SPEED SPORT has been reporting on and covering motorsports happenings from all over the world for 85 years, so we thought it would be fun to take a look back in the archives to see what happened 10, 25 and 50 years ago each week.
So check out what SPEED SPORT was covering 10, 25 and 50 years ago this week in Looking Back!
10 Years Ago (July 29, 2009): Despite a dominant run by Juan Pablo Montoya, Jimmie Johnson emerged victorious from the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second-straight year. Montoya dominated the race, but a late pit road speeding penalty derailed his dreams of becoming the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400. Johnson led the final 34 laps to earn his third Brickyard 400 triumph.
Other Happenings: Antron Brown completed a sweep of the NHRA’s West Coast Swing with a victory at Infineon Raceway in the Top Fuel class; Will Power delivered a dominant victory for Roger Penske in the Rexall Edmonton Indy; Lewis Hamilton gave McLaren it’s first victory of the year during the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring; Felipe Massa was severely injured during the Hungarian Grand Prix when he was struck in the head by a steel spring during qualifying.
25 Years Ago (July 27, 1994): Jimmy Spencer won his second NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in three starts, leading his teammate Bill Elliott across the finish line at Talladega Superspeedway. After leading the first two laps, Spencer faded through the field and waited to make his move. He returned to the lead 19 laps from the finish, taking the top spot from Ernie Irvan and leading the remainder of the distance.
Other Happenings: Jac Haudneschild won the 11th running of the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway, pocketing $50,000 for his efforts; Mike Bliss and Dan Drinan collected USAC victories; Steve Carlson and Butch Miller snared victories in ARTGO action; Race teams in Indiana got a sales tax break in the state of Indiana thanks to a group effort from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, USAC, and Indy Mayor Steve Goldsmith.
50 Years Ago (July 30, 1969): Peter Revson beat some of the best USAC stars in the country to win the Indy 200 road race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He posted his win by finishing third behind Dan Gurney and Al Unser in the first heat, then winning the second 100-miler on the 15-turn, 2.5-mile circuit. He earned $37,850 for his efforts.
Other Happenings: Richard Petty earned the 98th and 99th victories of his NASCAR Grand National career, collecting trophies at Smoky Mountain Raceway and Nashville’s Fairgrounds Speedway; Roger McCluskey triumph in the 100-lap USAC Stock car race in Terre Haute, Ind.; Pete Hamilton spun but still won the Catawba 300 NASCAR Grand Touring event at Hickory Motor Speedway.