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1999 VisionAire 500K
The 1999 VisionAire 500K was a scheduled Indy Racing League event to be run in May 1, 1999 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, USA. The race was to be the third race of the 1999 Indy Racing League schedule, after stops at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. The race was abandoned after 79 laps had been run after an accident involving Stan Wattles and John Paul, Jr. resulted in debris, including the wheel assembly off of Paul’s vehicle, being launched into the stands and killing three spectators. Media coverage The race was carried on national television by Speedvision. Dave Calabro served as the lap-by-lap announcer, with Jack Arute and Arie Luyendyk as the analysts. Vince Welch and Calvin Fish reported from pit road. Report Qualifying The start of the qualifying session was delayed for an hour due to localized heavy rain that fell in the preceding four days. Despite failing pre-qualifying inspection for his car running too low to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VisionAire 500K
The VisionAire 500K was an Indy Racing League race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway from 1997 to 1999. During the 1999 event, three spectators were killed when debris from a crash on the track went into the grandstands. The race was stopped and canceled, and the event was removed from the Indy Racing League schedule. Race history The first open wheel races in the region were held at the Charlotte Speedway board track built in Pineville fro1924 to 1927 Tommy Milton won the first race, a 250-mile event. USAC In 1980, USAC announced plans for a 500 km event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the first Indy car event at the facility. Charlotte Motor Speedway had opened in 1960, and was home to the NASCAR World 600. However, no Indy car races had been held at the track over its first twenty years. The plans for the race, however, were scrapped when USAC entered into a joint sanctioning effort with CART, and the 1980 calendar was reorganized. Indy Racing League In 1996, the upstar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Knapp
Steve Knapp (born April 17, 1964, Minneapolis, Minnesota), is a former driver in IndyCar. He raced in the 1998–2000 seasons with 13 career starts, including 3 at the Indianapolis 500. His best career finish was in his first race, a third place at the 1998 Indianapolis 500, where he was named Rookie of the Year. He never led a lap in any of his IRL races. Knapp now owns and operates Elite Engines out of West Bend specializing in FA, FC, S2, HART F2 and Mazda engines for the U.S. F2000 National Championship. Racing record SCCA National Championship Runoffs IRL IndyCar Series : ''1 The 1999 VisionAire 500K at Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ... was cancelled after 79 laps due to spectator fatalities.'' Indy 500 results External linksDriver D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anti-roll Bar
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) wheels together through short lever arms linked by a torsion spring. A sway bar increases the suspension's roll stiffness—its resistance to roll in turns—independent of its spring rate in the vertical direction. The first stabilizer bar patent was awarded to Canadian inventor Stephen Coleman of Fredericton, New Brunswick on April 22, 1919. Anti-roll bars were unusual on pre-WW2 cars due to the generally much stiffer suspension and acceptance of body roll. From the 1950s on, however, production cars were more commonly fitted with anti-roll bars, especially those vehicles with softer coil spring suspension. Purpose and operation An anti-sway or anti-roll bar is intended to force each side of the vehicle to lower, or rise, to similar he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing League. Early career Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Sharp starting racing karts when he was eight years old, winning 50 out of 75 races. Sharp came from a road-racing background, earning several championships including championships in the 1986 SCCA GT-2, 1987 and 1988 SCCA GT-1, and 1991 and 1993 SCCA Trans-Am classes. Sharp competed in one NASCAR Winston Cup Series event, coming in 1992 at Watkins Glen. In 1993, Sharp made his CART debut with Bettenhausen Motorsports and became a full-time competitor in the series in 1994 with PacWest Racing. His first Indianapolis 500 start also came in 1994. In 1996, Sharp was part of Doyle Racing’s 24 Hours of Daytona winning team. Indy Racing League career Overview Sharp is one of only two drivers (the ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Goodyear
Scott Goodyear (born December 20, 1959) is a Canadian former race car driver. He ran the Indy Racing League and Champ Car series during his career from 1987, winning the Michigan 500 in 1992 and 1994. Goodyear qualified for eleven runnings of the Indy 500 races from 1990 to 2001, missing only the 1996 race which he did not enter. After starting last (33rd position) in the 1992 race, he finished second to Al Unser Jr. by 0.043 seconds. Goodyear could have won the 1995 race, driving with Tasman Motorsports. But after leading 42 laps, he mistakenly passed the pace car on a late, very slow restart. He was penalized to fourteenth place after ignoring the black flags. That race was given to Jacques Villaneuve. Goodyear again finished second in the 1997 race after being passed by Arie Luyendyk on the backstraightaway at lap 194. He might have won if not for a controversial restart on the last lap, when the green and white flag waved despite the on-track lights still signaling yello ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Ward (motorsports)
Jeffrey Ward (born 22 June 1961) is a British- American former professional motocross racer, auto racing driver and off-road racer. He won the AMA Motocross Championship five times and the AMA Supercross Championship twice and the Motocross des Nations seven times. After retiring from motorcycle competition, Ward turned to auto racing, finishing in second place at the Indianapolis 500 and winning a race at the Texas Motor Speedway. He then competed in off-road truck racing and rallycross. Ward was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and, was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on 12 August 2006. Motocross racing career Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ward moved to the United States with his family when he was four years old. He began to compete in mini-bike motocross racing in Southern California in the 1960s, just as the sport of motocross was experiencing a burgeoning popularity in the United States. Ward became one of the most accomplished mini-bik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pit Stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is a pause for refuelling, new tyres, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, as a penalty, or any combination of the above. These stops occur in an area called the pits, most commonly accessed via a pit lane which runs parallel to the start/finish straightaway of the track and is connected to it at each end. Along this lane is a row of garages (typically one per team or car) outside which the work is done in a ''pit box''. Pit stop work is carried out by the pit crew of up to twenty mechanics, depending on the series regulations, while the driver often waits in the vehicle (except where a driver change is involved or in motorbike racing). The term is also used generically to describe a short break in a journey. Location and terminology Depending on the circuit, the garage may be located on pit lane or in a separate area. In most series, the order of the teams' pit boxes is assigned by points standings, race results, or previous qualif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Davey Hamilton
David Jay "Davey" Hamilton (born June 13, 1962 in Nampa, Idaho) is a race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and Stadium Super Trucks. He has made 56 series starts and while never winning a race, finished second three times. He placed second in series points in the 1996–1997 season and again in 1998 season. Hamilton had been proficient in supermodified racing, as a frequent winner in various supermodified races, usually held in the northern areas of the United States. Accident In 2001 at the Texas Motor Speedway, Jeret Schroeder lost an engine exiting turn 2. This caused him to lose control of his car and make contact with Davey Hamilton's machine. Hamilton's car slammed into the wall, nearly getting caught in the catch fence, and beginning to spin a number of times before coming to rest against the inside retaining wall. Also involved in the crash was Sarah Fisher. Hamilton suffered such severe injuries to his legs and feet, that doctors at one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tyce Carlson
Brendyn "Tyce" Carlson (born September 23, 1970, Indianapolis, Indiana), is a former driver in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. He raced in the 1996–2002 seasons with 30 career starts, including 2 at the Indianapolis 500. His 2 career IndyCar top ten finishes both came at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the 1999 and 2000 races. He was forced to take several years off after repeated concussions but regained his health and from 2005 to 2007 sought a return to the Indy 500, however he failed to secure a ride. He drove in the 2006 Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series event. He now is a co-owner of a Firestone Indy Lights team (formerly the Indy Pro Series), Fan Force United Fan Force United was an American racing team formerly in the Indy Lights series. The team was owned by former driver Tyce Carlson, along with Tim Donahue and Chris Williams. Indy Lights The team purchased assets from Alliance Motorsports, who wer .... IRL IndyCar Series : ''1 The 1999 VisionAire 500K at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robby Unser
Robby Unser (born January 12, 1968) is an American former Indy Racing League driver and nine-time winner of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. He was the IRL rookie of the year in 1998. Robby made two starts in the Indianapolis 500 with a best finish of 5th in 1998. He also finished second twice in the 1998 season, his best IRL finish. His last IRL start came in 2000, his 21st IRL race. He is the son of Bobby Unser Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. ... and cousin of Al Unser Jr. Robby made his drifting debut in the 2007 Formula D season driving for Enjuku Racing. The team had its first win in Denver on June 29, 2007. 2014-2015 Robby is heading the "Team Speedway Racing Team" of Speedway Motors of Lincoln, NE in a 17 event Goodguys AutoCross series. Racing recor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parade Lap
A parade lap, also known as a pace lap, formation lap or warm-up lap, is a lap before a motorsport race begins, in which the drivers go around the track at a slow speed (usually between ), and, in some cases, behind the safety car. Purpose The lap is to ensure that track conditions are safe, and that there are no dangerous problems with the cars (including the safety car) or the circuit. The parade lap either leads to a rolling start, standing start, or back to the grid. Short circuits (such as the Brands Hatch Indy circuit layout) often have two of these laps. Overtaking is usually permitted on these laps in motorcycle racing, but not in car racing. The lap also allows the cars to warm up their tyres, which is crucial in order to be competitive during the race. Drivers will often attempt to warm up the tyres more quickly during the lap, by steering slowly from side to side, and may sometimes also warm their brakes. Usage In Formula One, the official title is ''formation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Racing Flags
Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track condition and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, waves the flags atop a flag stand near the start/finish line. Track marshals are also stationed at observation posts along the race track in order to communicate both local and course-wide conditions to drivers. Alternatively, some race tracks employ lights to supplement the primary flag at the start/finish line. Summary While there is no universal system of racing flags across all of motorsports, most series have standardized them, with some flags carrying over between series. For example, the chequered flag is commonly used across all of motorsport to signify the end of a session (practice, qualifying, or race), while the penalty flags differ from series to series. FIA-sanctioned championship flags are the most commonly used internationally (outside of North Am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
