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Jeff's Indy Talk: Remembering the Indianapolis News 500 Record Books

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In my head, it's always May. Sunday, May 3, 2015. Remembering the Indianapolis News 500 Record Books. Long before you could carry the entire world in your hand in the form of your phone, the Indianapolis News produced a pocked-sized history of the Indianapolis 500. Each volume was packed with text-heavy information – driver head shots along with a few other photos accounted for the art in the book. Rookies of the year, qualifying records and a lot of stuff that hardcore Indianapolis 500 fans ate up.

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Racing Links

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Dedicated to Auto Racing. Wm LaDow Stories and Articles. Ray Nichels Pontiac Perfection. Nichels Engineering Debuts the 426 Hemi at Daytona. Ray Nichels' Stunning 1957 Racing Accomplishments. The Paul Russo - Ray Nichels Special.

jeffsindytalk.blogspot.com

Jeff's Indy Talk: March 2015

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In my head, it's always May. Tuesday, March 24, 2015. Indianapolis 500 and “Track Burgers”. Graham Rahal will be sponsored by Steak ‘n Shake at this year’s Indianapolis 500. My Indy cohort, Bill LaDow, has the release on his site, speedwaysightings. Rahal is no stranger to burger-sponsored cars as he wheeled a McDonald’s ride in 2009. Here’s a look at some other “track burgers” over the years:. Graham Rahal, 2009/Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Saturday, March 7, 2015. The short version is tha...

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Jeff's Indy Talk: November 2013

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In my head, it's always May. Saturday, November 16, 2013. Franchitti's Abrupt Retirement Similar to Mears. Photo credit: Shawn Gritzmacher/Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I can’t say I was overly surprised that Dario Franchitti announced his retirement from racing earlier this week. His crash at Houston was frightening, worrisome and far too reminiscent of what transpired at Las Vegas two years ago. The abrupt nature of Franchitti’s retirement has some similarities to Rick Mears. In 1992, Mears, t...As with...

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Jeff's Indy Talk: December 2014

http://jeffsindytalk.blogspot.com/2014_12_01_archive.html

In my head, it's always May. Tuesday, December 30, 2014. 1979: Year of the Original Split. Today we have a couple of artifacts from the original open-wheel split of 1979. Specifically, programs from the first CART and USAC races of that season at Phoenix International Raceway and Ontario Motor Speedway, respectively. The covers themselves tell the story of what each group offered. The welcome note from Ray Smartis, general manager for Ontario, hoped for a quick end to the open-wheel civil war:. 8220;We h...

jeffsindytalk.blogspot.com

Jeff's Indy Talk: First Indy Trip Memorable for Future Wife

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In my head, it's always May. Friday, April 3, 2015. First Indy Trip Memorable for Future Wife. Some 25 years ago, back in 1990, I took my then-girlfriend on her first trip to the world’s greatest race course. We had been going out for a few months, and things were going well. It was time for the next big step in our relationship. It was time to meet … the track. She was from Valparaiso, went to Purdue and at one time lived in Plainfield, but in all those years had never ventured to 16. We thought about m...

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Jeff's Indy Talk: July 2013

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In my head, it's always May. Thursday, July 4, 2013. Good to see IndyCar back at Pocono. I’m stoked about IndyCar finally – after 24 years (! 8211; returning to Pocono. Rebooting the Triple Crown – even with the Pocono race only 400 miles – can differentiate IndyCar and perhaps give it a boost. The Pocono date quickly shifted to middle or late June (sort of close to July 4, I suppose), then mid-August to off the calendar completely after the 1989 event. Both Pocono and Ontario borrowed some key Indianapo...

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Jeff's Indy Talk: April 2014

http://jeffsindytalk.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html

In my head, it's always May. Saturday, April 19, 2014. Vintage ad of the day: Hoosier Grand Prix. A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to snag some vintage programs. One was for the July 18, 1965, national championship race at Trenton Speedway. This ad was on Page 10. First time for Indy-style cars on a road course. With an OK from the FIA as well. Of course, this year for the first time Indy cars will compete on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Saturday, April 12, 2014. I collect ju...

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Jeff's Indy Talk: Some Quick Thoughts – and Long Ramblings – on my First Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis

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In my head, it's always May. Monday, May 11, 2015. Some Quick Thoughts – and Long Ramblings – on my First Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Star estimated the crowd at 40,000, which seems generous, quite frankly. Let’s say there are 220,000 permanent seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That means about every 1 in 5 seats would be filled if you put the folks from the infield into the stands. This seems unlikely. Street – no traffic direction to speak of. Inside the track, it ...