A Pacific Northwest sports legend, Baseball Hall of Famer and
former Seattle Mariner, Ken Griffey Jr., will drive the 2024
Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray pace car the 108th running of the
Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26.
Archive for the 'AUTO RACING' Category
21
May
LOCAL SPORTS LEGEND TO DRIVE PACE CAR
posted by Bob Karm in AUTO RACING,Baseball,CURRENT EVENTS,HISTORY,INDIANAPOLIS 500 and have No Comments
21
Feb
MOTOR SPORT WAS FOUNDED ON THIS DAY
On February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car
Racing—or NASCAR, as it came to be widely known—was
officially incorporated. NASCAR racing went on to become
one of America’s most popular spectator sports, as well as
a multi-billion-dollar industry.
The driving force behind the establishment of NASCAR was
William “Bill” France Sr. (1909-1992), a mechanic and auto-
repair shop owner from Washington, D.C., who in the mid-
1930s moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to escape the Great
Depression .
Bill France as a racer.
After a short racing career, Bill France realized that
organizing races is business for him.
Bill France on the construction site of the Daytona
International Speedway.
posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,AUTO RACING,CURRENT EVENTS,Founded,Founders,HISTORY,NASCAR and have No Comments
18
Feb
‘’THE INTIMIDATOR’’ DIED ON THIS DAY IN 2001
On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of the
greatest drivers in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) history, died at the age of 49 in a last-lap crash at the
43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Earnhardt was driving his famous black No. 3 Chevrolet and vying
for third place when he collided with another car, then crashed into
a wall. After being cut from his car, Earnhardt, whose tough,
aggressive driving style earned him the nickname “The Intimidator,”
was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Earnhardt died of a basilar skull ring fracture, the most serious
type of skull fracture.
Ralph Dale Earnhardt
(April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)
16
Feb
GET YOUR OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAM
LeeRoy Yarbrough chased down Charlie Glotzbach, who
had an 11-second lead, and passed him on the final lap
after starting 19th. It was the first Daytona 500 won on a
last lap pass.
Yarbrough won in a back-up Ford car after crashing his
primary one. This would also be the second-last Daytona
500 before the NASCAR Grand National Series became
the Winston Cup Series in 1971. Starting in 1971, all races
were to have 43 competitors maximum in a starting grid
starting with the 1971 Daytona 500.
posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,AUTO RACING,Daytona 500,HISTORY,NASCAR,Program and have No Comments
15
Feb
‘’THE INTIMIDATOR’’ WON HIS FIRST 500
On February 15, 1998, after 20 years of trying, racing great
Dale Earnhardt Sr. finally won his first Daytona 500, the
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR)
season opener and an event dubbed the “Super Bowl of
stock car racing.”
Driving his black No. 3 Chevrolet, Earnhardt recorded an
average speed of 172.712 mph and took home a then-record
more than $1 million in prize money.
Following his victory, crews from competing teams lined the
pit road at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona
Beach, Florida, to congratulate Earnhardt, who drove his car
onto the grass and did several celebratory doughnuts, or
circles (below).
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