Looking Back April 16: From The Archives

Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 90 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 15, 30 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.

15 Years Ago — 2010

News: Traditions are changing once again at the Indianapolis 500 as a new “shootout-style” qualification format will be in place for this year’s Pole Day.

The highlight is a 90-minute “shootout” in which the nine fastest cars make a dramatic, late-day run for the pole and will debut May 22 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The winner of the PEAK Performance Pole Award presented by AutoZone will earn $175,000, an increase of $75,000 from 2009. The second-fastest qualifier will earn $75,000, with the final front-row starter earning $50,000.

IZOD IndyCar Series points also will be awarded after qualifying to all 33 drivers who earn a spot in the starting field.

“This new format for Indianapolis 500 qualifying will deliver even more action and intensity for fans,” said Jeff Belskus, president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. “Drivers will go all out during the first session on Pole Day to get a chance to make a run for the pole. Then they’ll need to dig even deeper to find the speed for the pole in the last 90 minutes. Plus, there still will be plenty of spots up for grabs on Bump Day with all of the dramatic, last-minute bumping that generations of fans have loved about Indy.

“This is going to be a fantastic weekend of qualifying I can’t wait to see it unfold.”

The top 24 spots in the 33-car field will be available through traditional four-lap attempts from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (ET) on Pole Day Each car will have up to three attempts during that time.

The times of the top nine drivers from the first segment of qualifying will be erased at 4 p.m. with all of those competitors guaranteed to start no worse than ninth.

The Fast Nine then will be required to make at least one four-lap qualifying attempt between 4:30·6 p.m with one additional, optional attempt if time permits. Each driver’s best run during the 90-minute session will set their position within the top nine starting spots.

Winners: Joey Saldana didn’t show the side effects of having 10 screws and a plate in his broken left hand, driving from 13th to win Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event at I-55 Raceway.

Saldana steadily worked his way forward on the third-mile dirt track and took the lead on a double-file restart with five laps remaining in the 40-lap race.

It was Saldana’s second-consecutive win at I-55 Raceway and his third career at the track with the World of Outlaw. He now has three victories this season and is currently second in points, just 17 markers behind current leader Jason Meyers as each chases their first World of Outlaws title.

“That was a great race car and a great race,” said Saldana. “The entire team put in an amazing effort. l don’t know what to say. I’m glad to be in victory lane.”

Saldana took the lead on a lap-36 double-file restart as he lined up on the low side of the track after leader Craig Dollansky chose the high side. One final restart awaited Saldana on the next lap, which saw him choose the low line for that restart aboard the Budweiser Maxim, making him the only driver all night that chose to restart down low on a double-file restart of which there were a total of four.

“It was really tough running the cushion and I didn’t want to wear myself out,” Saldana noted. “The car was working very good on the bottom and I just wanted to stick with it.”

30 Years Ago — 1995

News: Marking a significant new stage in the development of their programming partnership, The Times Mirror Company and Cox Communications Tuesday announced an investment in a new channel called Speedvision and the launch date for the Outdoor Life Channel and the creation of a shared-services company designed to ·create economies of scale for programming initiatives.

They also appointed Roger L. Werner, Jr., formerly the chief executive officer of ESPN, as the CEO of all three ventures.

The two owners are committing up to $200 million in equity, 3.2 million subscriber homes and the promotional support of Times Mirror Magazines. The first two services that the partners will launch are Outdoor Life, slated for July 1995 rollout, and Speedvision, expected to debut in January 1996.

“Roger Werner has an outstanding track record and we are very fortunate to have him lead these new enterprises,” said Ajit Dalvi, senior vice-president of marketing and Programming, Cox Communications and Ann E. Dilworth, senior vice president and president, consumer media of Times Mirror.

Speedvision, developed by Werner and his former employer, cable pioneer Bill Daniels, will debut in January, 1996. The first network for automotive, marine and aviation enthusiasts, the 24-hour channel will feature a wide range of programming from news and lifestyle product to historical documentaries, racing events and instructional shows. Speedvision will be the premier television environment for vehicle and accessory advertisers.

Winners: Seven-time ASA champion Mike Eddy held off several challengers to post his 50^th career victory in capturing the AC-Delco Challenge Series season opener.

Eddy, driving the GM Goodwrench Pontiac, avoided a tangle by front-runners Jeff Neal and Bob Senneker on the 15th lap and never looked back in winning the Buckeye 300 at Columbus Motor Speedway.

But it wasn’t an easy victory as Eddy faced a strong challenge from Brad Loney and Glenn Allen Jr. during the final 185 circuits.

Eddy won the race for the second straight year and is the only driver to win it three times.

Eddy beat Loney to the checkers by .098 seconds despite a series of late-race cautions.

“I hated to see the yellows at the end,” Eddy said. “I was concerned about the yellows because it took a few laps for the car to get running good.

“I knew they were right behind me, but I was getting off the corners stronger,” the Michigan veteran said. “The longer we ran under the green the better the car ran.”

Eddy started third in the 200-lap main event after winning the second of two 50-lap qualifiers that set the 30-car field.

Loney posted a career-best second-place finish in 4 years of competition on the ACDelco Challenge Series circuit.

60 Years Ago— 1965

News: Stock car racing in America took a giant step forward with the revelation that in 1967 the two major stock car racing organizations, NASCAR and USAC, would be operating under one set of rules.

While there were no specific changes detailed, it was understood that in 1967 no Internal modifications to engines would be allowed, and there would be a reasonable weight limit set.

The discussion proved to be the major portion of the meeting Saturday of the board of directors of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, FlA.

“There are still a great many details to be worked out,” said Charles Moran, President of the ACCUS, “but I feel that we are definitely on the right track, and our members are closer in the area of agreement than they have ever been.”

Meanwhile, for the balance of 1965 and for 1966 the two major stock car sanctioning bodies will operate under their own rules.

In other business, the ACCUS announced the election of three Associates to the Committee, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Shelby American, Inc., and the D-A Lubricant Co., Inc.

The ACCUS also agreed to write a strong letter of protest to the Commission Sportive Interationale over a recent ruling by that group which would allow a National Open sports car race in Canada to be run on the same day as the International Championship race at Bridgehampton, N.Y., on Sept. 18-19.

The newest member of the ACCUS, the National Hot Rod Association, received approval by the directors of their first two International Dates, Sept. 5-6, 1965, for the 11th Annual National Championship Drag Race at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis, Ind., and Feb. 19-20, 1966, for the 6th Annual Winternational Drag Race at Pomona, Calif.

Winners: Big Jim McElreath and his Offy-engined Zink-Urschel-Slick Trackburner rapped out a rear-engined victory at the Trenton Speedway Sunday in a rain-shortened Indianapolis preview. Rain, which fell from the 15th lap on, came down so hard that the race was halted after 87 miles.

The 37-year-old Arlington, Texas flyer, fully recovered from the severe burns he sustained in a tire testing crash in October in the same car, finished the event in 53 minutes, 42.68 seconds at an average speed of 97.184 mph after taking command on the 28th mile from defending national champion A.J. Foyt.

It was a day which saw the three rear engine Ford entries fall by the wayside early, with Rodger Ward’s Leader Card Watson Ford dropping out with a fuel leak, A.J. Foyt’s Lotus Ford encountering rear end trouble, and Loyd Ruby’s Halibrand Shrike hitting the wall after the throttle stuck during his qualifying run.

Young Mario Andrettl, the new eastern sensation from Nazareth, Pa., took the runner-up honors with the lightweight Dean Van Lines Offy roadster after countless laps of challenging for the lead position and Bob Wente, Bud Tlngelstad, Jud Larson, Bill Foster, Gordon Johncock, Bob Harkey, Bob Unser, Johnny Rutherford and Carl Williams completed the field of 12 finishers.