Long Beach 2008- Champ Car’s Final Race

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My friend Sally, who gave me the three Hulman glasses, also gave me a box of old Long Beach programs. I have a couple of Indianapolis 500 programs, and I find the programs from other races fascinating.

The programs provide a glimpse of local culture and lets fans see how other races are run. The better programs also provide some history of the race. I find that part of a program invaluable, especially for the races that have run for the longest time. The King Beach programs don’t disappoint in that area.

The program for the 2008 race caught my eye. The race was to be Champ Car’s last race, and coincide with the Champ Car drivers’ first IRL points paying race. IRL and Champ Car had agreed to merge in February 2008, and the Long Beach weekend would have the last separate races for the two series. The IRL raced Motegi, Japan on Saturday, April 19, and Champ Car’s last race took place the following afternoon. Drivers could only race in one of the races.

Champ Car Tribute

The program pays tribute to Champ Car with the feature “Champ Car’s Last Hurrah. CART began racing at Long Beach in 1984. Formula 1 had become too expensive for the Grand Prix Association.

Jim Michaelian, Long Beach Grand Prix President, concludes that

“Just like back in 1984, we’re not going to miss a beat. There will be more world -class racing in store when the Indy racing League(IRL)-which includes many drivers who battled it out on our streets-makes its debut…next year.”

Sebastian Bourdais winning the 2007 Long Beach Grand Prix

The weekend included Formula Atlantics and ALMS. The Atlantics race had Jonathan Bomarito on pole with Simona De Silvestro also on the front row. James Hinchcliffe started 10th, and Dane Cameron started 11th.

IN ALMS, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta teamed up in an LMP2 Acura.

All series seem to get equal coverage in the program. The Champ Car driver features are divided by teams, which makes it easy to find a favorite driver.

Starting Lineup

A bonus I love finding in an old program is the starting grid sheet. This one is a treasure as it marks the end of a series. Most of the drivers did drive in the IRL at some point in their career. Will Power and Graham Rahal are the only two drivers still active in Indycar.

Power won the race. His photo from the 2008 program:

I am glad I have this program. It is arguably one of the four most important programs in Long Beach Grand Prix history. The others are the first F1 race, the CART race, and the first IRL race.

This weekend marks the 38th Indycar race at Long Beach, the longest running Indycar outside of the Indianapolis 500.

Twelve Years of Speed: The Roadster to Rear Engine Transition

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Who knew that the tiny green rear engine Cooper Climax was a harbinger of sweeping change when it qualified for the 1961 Indianapolis 500? Jack Brabham drove to a ninth place finish in that race. What followed over the next five to six was a nearly complete switch to rear engine racecars. The transition resulted in a dozen years of record smashing qualifying and race speeds.

The little car that started the rear engine revolution

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum opened its newest exhibit last week. Races2Records: 12 Years that Revolutionized the Indy 500, 1960-1972. The exhibit features 19 cars, many which are not usually seen on their exhibition floor. The cars include the last roadster to win the race, the last roadster to compete in the 500, and the first winged car to win the 500. Several of the cars on display never made the race, but are there to show some of the innovations and experiments during one of the greatest eras of creativity in Indycar racing.

Roadsters Go Down Swinging

By 1963, the rear engine cars were gaining momentum, but the roadsters still were strong enough to win the pole and the race. Parnelli Jones was the first driver to break the 150 mile per hour barrier in 1962. In 1963 Jones won the pole again and also won the race. Jim Clark finished second in a rear engine car.

Parnelli Jones cracked 150 mph in 1962, then won the race in 1963 in this car.

In 1964 A. J. Foyt won the 500. The race was marred by second lap accident which took the lives of Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald. It would be the last victory for a front engine car.

The last front engine car to win the 500.

After 1964 roadsters lingered in the race, and 1968 saw the last roadster, driven by Jim Hurtubise, compete in the 500. The car is on display. it is currently being restored.

The last roadster to run in the 500. The state of the car reflects the status of roadsters at the time.

Innovations

Two innovations in the exhibit that had little success on track are Smoky Yunick’s side car and the Liquid Suspension Special.

Smokey Yunick and George Hurst of Hurst Floor Shift fame collaborated on the design for the 1964 race. Track officials said the car had to do a “rookie test” to prove its safety and speed. The car passed the test, but driver Bobby Johns crashed on his warmup lap prior top a qualifying attempt.

I find it hard to believe anyone would want to drive this

The Liquid Suspension Special entered in 1964 used a hydraulic suspension system. Rubber bladders of hydraulic fluid were connected by a hydraulic line. The concept was to eliminate the need for shck absorbers. Walt Hansgen finished 13th in the race. He had run as high as ourth until a lengthy pit stop took him out of contention. One of the cars was sold to A. J. Foyt, who decided to use his roadster for the race. That turned out to be a pretty good choice.

Liquid Suspension Special

The 60s saw many innovations from people like Yunick, Dan Gurney, and Andy Granatelli. Some of them like the turbine are not the xcope of this exhibit.

A Well Done Presentation

The Museum has done a great job with their special exhibits. The Unser Family was outstanding. I was very impressed with this display. Maybe because of the era it recalls, which is the one I grew up in. The murals behind the car displays are impressive. This one behind the Jones car (R) and the Jim Rathmann’s 1960 race winner is especially striking.

I also liked the graph showing the increase in speed during the 12 year time frame. The black line is the pole speed and the yellow line is the race average.

The exhibit has some other fun things and also one sobering display which is a tribute to Eddie Sachs. It is nothing gory. Sachs’ car from the 1964 race is completely reconstructed as it was on race morning. I didn’t take a picture of it. The car is a nice tribute, and I paused for a moment of silent reflection.

I will post some more photos on The Pit Window’s Facebook page in the next couple of days.

My Long Beach race coverage begins tomorrow with a bit of history.

Festival Event Cars First Hint of Spring

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From IMS

2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertibles Presented as 500 Festival Event Cars 
 INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, April 4, 2022) – A longtime tradition and another sign of the return of the Month of May took place April 4 as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Chevrolet staged 50 identical 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertibles on the main straightaway at IMS.The “Festival Event Cars” have reminded Indianapolis-area residents of the upcoming Indianapolis 500 since the 1960s, and this year’s fleet of unique Camaros again will turn heads as they are driven around Central Indiana.
Presenting the cars were Allison Melangton, Penske Entertainment Senior Vice President; Pat Merna, 500 Festival Vice President Strategic Partnerships; and Todd Christensen, Chevrolet Motorsports Strategic Marketing and Operations.The Festival Event Cars are a unique option code based off the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible and are powered by a 6.2-liter small block V-8, which offers 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque.The exterior of the car features Wild Cherry Tintcoat exterior paint with special decals from Chevrolet’s Performance Design Studio representing the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
The car also features a Ceramic White interior, a power-folding convertible top that can be lowered while driving at speeds up to 30 mph, Brembo front and rear performance brakes with red calipers and 20-inch black-painted aluminum wheels.
“We’re glad to continue the tradition of providing Festival Event Cars to build excitement for the Indianapolis 500,” said Dean Stramer, Chevrolet Camaro marketing and advertising manager.
“Our Chevrolet Design team did a great job making this year’s Camaro a stand-out.”
The 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 29, 2022. Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS.
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

New Engine Gets Some Running; Testing Cancelled; Notes

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Weather was the big story at IMS last week, as the test planned for Thursday and postponed until Friday never happened. There were cars on track earlier int he week, however, as the new 2.4 liter engines from Honda and Chevy got its first track test.

Both OEMs said they were pleased with the test despite the limited test time. I lijke the sound of the new engine. It is a very deep tone. The video is of the Chevy.

Andretti Autosport and Team Penske will test at barber tomorrow before heading to Long Beach.

I understand a test on the IMS road course is scheduled for June.

Harvey Cleared to Drive

Jack Harvey is now clear to drive at the Acura Grand prix of Long Beach. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver had a hard crash during final practice for the EXPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway last month and was held out of the race.

Santino Ferrucci replaced Harvey in the race. Ferrucci started last and finished ninth.

Music City Presale

The Music City Presale begins at noon tomorrow for last year’s ticket holders. General public sales can’t be too far away.

I’m interested in seeing what improvements, if any the event has made after its first year. I hope they have made tickets easier to access and have employed a more fan friendly security company.

500 Festival Cars Debut

Tomorrow morning the 500 festival event cars will appear on the front stretch of IMS as we will be just 55 days away from the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500.

While I am at the track tomorrow I will check out the new exhibit at the IMS Museum, Roadsters 2 Records, 1960-1972. The display covers the transition from front engine cars to rear engine machines and the golden age of driving talent and technology in the time period.

Reposted: Test Postponed to Friday, Roster Shrinks

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Weather caused the Indycar road test at IMS to move to Friday, April 1. Seven drivers are scheduled Rd filed to test, down from the ten slated to appear Thursday.

Teams and drivers still in:

Andretti Autosport: Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: Callum Ilott
Meyer Shank Racing: Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud

Fans may still watch from the turn 2 mounds

Test Postponed to Friday, Roster Shrinks

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Weather caused the Indycar road test at IMS to move to Friday, April 1. Seven drivers are scheduled Rd filed to test, down from the ten slated to appear Thursday.

Teams and drivers still in:

Andretti Autosport: Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi
Juncos Hollinger Racing: Callum Ilott
Meyer Shank Racing: Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud
Fans may still watch from the turn 2 mounds.

Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink Returns Aug. 3-4

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INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, March 29, 2022) – The wheel-to-wheel action of United States Auto Club  (USAC) NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship 3 and Thursday, Aug. 4 to The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the fourth Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink.
Tickets are on sale at IMS.com. Reserved seat ticket prices for qualifying and the feature event Thursday, Aug. 4 start at $35, with tickets for Wednesday, Aug. 3 – highlighted by the Stoops Pursuit event – starting at $25.
“It was a big highlight for everyone at IMS last year to see the BC39 come back after a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “This new tradition of an incredible two nights of dirt action continues to grow at the Racing Capital of the World thanks to our loyal fans and the continued support of great charitable partners like the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives, and NOS Energy Drink’s commitment to USAC racing.”
The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.
“Everyone at Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives is thrilled to see the BC39 return to its rightful place on the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget schedule for the fourth year,” said Taylor McLean, Bryan Clauson’s sister and marketing program specialist at Indiana Donor Network.
“It is an honor to be able to be a part of an event that Bryan would be proud of. The Driven2SaveLives BC39 has become a place for race fans and teams alike to honor Bryan and share how their lives have been impacted by organ donation and transplantation. We cannot wait to once again bring the positive message of organ donation and transplantation to the racing community at this year’s BC39.”
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson won the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink last August in a wild finish, one of the signature victories in his summer stampede to Victory Lane at racetracks across America.
Fans also can visit IMS.com/BC39 for more information about pit passes, camping and prepaid parking.
The Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink will be the conclusion of nearly a week of thrilling action on the road course and The Dirt Track at IMS. The NASCAR-INDYCAR tripleheader takes place July 29-31, with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR Xfinity Series conducting separate races Saturday, July 30 with the INDYCAR Grand Prix and the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard, and the NASCAR Cup Series racing Sunday, July 31 in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.Visit IMS.com for more information on tickets to all IMS events in 2022.
 

Ten Drivers Testing at IMS Thursday

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Weather permitting, nine full time Indycar drivers and one May only driver will test on the IMS road course tomorrow. Fans may watch from the turn 2 mounds.

The original roster for the test had virtually the entire Indycar grid participating, A. J. Foyt Racing, Dale Coyne Racing and his partners, Chip Ganassi Racing, ad Team Penske opted not to attend.

The lineup for Thursday’s test:

Andretti Autosport: Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi

Arrow McLaren SP: Juan Pablo Montoya, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist

Juncos Hollinger Racing: Callum Ilott

Meyer Shank Racing: Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud

Racing at the Pleasure of the King; Weather Delay at IMS?

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F1 was caught in a difficult situation this weekend. A missile strike 10 miles from the track had the series and some drivers doubting if the race should go on. Eventually, the weekend proceeded normally, after what sounded like veiled threats from the Saudi government.

To complicate things, F1 and Saudi Arabia have a 15 year contract for this race. It is a race that probably pays one of the highest sanctioning fees in F1. Still, I don’t think a series should be racing in a war zone. I can’t believe there isn’t a Force Majeure clause in their contract.

For those who want Indycar to stage international races, this weekend is Exhibit A as to why staying in North America is a good idea.

Weather May Hinder Engine Test

Indycar’s test of the new 2.4 liter engine at IMS may not happen this week. At 11:25 Eastern time, the current Indianapolis temperature is 34 degrees with a predicted high of 42, which will come after 3 PM. Tomorrow is just slightly warmer with a high of 46. Wednesday looks like the best day of the week with a high of 77 degrees with wind gusts of 20-30 mph. Thursday the high is predicted to be 50 degrees with a chance of rain. A 20 car test on he road course is on Thursday’s schedule.

With teams heading to Long beach next week, a postponement this week could result in at least a two week delay in the test. As of now there is no official word from Indycar or IMS on contingency plans.

Heading North

The Pit Window begins the move to Summer Headquarters tomorrow. It doesn’t sound like we will be greeted by summer or even spring like conditions. Anyway, unless something huge happens the next two days (very likely since it seems to when I’m unavailable to report) I won’t have anything up until late Thursday or early Friday.

Thanks for following along this winter.