Al Unser's Third Indianapolis 500 Victory
Al Unser’s Third Indianapolis 500 Victory
Al Unser’s Third Indianapolis 500 Victory
Posted on: February 1, 2011 | Comments(5) | Gasoline Alley Unplugged |
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Let me know what you think?
just think if al didnt have the car problem with the yellow submarine in 1979 and the disagreements with Jim Hall might be a Five time winner?
The earliest use of ground effect skirts on a car at the Speedway that I can recall was on AJ Foyt’s Coyote in 1974. Take a look at his pole winning photo from that year and the clear plastic (or acrylic) strips along the bottom edge of the car’s sides are clearly visible.
A few personal notes about 1978, if I may. That was the first year I attempted to record the radio broadcast for my own personal amusement. I still have a small portion of the original tapes, but the rest has since been lost. I got most of it restored a couple years ago thanks to Mike Serowik’s “All Night Race Party”, which I stream from the internet every year. It has frequently provided some great additions to my collection and is one of the highlights I eagerly look forward to each May. Second, I find it interesting that, with all the Lolas that have run at the Speedway since the 60s, only three have ever won, and they came exactly 12 years apart each time (1966, 1978 & 1990)! I’ve always found things like that very interesting to me. And as for Sneva winning the championship, he did so without winning a single race that year; I don’t believe it has happened since. And I think that was what led to him getting the boot from Penske, paving the way for Rick Mears to get the seat full-time in ’79, and of course the rest is history…
Thanks to Donald as usual and thanks to Chris Blackwell for the additional insights
There’s 19″ of snow in my driveway and it’s still snowing. How long until it’s MAY?