Looking Back July 15: From The Archives

Editor’s Note: In a nod to our 92 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 20, 40 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.

20 Years Ago — 2006

News: Mum was the word Sunday night at Tri-City Speedway regarding the new ownership trio for the National Sprint Tour. NST officials would not comment on the sale of the organization.

According to Lonnie Parsons, the owner of the No. 6 driven by Dean Jacobs, the group that bought the series from the family of the late Fred Brownfield includes Guy Stockbridge, the

owner of the Elite Landscaping No. 14 driven by Jason Meyers, Don Lamberti, the sponsor of the Casey’s General Stores No. 6 and Steve Kinser.

An official press release detailing the sale was expected this week.

The group is waiting for all the details of the agreement to be finalized and for several other advisors to be on board.

Parsons feels there is room for two touring 410 series in the United States, as it allows more local drivers a chance to make the feature when the touring group is in town and it may encourage more teams to join one of the national tours.

Winners: Joey Saldana was in a class all by himself Saturday night – a royal class, as he picked up his second Kings Royal title at Eldora Speedway.

Saldana had added incentive in what was the biggest race of the season so far, as his car owner; NASCAR star Kasey Kahne, was in attendance.

And Tony Stewart, the owner of Eldora Speedway, was on hand to take in the festivities and make sure that everything ran smoothly.

Saldana made both former sprint-car drivers smile, as he used power and precision to keep the capacity crowd thrilled as he worked his way around the track, just inches off the wall.

Saldana, driving the Mopar-powered Dodge/ Curb Records JEI, didn’t disappoint his boss. He won a beat to qualify for the special six-car dash to determine the starting order for the first three rows of the 40-lap feature.

The Brownsburg, Ind., native wound up third in that event to start inside the second row for the Kings Royal that he also won in 2002.

Saldana used a power move on the high side of the track on the 20th lap to overtake Danny Lasoski in the Roth Motorsports Eagle. He set sail from there and was an smiles when he was handed the $50,000 check.

“To win a race like that gives me some good job security. Hopefully; I’m here for a while,” Saldana said. “The best of the best were here. Everybody was here, and this shows we are no slouches.”

Point-leader Donny Schatz used a late pass of Lasoski to come home second in the ParkerStore J&J, with Lasoski just behind him.

“We had a decent car, but it was not quite as good as theirs,” Schatz said. ”They have put a lot into their engine program, and it is obviously paying off.”

Kevin Swindell, who started 23rd, and Chad Kemenah rounded out the top five.

40 Years Ago — 1986

News: A plea bargain entered into by the racing Whittington brothers fell apart last week as Gary R. Levitz, son of the co-founder of Levitz Furniture chain, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for tax evasion.

The government said Levitz and the Whittingtons, Don and Bill, hid $20 million in marijuana smuggling profits by building a real estate and business empire in Georgia and Florida between 1977 and 1981. Levitz had pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in March.

The Whittington’s plea bargain, scheduled for approval July 7, fell apart in court after a government attorney said the brothers failed to provide financial information on time. Instead, U.S. District Judge Jose A. Gonzalez Jr. set a Sept. 15 trial date for them.

The Whittingtons, who in 1979 teamed up to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, first pleaded guilty with Levitz in March. Bill Whittington, charged with smuggling and tax evasion, had agreed to serve five years in prison. Don Whittington faced 18 months in prison for tax evasion.

The brothers also agreed to forfeit $7 million in property.

Winners: “It’s so nice to have the Unser family back on top again,” said Bobby Unser after setting a course record and winning the open rally division in Saturday’s 64th annual “Race to the Clouds,” the Predator Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

“You’re looking at the happiest man in the world,” said the 51-year-old Unser moments after climbing from his four-wheel drive Audi Sport Quattro S-1. “I just can’t tell you how this feels.”

Much to the delight of thousands of cheering fans, Unser and his 476-horsepower Quattro blasted up the mountain in 11 minutes, 9.22 seconds, eclipsing Michele Mouton’s year-old hill record by 16.17 seconds.

The Pikes Peak course, often called one of the toughest racing circuits in the world, covers 12.42 miles of dirt road, rising 4,708 feet to the 14,110-foot summit.

Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner who last competed here in 1974 when he won the stock car division, came out of retirement to drive the specially-prepared Audi rally car and reclaim the mountain for the Unser family.

The Unser family now has 29 Pikes Peak victories to its credit, dating back to 1934 when Louis Unser topped the open wheel class. Saturday’s victory was Bobby Unser’s 13th.

Rod Millen finished second in the open rally division, posting a time of 1 ~: 08.83 in his four-wheel-drive Mazda RX-7.

Bill Brister became a three-time Pikes Peak winner as he nipped Gary Lee Kanawyer for the open wheel title.

Brister and his Chevrolet-powered Wells Coyote topped the mountain with a time of 11:41.31, just .39 of a second faster than Kanawyer.

60 Years Ago— 1966

News: Larry Dickson drove the George Nesler Chevy to victory in the USAC sprint car program at the Tulsa Fairgrounds, an event that was marred by the death of young Ron Lux.

Lux was a first-year driver from Buffalo, N.Y., racing as a rookie on the USAC circuit.

The 14 starters had completed two laps when Lux touched the guard rail near the starting line.

He had started 12^th and had just nosed past Arnie Knepper for sixth position. He corrected from his brush with the rail and entering the first turn, hit Knepper’s right-front wheel, bounced off the guard rail and went over the front of Knepper’s car doing one and a half forward flips and then several sideways roll-overs ending up on his wheels.

Lux apparently died from internal bleeding in the chest area.

Winners: Bobby Allison, driving a 1966 Chevelle, won the Islip 300 for NASCAR Grand National stock cars at the speedway here Saturday before a crowd of 10,000.

“Tiger” Tom Pistone, in a 1954 Ford, earned the pole position with a 14.14 clocking. This was .10 slower than the record set last year by Marvin Panch. Elmo Langley, also in a ’64 Ford, started next to Pistone at 14.26.

Pistone immediately went out and built up a big lead. His car was handling beautifully and he was capable of lapping every car in the field. At 10 laps, Langley was second with Buddy Baker a strong third in a 1964 Dodge. At 20 laps, point leader David Pearson had moved into third with

James Hylton fourth and Allison fifth.

On the 202^nd lap, Allison unlapped himself from Hylton who was setting a good pace but not pushing as hard as Allison or Pearson who was really moving despite all his bad luck. A wheel bearing went bad. on Petty’s car on the 205th and he was out of the race.

The rest of the race found Allison charging furiously to gain on Hylton, who is a rookie in the NASCAR circuit. It was clearly Hylton’s race, but on the 292nd lap, he ran out of gas and Allison pushed his independently owned Chevelle to his second win on the Northern tour. Hyton finished second, with Ned Jarrett, David Pearson and Elmo Langley following.

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