Robin Miller's Tough Guys: Steve Chassey

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emailBy Robin Miller | 8 hours ago


Steve Chassey knew what he wanted to do if he got out of Vietnam alive — drive race cars.

Following two years on the front lines in the infantry, Chas’ was discharged with honors and headed for Ascot Park to start running his dad’s sprinter.

He got a reputation for being brave but always laughed when comparing racing to staying alive in the jungle: “Race cars don’t shoot at you,” he’d always say. And, for the better part of the next 20 years, he was able to make a living behind the wheel as he went from a winner in USAC to a three-time starter in the Indianapolis 500.

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His last Indy start in 1988 was the most special because he was his own chief mechanic. After he retired, Steve worked at ESPN on Thursday Night Thunder, managed Lola Cars, and sold insurance for racers.

But getting from Saigon to Ascot to Indianapolis was a trip few could imagine.



IndyCar, Videos, Vintage Motorsport / Historic

 

Flashback Friday: At The Brickyard

by D. Randy Riggs Share
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EmailAt the Brickyard – From the May/June 2014 Issue of Vintage Motorsport

May to me means Indianapolis, more specifically the 500-mile race. And why my big smile appeared when an invitation from Joe Freeman came along to join him in Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Legends Day historic track drives over the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the Indianapolis 500. Freeman owns two wonderful historic Indy cars‚ a 1953 Kurtis-Chrysler and the 1960 Joe Hunt Magneto Special that was featured on VM’s Jan/Feb ’07 cover. I had driven both on Milwaukee’s Mile in 2006 but to run them at Indy would be extra special and an honor.



This year the Speedway promoted the historic track drive sessions in the program and on the track’s daily schedule and provided big white tents behind the Speedway Museum for our paddock. Museum director Ellen Bireley made it all run like clockwork, a difficult chore given the Speedway’s busy schedule leading up to the “500.”

What the publicity meant was that instead of the old cars being a big secret for a few lucky fans to stumble upon, the spectators instead came looking for us and our cars – nearly 70 magnificent machines this time out ranging from prewar two-seaters to when Indy cars looked much better than they do today – even a few Indy turbines to makes things especially exciting.

On Thursday I’d run the Kurtis, Friday the Joe Hunt and Saturday the K-K again. The Kurtis has an interesting but short history, its engine once a project of Chrysler, its 331cid Hemi designated the A311. After laboratory and dyno work it produced more than 400hp, thanks to 12.5-to-1 compression, big valves, a roller cam and alcohol fuel. Indy car owner Roger Wolcott stuffed the Hemi into a Kurtis 500A roadster and went testing, since the American Automobile Association (AAA) had announced its support of “stock block” passenger car engines for competition, allowing a 335cid for the 1953 Indy “500.”

Testing with sprint car champion Joe James in the fall of 1952 the car lapped at record speeds, but once the numbers were up the Offy car owners cried foul, the result being that the AAA rescinded the 335cid rule and required 270cid for stock blocks. Down 50hp to the 331, they terminated the A311 Indy program before qualifying began.

However, Firestone wanted the car for tire testing, since it was hard on tires given its power and weight (one heavy Hemi). Invited to Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Grounds grand opening in 1954, the Kurtis set a new closed-course world speed record at 182.554mph with Sam Hanks at the wheel.

That was then, this is now. For our first track session, I climbed in and fastened the big lap belt. There’s no roll bar or shoulder harness. Ol’ Blue has a 3-speed Chrysler manual tranny with a reverse, and it’s right between your legs. The clutch is down in the left footwell and the gas and brake pedals are in the right footwell. I moved oil and fuel line levers to the on position, clicked the ignition toggle to “on” and reached under the instrument panel for the starter button.

The Hemi cranks slowly and it always takes some time to get fired but everyone around knows when it happens. Whap! People nearby jump in unison. We’re required to stay behind the Camaro pace car that runs at about 110 to 120mph but it’s more fun to drop back a bit and stand on the gas with an empty track ahead. The bellowing torque will spin the rear tires in high if you nail the throttle at about 80mph, and it wants to go straight—modern race cars are much easier to drive at near the limit—but this one requires muscle to get it to turn. Plus, I stick up out of it like a bobblehead doll, far enough that with Indy’s walls streaking by, the haunting of mortality creeps into my head. The only crush zone would be me.

Those thoughts aside, it’s an amazing sight when alongside are historic Indy cars with their sounds and sensations, shiny skins gleaming in the sunlight. I ran at speed with Mark Mountanos’ Epperly laydown, Freeman’s Joe Hunt and Dave Schleppi’s ’61 Chenoweth Chevy, cars from the pinnacle of the roadsters’ existence, driven by talented and courageous men when racing was a particularly dangerous game. They’re smiling, I’m smiling and we take turns leading.

One of life’s great experiences…

 

Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 Veteran John Andretti at 56

by Cyndi Paceley Share
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EmailIndianapolis, IN — John Andretti, one of the most popular and versatile American race drivers of his generation.
Photo: IMSA member of the famed Andretti racing family, he drove and won at the highest levels of North American motorsports in Indy cars, stock cars and sports cars. He also competed in top-level drag racing and short-track open-wheel racing. His career included 12 starts in the Indianapolis 500 and 11 starts in the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But his tireless, selfless work on behalf of various charities, even after his cancer diagnosis became public in April 2017, earned him additional respect and loyalty from a legion of worldwide admirers.

Andretti was born in Bethlehem, Pa., the son of race driver Aldo Andretti and nephew of Mario Andretti. He started his racing career in karting and won the USAC Speedrome Regional Midget series title in 1983, at age 20. He began his professional full-time driving career after graduating from Moravian College in his hometown in 1985.

He found victory lane almost immediately in IMSA sports car racing, winning a race with co-driver and eventual fellow Indy 500 veteran Davy Jones in September 1986 at Watkins Glen.

IMSA President John Doonan said in a statement. “John was an extremely talented IMSA racer, as his 1989 Rolex 24 victory and three other victories will attest. But he was one of the most versatile racers ever, winning races in IndyCar and NASCAR and reaching the pinnacle of top fuel drag racing as well.

His success in IMSA helped launch Andretti into IndyCar competition with Curb Racing in 1987, joining his uncle, Mario, and cousin Michael. He was named series Rookie of the Year in 1987.

John Andretti made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1988 with Curb Racing. He ran as high as seventh in a Lola Cosworth before engine problems relegated him to a 21st-place finish.

He also continued to compete in sports car racing, teaming with Bob Wollek and Derek Bell to win the 1989 Rolex 24 At Daytona in one of the Porsche 962 prototypes of the era. Andretti and Wollek also co-drove to victory later that season at Palm Beach, Fla., in the same Porsche, and Andretti ended up fifth in the IMSA standings that season as the highest-ranked Porsche driver.

Andretti’s best year of IndyCar competition arguably came in 1991 while driving for Hall VDS Racing. He earned his sole career IndyCar victory at Surfers Paradise in Australia, and finished an Indy 500 career-best fifth in a Lola/Chevrolet. That year also marked the first of two consecutive years in which four members of the Andretti family — Mario, Michael, John and cousin Jeff — raced in the 500.

John Andretti made waves in NHRA Drag Racing in 1993 by reaching the Top Fuel semifinals in his first national event, the Southern Nationals at Atlanta. He clocked a career-best speed of 299 mph in that race. He then shifted his focus to NASCAR in a partial schedule in the Cup Series in 1993, going full time with Hagan Racing in 1994 and driving the final third of the season in a Pontiac for Richard Petty Enterprises.

In May 1994, Andretti made North American racing history by becoming the first driver to attempt and complete “The Double” of racing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. He finished 10th at Indy and 36th at Charlotte.

Andretti earned his first Cup Series victory in July 1997 at Daytona while driving for Cale Yarborough Motorsports, but his NASCAR career reached its peak when he returned to Petty’s team full time in 1998. That started a stretch of nearly five seasons between two of the most famous names in American racing.

He finished 11th in the standings in 1998 during his first season with Petty and earned his second and final Cup Series victory with team in spring 1999 at Martinsville Speedway.

Andretti teamed with another famous member of the Petty family — Richard’s son, Kyle Petty — to win the GT class in Porsche GT3R at a Grand-Am sports car race in August 2001 at Watkins Glen.

For all of Andretti’s versatile skills as a driver, he was equally admired for his charity work. He co-founded, with Indianapolis-area radio personality Dave “The King” Wilson, the Race for Riley, an annual go-kart race in Central Indiana that has raised nearly $4 million for the Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis since its inception in 1997.

Read a personal remembrance about Andretti by our Racer colleague Robin Miller.

 

Norman “Bubby” Jones 1941-2020

by Cyndi Paceley
Indianapolis, IN — Norman “Bubby” Jones, a short-track dirt racing standout who competed in the 1977 Indianapolis 500, at the age of 78.
Photo: IMSJones, a native of Danville, Ill., started 33rd and placed 21st in the Bruce Cogle Ford Eagle/Offy owned by Bobby Hillin’s Longhorn Racing team.



Dirt specialist Jones had limited asphalt experience before Hillin picked him to replace Jan Opperman in 1977 while Opperman recovered from injuries. But Jones bumped his way into the 500’s starting field and ran as high as ninth before an engine valve problem ended his race.

Jones also made a second United States Auto Club (USAC) National Championship start in 1978, finishing 27th at Pocono Raceway. He was unsuccessful in Indianapolis 500 qualifying attempts in 1978 and 1981.

After giving up his job as a barber in a shop co-owned by Indy 500 veteran Larry Cannon to race full time in the early 1970s, Jones thrived on dirt tracks in sprint cars and midgets for nearly two decades.

Jones won many races in various series around the country before earning his first USAC victory in 1976, in a Silver Crown car. He also earned his first USAC Midget victory that year, winning the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix.

Those victories launched a streak of success for Jones in USAC competition in the late 1970s. He earned 20 of his 22 career USAC feature wins between 1977 and 1979. Jones enjoyed perhaps his strongest season in 1979, winning 11 USAC Sprint Car features and finishing second in the standings by 32 points to champion Greg Leffler.

Jones then moved to Southern California and reigned over the California Racing Association, winning that series’ Sprint titles in 1983 and 1984.

After retiring as a driver, he stayed in the sport as one of the top crew chiefs in USAC Sprint Car racing during the 2000s, including working for Tony Stewart’s team, among others. He also helped develop and promote Perris Auto Speedway in Southern California.

Jones was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1998.

 

In October of 1973, USAC’s Championship Trail was at Texas World Speedway for the nex

Finley and Warren's perfect storm

Sometimes things fall into place.....

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emailBy Robin Miller | April 13, 2020 9:35 AM

It was a perfect storm for a little team that never had much money or luck.

Back in October of 1973, USAC’s Championship Trail was at Texas World Speedway for the next-to-last race of the season. Bill Finley had towed his homemade Fleagle chassis to College Station behind a Chevy pickup truck with two stooges in the front seat, and Bentley Warren was set to drive.

There were 26 cars going for 24 starting spots, and just as Warren began his qualifying run the engine started to cough and it died as he completed one lap. So that was it for Tassi Vatis’ team, except Finley decided he wanted to change the engine before heading back to Indianapolis.

He figured USAC would allow him to run it in during Sunday morning’s pre-race practice session. So, as qualifying was being completed, Finley, Warren and the “crew” changed the Offy in the middle of the infield – dirt, dust and all. “I remember that, it was about 90 degrees and not that much fun,” recalled Warren, one of those really good racers that never drove a top-flight Indy car. “But I’d have done anything for Finley – he was the best.”

Now, here’s where the story gets good.

Warren wound up the first alternate with his sick engine, but he was faster than Bobby Unser, who blew up before he could complete a lap in Dan Gurney’s Eagle. Suddenly Texas promoter Bill Marvel had a problem. He had to get one of IndyCar’s biggest names (Unser) and best teams in the show, but how?

First he asked USAC boss Dick King if they could simply add two more spots on the grid, but that request was turned down. King said the only way the 1968 Indy winner could race were if two of the already-qualified teams withdrew, or two teams had problems in the Sunday morning practice period.

So then Marvel, one of the best promoters and PR specialists in the history of motorsports, went to Goodyear for some assistance. Gurney and Unser were valued members of Goodyear’s test program in addition to their obvious clout on the track.

Marvel talked to Goodyear and got the tire company to offer Lee Brayton (who had qualified 24th) $2,000 and some test time if he withdrew. That was 10th place money and an easy sell. One down, one to go.

Uncle Bobby then told Finley that AAR would give him $1,000 to “officially” drop out of the race, and Marvel said that if anything happened to another competitor during warm-up that Warren would be invited back into the field.

During Sunday’s practice period Bob Harkey crashed and suddenly Finley and Warren were back in the show – getting paid a grand to change engines and stick around. But after only 17 laps No.94 was leaking oil and got black-flagged. Bentley was classified 22nd and the car earned $658. Yet with the “bonus” money, the Vatis team took home the same amount as 13th place Eldon Rasmussen.......without having to race for hours to get it.

“I didn’t remember the circumstances but Bill always tried to save Tassi as much money as possible and getting $1,000 for basically doing nothing had to make him happy,” said Warren. “And Bobby Unser had to be nice to me for a whole 10 minutes.”

IndyCar

 

Tying some racing history together
See last post in thread:
See it before it goes away.

 

Chris Pook details GP of Long Beach history in new book

Michael Levitt/Motorsports Images
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emailBy Marshall Pruett | 9 hours ago

Found within his new book ‘Chris Pook & The History Of The Toyota GP Of Long Beach,’ the founder of the great American street racing event shares an amazing number of stories within its 320 pages.

Written by Gordon Kirby — who covered the inaugural race in 1975 — for Racemaker Press, Pook’s life is captured in the heavyweight hardcover book starting with his upbringing in England before sharing tales of how the famed Southern California race came into existence.

The book’s formal launch was meant to take place this weekend during the 46th running of the Long Beach Grand Prix, but with its unfortunate cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pook (pictured, top, ahead of 2019’s IMSA race in Long Beach) spoke with RACER on Thursday to bring a few of its stories to life during an extended conversation.

“Basically, when I launched the idea of copying Monte Carlo really, that’s all we did,” he said. “The city folks looked at me and said, ‘What sort of qualifications do you have to do something like that?’ Obviously, I had not thought that one through thoroughly and I said, ‘Well, you know what, I’ll try and get Dan Gurney involved here and see if he’ll help with this project!’

“It was strictly just right off the seat of my pants I blurted out that comment to them; that was a magic name to them and they said, ‘Well, OK, let’s get him in here and see what he has to say.’ I was really at that point, if you will, [where] the bluff was almost called.”

Gurney, among the most influential men in motor racing, whose nearby All American Racers shop in Santa Ana was a massive contributor to Southern California racing culture, was the perfect name for Pook to present to the city’s council members. The only problem for the Briton was Gurney had no idea who he was, or that his clout had been used to stoke the Long Beach Grand Prix conversation.

Pook’s next move was a nervous phone call to pitch his crazy idea to the Big Eagle.

“(The receptionist) said, ‘Can I tell Mr. Gurney what this is about?’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s about turning the streets of Long Beach into a Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.’ And she said, ‘Could you just repeat that one more time for me?’ So, I repeated it and she just said, ‘Well, one moment,’” he recalled.

“I sort of sat there thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going to happen now?’ And then all of a sudden the phone just lit up with, ‘This is Dan Gurney, what can I do for you?’ From there on, he was on board. He listened for a few minutes and he says, ‘Well, that sounds exciting. Why don’t you come talk to me some more about it.’”
Once Pook got him onboard, Dan Gurney became an enthusiastic advocate for the Long Beach GP and helped pave the way for the next stage of its evolution. Motorsport Images archive.

The event’s debut in 1975 featured Formula 5000 cars, and the following year, Pook struck a deal with Bernie Ecclestone to bring Formula 1 to the streets of Long Beach. In time, the savvy former head of F1 would push the price of hosting the series beyond Pook’s breaking point.

“Bernard was building Formula 1,” he said. “He had his vision for Formula 1 and he was building it and they were transitioning from the days when the race circuits used to pay starting money to the race drivers and the car owners, to where Bernie was able to package all the drivers up and the teams up and then go to the organizers or the venues and get fees, demand for money and transportation.

“In 1976, I think the first Grand Prix cost us $575,000 or something in that area. And all of a sudden, we got up to 1983 and we’re paying $1.75 million. And these are the days before major corporate sponsorship, before you had all this corporate hospitality and things, and ticket prices were very, very reasonable — you could go to a baseball game for five bucks.”
F1 was a huge hit in Long Beach, but by 1983 the costs no longer made financial sense. Motorsport Images archive

Despite F1’s popularity at Long Beach, the costs become untenable. By 1984, the CART IndyCar Series — which sprang to life after Gurney called for team owners to break from USAC and form their own championship — was ready to take over the show where its modern successor, the NTT IndyCar Series, remains today.

“In the LA market, which is one of the toughest entertainment markets in the world, you’ve got to be competitive with your pricing,” Pook continued. “So pricing, we tried to edge it up to pay for it, but sooner or later the costs of improving the circuit…. Bear in mind that as Formula 1 was growing, the cars were getting more expensive, [and] the demands on the circuits was getting more and more expensive, the safety demands were getting increased and the technology was coming in, and you had to spend all this money every year on upgrades.

“Having almost gone broke after the 1976 race, we were working our rear ends off with the place being packed. We’d have like 97,000 people in the joint on Sunday, and 85 or 86 [thousand] on Saturday, and 65, 70 [thousand] on Friday. We were finding ourselves only making about $100,000-$200,000 profit.

“One bad day, one bad weekend, and we would’ve been toast. We would’ve been completely upside down. So we basically agreed with Bernard to disagree. And Dan, if you recall, was one of the founders of CART….”

Click here to purchase ‘Chris Pook & The History Of The Toyota GP Of Long Beach’ at the RACER Store.

Enjoy the rest of the conversation on ‘Chris Pook & The History Of The Toyota GP Of Long Beach’ below:
Long Beach, Chris Pook, Formula 1, Industry, IndyCar

 

Robin Miller's Tough Guys: Mike Nazaruk

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emailBy Robin Miller | April 16, 2020 1:12 PM

RACER: Robin Miller's Tough Guys Series on Mike Nazaruk

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•Apr 16, 2020


Iron Mike Nazaruk wasn’t around very long, but made quite an impression in open-wheel racing.

After fighting in Guam and the Battle of Guadacanal, Nazaruk came home and dove into midget racing, twice winning the ARDC championship. He moved up to Triple A sprinters and immediately started winning on the high-banked pavement tracks like Salem and Winchester, and showing his prowess on the dirt as well.

In 1951, he came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a rookie and finished second. He was also fifth in 1954.

Brave and sporting big biceps and forearms, Iron Mike cut an impressive figure and could be pretty intimidating to other drivers, but in 1955 he was killed in a sprinter at Langhorne. He was only 33 years old.

 

Former CART Rookie of the Year Bob Lazier at 81

Image by Dana Garrett/IndyCar
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emailBy Robin Miller | April 18, 2020 3:18 PM

Bob Lazier, the racer with the perpetual smile who always seemed optimistic no matter the odds, at the age of 81.The 1981 Championship Auto Racing Teams Rookie of the Year and father of 1996 Indy victor Buddy Lazier.

“Team owner and long-time friend Chip Ganassi: “I (went) skiing with Bob a few months ago at his place and we were up every morning at breakfast talking about everything and having a good time. He was such a great guy. Always upbeat.”

More IndyCar!

EXCERPT: Chris Pook & The History of the Long Beach GP, Part 1

A native of Minneapolis, Lazier moved to Colorado as a young man and became a major building contractor in Vail, numbering among his many properties his pride and joy, the Tivoli Lodge.

But he was hooked on racing and competed in SCCA club racing before moving up to Super Vee and the Mini Indy series from 1977-’79 before trying Indy cars.
Lazier at Indy in 1981. Image via IndyCar

He drove for Bob Fletcher at the Indy 500 in 1981, where he qualified 13th but lost an engine and wound up 19th in the race. Later that season, he would score fourth places at Watkins Glen and Mexico City, finishing ninth in the ’81 CART standings and taking Rookie of the Year honors.

The following May he returned to Indianapolis driving for the Wysards. But, on the opening day of qualifying, Gordon Smiley was killed in a devastating accident and 13-year-old Buddy Lazier begged his father to quit after watching the replays and becoming distraught.

Bob abided by his son’s wishes and walked away. But, ironically, he would become Buddy’s biggest fan as, just a few years later, his son took up open-wheel racing. Buddy would eventually conquer Indy in ’96, still healing from a broken back suffered in a wreck at Phoenix. Buddy was also the IRL champion in 2000.

Bob’s youngest son, Jaques, also embarked on a racing career and competed in the Indy Racing League. A seven-time starter at Indy, he scored one win at Chicagoland in 2001.
Bob Lazier (center) with sons Jaques and Buddy at Indianapolis in 2014. Image by Dan R. Boyd/Motorsport Images

In 2013, Bob and Buddy formed Lazier Partners Racing, competing at Indianapolis through 2017 as a small budget, one-car team and making the show four times.

 

The Week in IndyCar, April 16, with Arie Luyendyk

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | April 16, 2020 2:37 AM

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk returns to The Week In IndyCar show to discuss a wide variety of topics on our listener-driven Q&A show.