Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 91 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 20, 40 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.
20 Years Ago — 2006
News: The 25th edition of the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway will carry a record purse.
The Sept. 22-23 Mopar Thunder @ the USAC 4-Crown Nationals will pay $266,250 for the four divisions competing, with an additional $125,000 in bonus money available.
The winner of the USAC Silver Crown, sprint-car and midget races each will earn $25,000, while the United Midwestern Promoters Modified champion will earn $2,500.
Mopar is posting a $100,000 cash bonus for any driver who can win all three USAC features, while an additiona! $25,000 bonus will be paid to any driver who sweeps all four legs.
The $25,000 Jack Hewitt Bonus celebrates the accomplishment of the Troy, Ohio, driver, who swept the event in 1998.
“Eldora has a long history of high-paying events,” said Tony Stewart, the owner of Eldora and current NASCAR Nextel Cup driver: “When I bought the track from Earl (Baltes), I knew I had big shoes to fill in following that reputation. We’re ecstatic to promote such a marquee event with Mopar and celebrate what will be 25 years of the 4-Crown Nationals.
“As a driver who started my career in these non-winged cars, I can tell you that these massive purses and bonuses, and the allure of Eldora. Should attract drivers from every garage in America. If I didn’t have Cup commitments in Dover that weekend, I’d try to win all four myself.”
Winners: Defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Earl Pearson, Jr. came from midfield to bring home the $10,000 payday at the ninth annual Jones Core Indiana Icebreaker at Brownstown Speedway.
Pearson, who started loth, took the lead from 14th-starter Darrell Lanigan on lap 61 and led to the checkered flag in the 75-lap event on the quarter-mile oval.
“We really had to work for this one,” Pearson said. ”We knew going into the heat race that it would be difficult to get to the front after the invert. We didn’t take any gambles on setup going into the feature.”
Don O’Neal finished third, with early leader Greg Johnson and Brian Birkhofer rounding out the top five.
Sixty-eight cars were on hand, with Steve Francis the fast qualifier with a 13.458-second lap.
40 Years Ago — 1986
News: The extradition late last week of former world endurance driving titlist John Paul, Sr. on attempted murder and related drug charges, appears to have raised the possibility that the Georgia resident, accused of shooting federal narcotics witness Stephen Carson five times on a Crescent Beach, Fla. boat ramp in 1983, may become a witness himself against former associates.
The 46-year-old Paul was brought to Jacksonville, Fla., under heavy guard from Switzerland late last Thursday and jailed in the St. John’s county detention facility. A sheriff’s spokesman indicated that Paul was considered extremely dangerous and a high-risk escape prospect.
In addition, the sheriff’s department also indicated that there were people who might seek to prevent Paul from testifying in court.
In keeping with the secrecy surrounding his return, Paul was arraigned in his cell last Friday, with officials refusing to comment on his next court appearance, which some sources say will be May 12.
At this point, following the recent plea by the Whittington brothers, Don and Bill, and the closed mouths of federal authorities, there are a few certainties surrounding the current drug scandal involving the former headliners on the Int’l Motor Sports Ass’n Camel GT tour.
Winners: In his second appearance of the season at Baylands Raceway Park, “Tempe Tornado” Lealand McSpadden put the Reid’s Diesel Service Challenger exactly where owner Jim Reid likes to see it-in victory lane following the conclusion of Saturday night’s Spring Nationals finale.
McSpadden took command of the 30-lap feature on the second circuit and never looked back, collecting the $3,200 prize.
McSpadden faced several challengers in his bid for victory, but the competition for the No. 1 spot dropped when Sammy Swindell and preliminary feature winner Tim Green came together as they entered the second turn of the second lap.
Green’s car suffered a flat tire in the incident, while Swindell’s mount landed on Its wing, knocking him out for the evening.
Green restarted at the rear of the field only to spin two laps later due to suspension damage suffered in the incident.
On the restart, Lee James, who was right on McSpadden’s rear bumper, had something break on his car coming out of the fourth turn, ending his run and causing the yellow flag to remain out.
Jimmy Sills, Brent Kaeding and Chuck Gurney took up the chase for the lead on the restart, followed by Dave Bradway Jr., who had moved up from his 19th starting grid.
60 Years Ago— 1966
News: The powerful Ford Mark II of Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant had the Sebring 12-hour race won but lost.
The Ford XI Roadster of Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby had lost the race, but won. That was the zany ending of the endurance grind in which Ford mowed down the opposition, placing 1-2-3 ahead of a Porsche and a Ferrari.
But the race claimed five lives. Canadian champion Bob McLean was killed when his Ford GT40 locked its brakes, hit a utility pole, flipped and exploded early in the event. Several hours later, four spectators were injured when the Porsche driven by Don Wester glanced off a spinning Ferrari and crashed into their car.
The Miles-Ruby combination which copped the Daytona Continental several weeks ago, bounded back to victory lane when Gurney’s car, pacesetter for nearly 11 hours, experienced engine failure five minutes before the finish.
Gurney climbed out of the car and pushed it the final 300 years across the finish line while Miles roared past to take the checkered flag.
Gurney’s efforts, however, cost him second place. Officials ruled his pushing the car disqualified the vehicle.
Winners: Jim Hurtubise. proclaimed the most courageous man in auto racing, captured the seventh annual Atlanta 500 Sunday in a calm and convincing finish to one of the most grueling contests on the NASCAR circuit this season — and a record-setting crowd of 11,000 loved it.
Hurtubise, who almost lost his life in a burning championship car crash at Milwaukee two summers ago, put his 1966 Norm Nelson Plymouth ahead of the pack which took over for good on the 277th lap of the 334-lap affair and that’s where he stayed.
The determined visitor from the rival USAC circuit finished the 500-mile test over a lap ahead of Ford-driving Fred Lorenzen to snare $17,920 of the $77.000 purse.
Hurtubise, of North Tonawanda, N. Y., put his white and flame orange machine into the lead on eight different occasions before it was all over and he led for a total of 139 laps.
And Hurtubise was the only other competitor in the 44-car field who could keep up with early leader Richard Petty, who went out of the race with a blown engine after leading 131 of the first 186 laps in his 1966 Plymouth.
Nine drivers traded the lead 23 times before the dust settled and Hurtubise was never out of the picture. With Petty there was little doubt that Plymouth was on the way to its third major win of the young season.