Greg’s case as one of the biggest “what ifs” as he was on the verge of joiningRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer This is the third article of a four-part series focusing on the life of Greg Moore, who lost his life at Auto Club Speedway on October 31, 1999. PREVIOUS STORIES: PART 1 | PART 2 Greg Moore’s persona off the track is the stuff of legend, but so was his on-track mannerisms. Specifically, what he’s searching for in a car which often goes under the radar. A.J. Foyt Racing’s Team Director George Klotz, who worked with Moore from 1996-97, was one of Moore’s key personnel thatRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer This is the second article of a four-part series focusing on the life of Greg Moore, who lost his life at Auto Club Speedway on October 31, 1999. PREVIOUS STORIES: PART 1 Greg Moore’s timeless legacy is still fresh for those who competed with him over two decades ago and even those who idolized the Canadian that hailed from Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Notably, fellow Canadian James Hinchcliffe, who’s easy to identify on the INDYCAR grid with his bright red gloves. Those red gloves are synonymousRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer April 22, 1975 – October 31, 1999 Five-Time CART Winner 1998 U.S. 500 Champion 1995 Indy Lights Champion No. 99 Retired by CART This is the first article of a four-part series focusing on the life of Greg Moore, who lost his life at Auto Club Speedway on October 31, 1999. Whenever a CART competitor saw Greg Moore’s red gloves in their mirrors, they would always expect a hellacious battle, especially on ovals. Greg’s blistering light blue No. 99 Player’s machine was easy to identify becauseRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent May 20, 1958 – September 15, 2019 Seven-Time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion 74 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Wins Two-Time NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion 12 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Wins 1999 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Rookie of the Year Six-Time NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee When describing a championship driver, words such as dedicated, determined, mentor, strong, talented, and respected often come to mind. Mike Stefanik was all of these and much, much more. Stefanik was born in Wilbraham, Mass., onRead More

February 14, 1944 – September 11, 1978 Ten-time Grand Prix Winner Runner-up in F1 Championship 1971, 1978 Over the past 65 seasons, 846 drivers have competed in Formula One competition. Of those, only 32 have gained the title of World Champion. In order to be crowned champion, a driver must not only possess the talent and determination, but also have the circumstances put them in the right place at the right time. As you can imagine, the history books are filled with stories about drivers that probably should have beenRead More

August 26, 1946 – July 2, 1973 The auto racing history books are filled with stories of unfulfilled potential, with drivers having their lives cut short leaving a lingering series of ‘what if’ scenarios. Young men like Francois Cevert, Adam Petty, Greg Moore and more recently, Jules Bianchi, had yet to demonstrate how far their careers would take them before they were taken from us. None of those stories, perhaps, are as compelling as the story of David Earl “Swede” Savage Jr. who found himself in the lead of theRead More

April 18, 1942 – September 5, 1970 Formula One World Champion 1970 When I was a young person, I would often spend time reading books about auto racing and its rich history. I found the stories of the innovators that worked to make the cars faster to be particularly fascinating. What I really enjoyed, however, were the stories about the drivers. While other kids were reading comics about Batman or Superman, my superheroes were guys like Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Phil Hill and Jackie Stewart. I was particularity drawn toRead More

January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982 Six time winner in Formula One Second in 1979 World Championship The year was 1979. I was twelve years old. The place was Watkins Glen International and the event was the Formula One Grand Prix of the United States. It was Friday afternoon and it was raining like crazy. My Uncle and I were wearing those one-dollar ponchos that fold up in your pocket. They didn’t help much; we were getting drenched. We were standing in a grassy section where we could get aRead More

August 9, 1944 – August 1, 1980 Formula Two Champion – 1974 Monaco Grand Prix winner – 1978 Nearly every race fan has a favorite driver. But, with the nature of auto racing having multiple competitors and multiple series, a lot of us have several second-tier or third-tier drivers that we root for just as much as our favorite. For me, as a young person in the 1970s, my “second-favorite” race car driver was a guy named Patrick Depailler. There was a driver named Mario that occupied the number oneRead More