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1972 California 500
The 1972 California 500, the third running of the event, was held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, on Sunday, September 3, 1972. The event was race number 8 of 10 in the 1972 USAC Championship Car season. The race was won by Roger McCluskey, his first 500-mile American open-wheel car racing, Indy Car victory. In qualifying, Jerry Grant became the first IndyCar driver to ever break to 200 mile per hour barrier. Background Mark Donohue won the 1972 Indianapolis 500. On July 3, 1972, Donohue] suffered injuries to his left knee and thigh in a Can-Am testing crash at Road Atlanta. Donohue required surgery to repair torn ligaments and would miss the California 500. He was replaced at Team Penske by Mike Hiss, who himself drove wearing a leg brace to recuperate a broken leg suffered in a motorcycle accident. Practice and Time Trials Practice began on Saturday, August 19. With a speed of 175.155 mph, Denny Zimmerman was the fastest of only three car that c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
California 500 (IndyCar)
The California 500 was a USAC, and later CART, race held at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. The event represented a continuous lineage of open wheel oval racing in Southern California that dates back to 1970. History Open wheel oval racing in southern California dated back to the USAC California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, held from 1970 to 1978. The race was part of IndyCar racing's "triple crown," and at its inception, was held in high prestige. The inaugural running was considered a huge success, with 187,000 in attendance. However, it became a CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ... event in 1979 and the track fell into financial troubles in 1980, closing at the end of that year. Subsequent runnings were never able to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Rutherford
John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 starts. He became one of six drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 at least three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980. He also won the CART championship in 1980. Rutherford began racing modified stock cars in 1959 and he also dabbled in stock car racing, making 35 NASCAR Cup Series starts from 1963 to 1988. Rutherford won in his first start, at Daytona International Speedway driving for Smokey Yunick. This made him one of the youngest drivers ever to win a NASCAR points-paying race, as well as only the sixth racer in history to win in their NASCAR debut race, a distinction not again achieved until SuperCars racer Shane van Gisbergen won in his NASCAR debut in 2023. Racing career In 1959, Rutherford started driving modified stock car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Simon
Richard Raymond Simon (born September 21, 1933) is an American former auto racing driver and racing team owner. Simon drove American open-wheel car racing, Indy cars in United States Auto Club, USAC and Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, and made 17 starts at the Indianapolis 500. At the 1988 Indianapolis 500, Simon set a record as the oldest driver in Indy 500 history (54 years, 251 days), a record that was later broken by A. J. Foyt. Simon was a longtime car owner, founding Dick Simon Racing, helping to begin the Indy car careers of Stéphan Grégoire, Arie Luyendyk, Raul Boesel, Lyn St. James, and many others. Simon had a notable record at the Indy 500. Of the many rookies he entered at Indy over the years, not a single one failed to qualify for the race. Simon never won a race as a driver or as an owner. His best finish as a driver was 3rd at Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, and as an owner he had six second-place finishes. Simon had a best finish at the Indianapolis 500 o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Simpson (racing Driver)
Elwood Jesse "Bill" Simpson (March 14, 1940 – December 16, 2019) was an American racing driver, best known as a pioneer in the racing safety business with his company Simpson Performance Products. Later during his business career he branched into developing equipment for football safety. Racing career Simpson started in drag racing and SCCA Formula racing, eventually moving up to the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1968–1974 and 1976–1977 seasons, with 52 career starts. He qualified twentieth for the 1974 Indianapolis 500, and finished thirteenth. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 6th position in 1970 at Milwaukee. He decided to end his racing career in 1977, because he started to think about a telephone call that he needed to make while he was practicing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Hurtubise
James Ernest Hurtubise (December 5, 1932 – January 6, 1989) was an American racing driver who competed in American Championship Car Racing, Championship Cars, Sprint car racing, sprint cars and stock cars. Hurtubise enjoyed much success in sprint cars, champ dirt cars, and stock cars, and was the winner of the 1966 Atlanta 500; however, he never achieved the success at the Indianapolis 500 which his rookie qualifying run promised, when he out qualified pole-sitter Eddie Sachs by three mph, nearly breaking the 150-mph mark. "Herk" was a fan favorite throughout much of his career because of his fun-loving attitude and his hard driving style. Early racing career Jim Hurtubise began in the early 1950s racing his number 56 coupe alongside his brother Pete in the NASCAR Sportsman Division, Sportsman class at venues in Southeastern Canada and Western New York, including Merrittville Speedway, Ontario, and Cuba Lake Speedway in Wellsville, New York. After the 1955-56 season, Hurtub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1972 Pocono 500
The 1972 Pocono 500, the 2nd running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 29, 1972. Branded as the 1972 Schaefer 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Joe Leonard. The race is notable for its impact by Hurricane Agnes and the confrontation between the track and USAC. Race Schedule After rain cancelled track activity on Monday, practice opened on Tuesday, June 20. 29 cars took practice laps with Bobby Unser posting the fastest speed, 185.299 mph. Hurricane Agnes Impact Rain cancelled practice on Wednesday as Hurricane Agnes impacted Pennsylvania. Less than 100 miles away, 12.53 inches of rain fell in Harrisburg between 8 pm on June 21 and 8 pm on June 22. Flooding of the Susquehanna River damaged 13,000 homes in Wilkes-Barre. Across the state, there were 50 fatalities, 220,000 people were left homeless, and over $2.3 billion in damages. The Pocono area received over seven inches of rain from Hurricane A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Walter Johncock (born August 5, 1936) is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Early career Johncock initially began racing at Michigan tracks like the Old Hastings, MI Raceway, Capital City Speedway in Lansing, MI, the Grand Rapids MI Speedrome, and later at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. Johncock began his USAC and CART/IndyCar career in 1964 when he drove for Weinberger Racing. He ran four races in 1964, and then went full-time in 1965. Johncock's first USAC victory was scored at the Milwaukee Mile in August 1965. In 1966, he went winless in nine starts out of 16 races, so he left Gerhardt Racing at the end of the year, to form his own team, Johncock Racing. His primary sponsor became Gilmore Broadcasting and Johncock was the only other "owner-driver" in IndyCar other than A. J. Foyt. Although Johncock's team won six races in a three-year period (1967-1969), things went downhi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known as a Formula One chassis List of Formula One constructors, constructor, the second-oldest active team and the second-most successful Formula One team after Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, having won races, 12 Formula One Drivers' Championship, Drivers' Championships, and nine Formula One constructors' championship, Constructors' Championships. McLaren also has a history in American open wheel racing as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Can-Am, Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship. McLaren is one of only three constructors, and the only team, to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport#Teams and manufacturers, Triple Crown of Motorsport (wins at the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Road America
Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club of America GT World Challenge America and Trans-Am Series and the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship. Current track and facilities Road America is a permanent road course. It is located midway between the cities of Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, Green Bay, and classified as an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA List of motor racing circuits by FIA Grade#Grade Two, Grade Two circuit. The track is situated on near the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. It has hosted races since September 1955 and currently hosts over 400 events a year. Of its annual events, 9 major weekends are open to the public which include 3 motorcycle events including the MotoAmerica (AMA FIM) series, 3 vintage car events, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1972 Can-Am Season
The 1972 Canadian-American Challenge Cup was the seventh season of the Can-Am auto racing series. It was contested by FIA Group 7 (racing), Group 7 racing cars running two-hour sprint events. The series began June 11, 1972, and ended October 29, 1972, after nine rounds. It was jointly sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America and the Canadian Automobile Sports Club.Can-Am 72 - The begininning of another era?, Automobile Year 1972/73, pages 178 to 187 The series was won by George Follmer driving a Porsche 917/10 for Penske Racing. Schedule Season results Drivers Championship Points are awarded to the top ten finishers in the order of 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1. For classification, the four best results of the first five races and all four results of the last four races were retained.Can-Am Chmapionship, Automobile Year 1972/73, page 247 References * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1972 Can-Am Season 1972 Can-Am season, Can-Am seasons 1972 in motorsport, Can-Am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Follmer
George Richard Follmer (born January 27, 1934) is an American former auto racing driver, and one of the most successful road racers of the 1970s. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona. His family moved to California when he was just an infant. Career Follmer began his career running a Volkswagen Beetle in Gymkhana competition in parking lots in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. Follmer raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1967-1971 and 1974 seasons, with 25 career starts, including the 1969-1971 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his one victory in 1969 at Phoenix International Raceway. His best finish at the Indianapolis 500 was in 1971. He started 29th and finished in the 15th position driving the Grant King Racer's turbo Offy. In 1973, Follmer competed in Formula One with Don Nichols' UOP Shadow team. He took part in his first Grand Prix, in South Africa, at the age of 39 years and 1 month - making him F1's oldest débutant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Revson
Peter Jeffrey Revlon Revson (February 27, 1939 – March 22, 1974) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . Revson won two Formula One Grands Prix across five seasons. Born and raised in New York, Revson was the nephew of Charles Revson and heir to cosmetics company Revlon. Revson won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup in 1971, and finished fifth overall in the World Drivers' Championship in and with McLaren. He was also runner-up to Al Unser in the 1971 Indianapolis 500. Revson, along with Dan Gurney, was one of two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, Can-Am, and Trans-Am. His champagne-spraying celebrations in victory lane earned him the nickname "Champagne Peter". Revson was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996. Background Peter Revson was born in New York City, the son of Martin Revson and Julie (née Phelps) Hall. Martin had been a founding partner (along with his brother Charles Revson) of Revlon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
