The 2024 running motorsports thread

Won everything, everywhere. Stock cars, sprints, midgets, Pikes Peak, off-road, Trans-Am sports cars. If he could drive it, Parnelli Jones would make it go fast.

Forever linked to larger-than-life characters J.C. Agajanian and Andy Granatelli.

First driver to qualify at over 150 mph at Indianapolis.

Won the 1963 500 in the legendary No. 98 Ol' Calhoun roadster, although Colin Chapman was furious that USAC failed to black flag Parnelli for an oil leak that caused Eddie Sachs to spin and crash.

Should have won the 1967 500 in the controversial No. 40 STP turbine. A transmission bearing failed with a handful of laps to go after he dominated the race.

Was the owner of Al Unser's winning car in both 1970 and 1971, sponsored by Johnny Lightning scale model cars.

He's in EIGHT different racing Halls of Fame.

RIP.

 

I believe that leaves only Paul Goldsmith and A.J. Foyt from the 1961 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race starting field (they actually competed in 1958-60 as well). Goldsmith is 98. Foyt is 89.

 

The one Indy I ever attended, and we were seated on turn four where his car rolled to a halt with like 5 laps to go. He was ahead by about 5 miles, I think. Memorable. A great racer. RIP.

 

You left out the fact he had the most racecar-drivery name ever.

 

Fireball Roberts would like a word.

 

The whole NASCAR giving a Larson a waiver to be in their idiotic playoffs seems like a mess of their own making because they have a rule that says a driver has to start in all races. I'm old enough to remember when drivers sometimes missed races because they were injured or because they didn't qualify that weekend.

Another thing is people giving their opinions of Stewart closing shop. NASCAR teams are blowing money out of a fire hose because sponsors are no longer there and haven't been in more than a decade. Stewart is out of NASCAR and doing other things. He has no obligation to keep a team in the sport if he doesn't want to.

 

Gene Haas signs the checks to keep the place running. More and more of the money was coming straight from him because of the aforementioned lack of sponsorship. Do you really think overstock paid full freight to put their wraps on three cars last week? You feel better about tossing money out the window when your teams are competitive.

 

One of the last of his age, and one of the best to ever do it. To his rest.

That car.

 

Correct. Nobody else among the 26 others (!) who failed to qualify is still alive. Tempted to say an era is ending, but A.J. will outlive us all.

 

So, what exactly is going on in IndyCar?

As far as I can tell, a mediocre Argentine driver is in trouble because his fans (and possibly media) are brigading a French kid who hit him in Detroit and his stance is that the French kid needs to get over it because everyone does death threats in Argentina?