![Bill alsup at indy500 in 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Bill_alsup_at_indy500_in_2012.JPG)
Bill Alsup (July 15, 1938 in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
– August 9, 2016) was an American
race car driver. He was the first Championship Auto Racing Teams (
CART) Rookie of the Year in 1979 and competed in the
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, finishing 11th. He made 57 CART & USAC Champ Car starts in his career. His best race finish of third came 3 times and he was the 1981 CART Championship runner-up, putting in a winless but consistent season for
Penske Racing
Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organizati ...
, his only effort with a top-level team. He returned to his own team the next year and struggled until leaving Champ Car following the 1984
Sanair Super Speedway
Sanair Super Speedway is a motorsports park with a 0.826-mile (1.33 km) paved triangular oval race track, a quarter-mile dragstrip, a 1/3-mile oval, as well as a 0.12-mile mini-oval and 0.15-mile karting course. It also formerly had a -mile r ...
race.
CART career
Alsup made his CART debut at the
Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 at
Phoenix International Raceway driving the #41 WASP Racing
Mclaren-
Offenhauser for WASP Racing starting twenty fourth (last) and finishing eleventh. He attempted to qualify for the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, first driving the #67 WASP Racing
McLaren-
Offenhauser, but the car was not fast enough to make a qualifying run. He then attempted the #19
Sta-On Eagle 74-
Offenhauser for
Gehlhausen Racing but the engine failed. The final car he attempted to qualify was the #68
CAM 2 Motor Oil Penske PC7-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
for
Team Penske
Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona ...
. He qualified for the race but
USAC officials ruled that the car used the engine from Penske teammate
Bobby Unser's car and Alsup was disqualified.
He drove the remainder of the CART season for WASP Racing. He had a best finish of ninth in the second heat of the
Trenton Indy at
Trenton Speedway
Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway.
Racing histor ...
, the
Kent Oil 150 at
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...
, the first heat of the
Norton Twin 125s and the
Gould Grand Prix, the latter two at
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...
, and finished the season fifteenth in points to win the first
CART Rookie of the Year Award.
In 1980 Alsup purchased the inventory of WASP Racing and started his own team called Alsup Racing, Alsup driving the #41
Polaroid Time Zero Penske PC7-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
. He started the season by finishing sixth in the season opening
Dastun Twin 200 at
Ontario Motor Speedway. He failed to qualify for the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, rebounded to finish third at the
Red Roof Inns 150 at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and finished the season seventh in points, earning him the
CART Most Improved Driver Award.
In 1981 he drove for
Team Penske
Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona ...
in a Norton-Spirit sponsored car alongside teammates
Bobby Unser
Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. F ...
and
Rick Mears
Rick Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is a retired American race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (1 ...
. Driving for Penske in the #7
A.B. Dick Penske PC9B-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
and for himself in the #41
Polaroid Time Zero Penske PC7-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
he had a best finish of third at the
Norton Michigan 500 at
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...
where he led for three laps. He also finished third at the
Los Angeles Times 500 at
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway (sometimes known as Riverside, RIR, or Riverside Raceway) was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Rivers ...
and at the
AB Dick Tony Bettenhausen 200 at
Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway. He ended the season with a career best second in points in the CART standings but it wasn't enough to keep his ride with TEAM Penske, and he was released from the team at the end of the season.
In 1982 he was back to driving for himself using the #2
A.B. Dick Penske PC9B-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
and had a best finish of fourth at the
Stroh's 200 at
Atlanta Motor Speedway. He dropped to eleventh in points for the season.
In 1983 he began working with
Argo Racing Cars
Argo Racing Cars Ltd. is a British racing constructor founded by Swiss designer Jo Marquart and British mechanic Nick Jordan as part of their Anglia Cars racing team in the 1980s. The company initially constructed a variety of open-wheel cars ...
driving the #11 Alsup Racing/
Indy Car Annual Argo JM-15-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
. He failed to qualify for the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
and soon started driving a
March 83C-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
. He scored no points that year.
In 1984 he switched between a
March 83C-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
and an
Argo JM-15-
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
. He failed to qualify for the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
and started his last race at the
Molson Indy Montreal
The Grand Prix of Montreal was an annual auto race in Montreal, Quebec on the Champ Car World Series calendar.
History
Originally known as the Molson Indy Montreal, it was first held at Sanair Super Speedway, an oval track, from 1984 through 198 ...
at
Sanair Super Speedway
Sanair Super Speedway is a motorsports park with a 0.826-mile (1.33 km) paved triangular oval race track, a quarter-mile dragstrip, a 1/3-mile oval, as well as a 0.12-mile mini-oval and 0.15-mile karting course. It also formerly had a -mile r ...
. He once again failed to score points.
Death
Alsup died in a crane accident near Silverton, Colorado where he was a long-term resident on August 9, 2016.
Racing record
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
Formula Super Vee
SCCA/CART Indy Car Series
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alsup, Bill
1938 births
2016 deaths
Sportspeople from Honolulu
Racing drivers from Hawaii
Champ Car drivers
Indianapolis 500 drivers
SCCA Formula Super Vee drivers
Formula Super Vee Champions
SCCA National Championship Runoffs participants
People from Silverton, Colorado
Team Penske drivers