Racing History

GLORY DAYS: All Star Champion Dale Blaney
Racing History

GLORY DAYS: All Star Champion Dale Blaney

GLORY DAYS: All Star Champion Dale Blaney

Dale Blaney followed in his older brother Dave and father Lou’s footsteps and quickly became a top-notch sprint car driver. After winning rookie-of-the-year honors with the All Star Circuit of Champions in 1994, Blaney joined car owner Tim Hughes for 1995 and went on a tear. He won 12 races and his first All Star […]
Eddie Sachs’ Greatest 500 Drive
Racing History

Eddie Sachs’ Greatest 500 Drive

Eddie Sachs’ Greatest 500 Drive

Eddie Sachs consistently demonstrated an uncanny ability to find the fast way around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In five years, he qualified on the front row four times, earning the pole in 1960 and ’61. As practice began for the 1962 Indianapolis 500, Sachs was considered the odds-on-favorite to be the first to break the 150-mph […]
GLORY DAYS: Hall Of Famer Bob Kinser
Racing History

GLORY DAYS: Hall Of Famer Bob Kinser

GLORY DAYS: Hall Of Famer Bob Kinser

Bob Kinser may be as famous for being the father of drivers Steve and Randy Kinser as he was for his own prowess on the race track. The elder Kinser won 29 track or sanctioning body championships and more than 400 sprint car features during a career that spanned more than 40 years. He was […]
Mahoney’s Memories: Opperman’s First Midget Victory
Racing History

Mahoney’s Memories: Opperman’s First Midget Victory

Mahoney’s Memories: Opperman’s First Midget Victory

Editor’s Note: In this monthly photo essay feature, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame photographer John Mahoney shares his memories and images from some of the most amazing and historic sprint car and midget races.   USAC Midgets, Dayton Speedway, Aug. 8, 1976 In July 1976, Jan Opperman posted a surprising second-place finish to Pancho […]
GLORY DAYS: Jeff Gordon Wins At Eldora
Racing History

GLORY DAYS: Jeff Gordon Wins At Eldora

GLORY DAYS: Jeff Gordon Wins At Eldora

Jeff Gordon’s days racing a midget were becoming few and far between, but with a burgeoning NASCAR career, he returned to Eldora Speedway for the 11th annual 4-Crown Nationals at the Ohio half-mile race track. Driving Rollie Helmling’s familiar No. 1 midget, Gordon put on a dazzling performance, setting the fast qualifying time and racing […]
Remembering Tom Reffner
Racing History

Remembering Tom Reffner

Remembering Tom Reffner

Wisconsin stock car racing superstar Tom Reffner passed away Friday at the age of 82. 
Looking Back: 1998 & 1973
Racing History

Looking Back: 1998 & 1973

Looking Back: 1998 & 1973

Since its debut in the March 20, 1991, issue of National Speed Sport News, various formats of Looking Back have provided readers with a recap of motorsports history. Reviving this tradition as part of SPEED SPORT Insider, we recently ventured into the NSSN archives to see what was making headlines 25 and 50 years ago. […]
GLORY DAYS: Father & Son
Racing History

GLORY DAYS: Father & Son

GLORY DAYS: Father & Son

John Andretti enjoyed one of the most diverse racing careers of any driver, ranging from midgets to stock cars, Indy cars and Top Fuel dragsters. His father, Aldo, Mario Andretti’s twin, was the biggest supporter of John’s career and was present for many of his races. The accompanying photo was snapped at Indianapolis Motor Speedway […]
Reventlow: Driver, Playboy & Racing Enthusiast
Racing History

Reventlow: Driver, Playboy & Racing Enthusiast

Reventlow: Driver, Playboy & Racing Enthusiast

Lance Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, born in 1936, ran in Hollywood circles. His mother, Barbara Hutton, inherited the Woolworth department store chain and was considered the wealthiest woman in the world at that time. His father was a Danish Count. For a time, Reventlow was married to actress Jill St. John. The most significant person in Lance Reventlow’s […]
GLORY DAYS: The Kinsers Visit Michigan
Racing History

GLORY DAYS: The Kinsers Visit Michigan

GLORY DAYS: The Kinsers Visit Michigan

Steve Kinser dedicated his feature victory to his father, Bob, after winning the Father’s Day World of Outlaws event at Michigan’s I-96 Speedway on June 15, 1997. “It’s been a long time since we were here (victory lane),” Kinser admitted. “We won one on Mother’s Day (May 9th), and now I got one for my […]