Archive for the 'Racing' Category

NASCAR DRIVER STOPS FULL – TIME RACING

Kurt Busch walks in the pits before qualifications for the NASCAR Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, in Indianapolis.

(Fox News) – NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (above) 
announced he will be stepping away from full-time racing.

Busch made the announcement from his hometown of Las
Vegas and said he will miss the
rest of this season and will
not race full-time in Cup next year.

Bush stated, "As I continue to focus on my health and work
towards being cleared, I will be stepping away from full-time
NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2023.”

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posted by Bob Karm in CURRENT EVENTS,NASCAR,Race car driver,Racing and have No Comments

FIRST MARATHON HELD ON THIS DAY IN 1897

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Winner John J. McDermott ran the course in two hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds. .

On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York won the first
Boston Marathon with a time of 2:55:10.

The Boston Marathon was the brainchild of Boston Athletic
Association member and inaugural U.S. Olympic team manager
John Graham, who was inspired by the marathon at the first
modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. With the assistance
of Boston businessman Herbert H. Holton, various routes were considered, before a measured distance of 24.5 miles from the
Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland was
eventually selected.

Fifteen runners started the race but only 10 made it to the finish
line.

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John J. ("J.J.", "little Mac") McDermott
(1880 – 1948)

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,DEBUT,HISTORY,Marathon,Racing and have No Comments

THE TRADITION BEGAN ON THIS DAY IN 1911

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On May 30, 1911, Ray Harroun (above) dove his single-seater
Marmon Wasp to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500,
now one of the world’s most famous motor racing events.

The Indiana automobile dealer Carl Fisher first proposed
building a private auto testing facility in 1906, in order to
address car manufacturers’ inability to test potential top
speeds of new cars due to the poorly developed state of
the public roadways. The result, the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, built on 328 acres of farmland five miles
northwest of downtown Indianapolis.

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Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968)

 


Harroun’s original Marmon “Wasp” on display at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Museum.

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,Automobiles,DEBUT,HISTORY,Racing and have No Comments

ICONIC ‘’BIG OLY’’ HAS BEEN AUCTIONED OFF

The 1969 Ford Bronco known as "Big Oly" won the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972.

 

(FoxNews) – The first all-new 2021 Ford Bronco (VIN 001) was sold
at a charity auction in March for $1,075,000, but an old one just
blew that price away.

A 1969 Bronco crossed the block at the Mecum Auctions event in Indianapolis on Friday and went for $1,870,000.

It wasn’t just any old Bronco, but a custom racing truck driven by
Parnelli Jones (below) to victory in the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972
and at several other off-road races.

The famed Bronco is known as “Big Oly” thanks to its Olympia
beer sponsorship and one of the most iconic American racing
vehicles of all time. Jones has owned it all these years and often
loaned it out for displays and events.

 

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Parnelli Jones during his racing
days.

The 1969 Ford Bronco known as "Big Oly" won the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972.

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Rufus Parnell “Parnelli” Jones will turn 88 this August.

posted by Bob Karm in Auction,Automobiles,Charity,CURRENT EVENTS,HISTORY,Racing and have No Comments

A.J. FOYT GOT HIS FIRST ON THIS DAY IN 1957

This Date in USAC History: May 12

On May 12, 1957, race car driver A.J. Foyt scored his first
professional victory, in a U.S. Automobile Club (USAC)
midget car race in Kansas City,
Missouri.

A tough-as-nails Texan, Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr. raced
midget cars—smaller vehicles designed to be driven in
races of shorter distances—and stock cars before moving
up to bigger things in 1958, when he entered his first
Indianapolis 500 race. Foyt won his first Indy 500 crown
in 1961, when rival Eddie Sachs was forced to make a tire
change in the final laps, giving Foyt the chance to overtake
him and win with a then-record average speed of 139.13 mph.

 

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Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. turned 86 in Januray

    posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,HISTORY,Race car driver,Racing and have No Comments