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1983 Pocono 500
The 1983 Pocono 500, the 13th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 14, 1983. Branded as the 1983 Domino's Pizza 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Teo Fabi, the first rookie to win the Pocono 500. Triple Crown Million Dollar Bonus On March 8, 1983, Domino's Pizza announced they would offer a one million dollar bonus to any driver who could win IndyCar's Triple Crown of 500 Mile Races: The Indianapolis 500, Michigan 500, and Pocono 500. In 1982, Gordon Johncock won Indianapolis and Michigan before breaking a gearbox while running second at Pocono. If no driver won all three races, Dominos would award a $10,000 prize to the driver that scored the most points in the three races. Background In May, Tom Sneva won the Indianapolis 500, the first of his career. In mid-July, John Paul Jr. won the Michigan 500. This meant no driver was going for the Domino's Triple Crown million dollar bonus at Pocono. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pocono 500 (IndyCar)
The ABC Supply 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, located in the Pocono Mountains. The first Indy car race at Pocono was held in 1971. It was the first major event held at the track, shortly after its completion. The race was sanctioned by USAC from 1971 to 1981, and then by CART from 1982 to 1989, and was known as the Pocono 500. The race was removed from the CART calendar following the 1989 running, due to poor track conditions, as well as poor revenue for the promoter. After a 23-year hiatus, the event was revived by the IndyCar Series in 2013. Following management changes at the facility, and after comprehensive safety improvements were completed at the track, the race was scheduled for Independence Day weekend. For 2013, the race was scheduled for 400 miles, and was part of the IndyCar Triple Crown. For 2014, the race returned to its traditional 500-mile distance, and was scheduled in mid-to-late August. A. J. Foyt is the mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Rutherford
John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 starts. He became one of ten drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 at least three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980. He also won the CART championship in 1980. Rutherford began racing modified stock cars in 1959 and he also dabbled in stock car racing, making 35 NASCAR Cup Series starts from 1963 to 1988. Rutherford won in his first start, at Daytona International Speedway driving for Smokey Yunick. This made him one of the youngest drivers ever to win in NASCAR history, in a full points-paying NASCAR race. Racing career In 1959, Rutherford started driving modified stock cars in Dallas. He joined the International Motor Contest Association sprint car circuit in 1961 leading it for most of 1962. Rutherford later joined the Uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desiré Wilson
Desiré Randall Wilson (born 26 November 1953) is a former racing driver from South Africa and one of only five women to have competed in Formula One. Born in Brakpan, she entered one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in 1980 with a non-works RAM Racing-prepared Williams FW07, but failed to qualify. She also raced in the 1981 non-world championship South African Grand Prix in a one off deal with Tyrrell Racing. This race was not part of the 1981 world championship due, in part, to the FISA–FOCA war. She qualified 16th and, after a disastrous start where the car stalled, she moved up through the field in wet conditions, as conditions dried she fell back and damaged the car when it touched a wall while she was letting the race leader through. She became the only woman to win a Formula One race of any kind when she won at Brands Hatch in the short-lived British Aurora F1 Championship in 1980. As a result of this achievement, she has a grandstand at Brands Hatch named aft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chip Ganassi
Floyd Ganassi Jr. (born May 24, 1958) better known as Chip Ganassi, is a US businessman, former racing driver, current team owner and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scene for over 30 years. He is owner and CEO of Chip Ganassi Racing which operates teams in the IndyCar Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, and Extreme E. He is the only team owner in history to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and most recently the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Racing driver Ganassi attended the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Bob Bondurant Driving School in 1977 while a student at the Fox Chapel Area High School. He won his first auto race in a Formula Ford at the age of 18. He began his CART (Champ Car) racing career [Ed. at Trenton Speedway in 1978-`79—see Talk Page] in 1982 upon graduatin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Whittington
Reginald Donald Whittington (born January 23, 1946) is an American former racing driver from Lubbock, Texas, who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans together with his brother Bill Whittington and Klaus Ludwig in a Porsche 935, although Ludwig, a multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy rain as the brothers did not have any real racing experience prior to the late 1970s. Don's brother Dale also competed in open wheel racing. His father, Don Whittington, Sr. was also an American racing driver in the USAC National Championship from 1957 to 1959. Racing career Whittington also raced in five Indianapolis 500s, with a best finish of sixth. He also made ten NASCAR Winston Cup starts in 1980 and 1981. He earned a top-ten in the sport in his debut at Riverside. He also participated in the 1980 International Race of Champions. In 1979, the brothers purchased and operated the Road Atlanta road-racing circuit, reportedly utilizing the secluded backstret ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pete Halsmer
John Peter Halsmer (born March 3, 1944, in Lafayette, Indiana), is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 5 seasons (1980, 1982–1985), with 33 career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981–1982. He finished in the top five three times in the CART series, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1983 at Cleveland. In 1992, Halsmer raced in the IROC series, representing IMSA. Pete drove for Ford/Roush (NASCAR owner Jack Roush) from 1986 through 1989 and won six Trans Am races and four GTO races winning the 1989 GTO championship. From 1990 through 1992 he drove for Mazda and won another GTO championship in 1991. From 1994 through 1997 he drove BMWs, winning four GT2 races and winning the Manufacturer's Title in 1996. From 1999 to 2004 he drove for and provided technical consulting for Honda America Race Team winning several championships in Motorola Cup and Grand Am Cup series. Halsmer is also a 3 time class winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Loquasto
Albert John (Al) Loquasto (Jr.) (June 21, 1940 – July 31, 1991), was an Italian-American racecar driver. Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Loquasto died in a plane crash in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. He drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series, racing in the 1969–1980 and 1982–1983 seasons, with 61 combined career starts, including the 1976 and 1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 7th position in 1975 at Ontario. Loquasto raced on a tight budget, fielding his own cars which were often several years old. He qualified for his first Indy 500 after receiving technical assistance from Clint Brawner. He also drove six NASCAR races from 1981 to 1982. Prior to his open-wheel career, Loquasto was a five-time national hillclimbing champion. Loquasto's chief occupation was as the owner of APCO, Inc., an automotive warranty company, and he was a veteran of the Vietnam War. Loquasto was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Chassey
Steve Chassey (born February 27, 1945 in Brockton, Massachusetts), is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 9 seasons (1981, 1983–1989, and 1992), with 44 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1983, 1987, and 1988. He finished in the top ten 4 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1981 at Watkins Glen International. He raced his last Indy 500 in 1988 for Gary Trout Motorsports finishing 24th. Chassey was also a regular competitor in the USAC Silver Crown Series championship, racing from 1975 to 1992. He was runner-up in the 1980 season, and had two career wins, at the 1984 Hoosier Hundred and 1988 Tony Bettenhausen 100. After retiring from driving, he also worked for ESPN, commentating on Thursday night "Thunder" USAC events. American open–wheel racing results (key) PPG Indycar Series (key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Cogan
John Kevin Cogan (born in Culver City, California on March 31, 1956) is a former race car driver who drove in Formula One from to . Driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, he failed to qualify, suffering the same result driving for Tyrrell at the 1981 US GP West. He then moved over to Indy cars in 1982 but his career was cut short by a series of accidents. Racing career Cogan made his Indycar debut at the 1981 Indianapolis 500, driving the No. 32 Sugaripe Prunes Phoenix PR-01-Cosworth DFX for Jerry O'Connell Racing, as part of the USAC Gold Crown Championship. Cogan qualified in 12th place and finished the race in fourth place with 197 laps completed. Despite this Cogan lost the Rookie of the Year Award to Josele Garza. Cogan then competed in the rival CART/PPG World Series for O'Connell. In his debut, the Gould Rex Mays Classic at the Milwaukee Mile, Cogan qualified in seventh place and finished in second. After the race, he was ranked fifth in points ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1982 Domino's Pizza Pocono 500
The 1982 Pocono 500, the 12th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 15, 1982. Branded as the 1982 Domino's Pizza Pocono 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Rick Mears, his first Pocono 500 win. Background In 1979, Indy car racing split into the two separate sanctioning bodies of USAC and CART. The Pocono 500 remained a USAC race and was boycotted by CART teams. Because of a lack of entries from major teams, attendance for the Pocono 500 plummeted and the track lost millions of dollars. After the 1981 Pocono 500, Pocono filed a lawsuit against CART saying their boycott violated antitrust laws and was guilty of "conspiracy to monopolize" Indy car racing. They sought $9 million in damages. In addition to CART, defendants included Team Penske, Roger Penske, Patrick Racing, Pat Patrick, and Gould Inc. They alleged that the defendants "knew about the financial difficulties suffered by the track and they ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Simon
Richard Raymond Simon (born September 21, 1933) is retired American auto racing driver and racing team owner. Simon drove Indy cars in USAC and CART, and made 17 starts at the Indianapolis 500. At the 1988 Indianapolis 500, Simon set a record as the oldest driver in Indy 500 history (54 years, 251 days), a record that was later broken by A. J. Foyt. Simon was a longtime car owner, founding Dick Simon Racing, helping to begin the Indy car careers of Stéphan Grégoire, Arie Luyendyk, Raul Boesel, Lyn St. James, and many others. Simon had a notable record at the Indy 500. Of the many rookies he entered at Indy over the years, not a single one failed to qualify for the race. Simon never won a race as a driver or as an owner. His best finish as a driver was 3rd at Ontario, and as an owner he had six second place finishes. Simon had a best finish at the Indianapolis 500 of 6th in 1987 (as a driver), and 4th in 1993 as an owner with Boesel. Simon sold his race team to Andy Evans who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Ongais
Danny Ongais (May 21, 1942 – February 26, 2022) was an American racing driver. Ongais was the only native Hawaiian to compete in the Indianapolis 500. He competed professionally in motorcycle, sports car, CART, IndyCar, Formula One, and drag racing. A fearless figure on the racing circuit, Ongais was nicknamed "On-Gas" and "The Flyin' Hawaiian." In the 1960s he won multiple drag racing championships and was named one of the National Hot Rod Association’s Top 50 Drivers for 1951-2000. In the 1970s he moved to competing in sports cars and Indy cars, winning races in both types, including the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979 and several Indy car races in 1977 and 1978. He also raced in Formula One, in 1977-78, in six Grands Prix, recording a best result of seventh. He was known as a fast and daring driver, but he experienced multiple crashes in his career, some resulting in injury. At the 1981 Indianapolis 500, he was involved in a near-fatal accident that caused him to miss al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
