I'm a relative newbie to openwheel racing, my background before racecars was a long career in motocross racing(16 years). My background and historical knowledge on USAC and it's "hayday" is limited at best. However, I have the great luxury of being friends with many people who have seen USAC at it's best and the stories I've heard have been pretty damn neat. To me what USAC is today is ok, mainly because I simply don't know what it used to be. Ignorant, I think that's the definition for what I am in terms of USAC's past. It's hard for stories to impact or be invisioned without seeing it first hand. Today we live in a world of communication, connections, and media so it's no special event to see live updates or video clips ect. ect. ect, however, back then it just didnt happen too often so the visual record of past evens is very very hard to find. We are only left with "stories" in most cases.
Is there a point to me wasting your time? Yes. It ironically starts by me wasting my time and surfing around on youtube. I stumbled upon this clip and it put to life most of the stories I've heard or at least gave them context with me. I love racing and the fact of the matter is that we don't always do so well, but love the hell out of it just because I get the privalige to do it anyways.
This 9 minute video encapsles everything that works, in-car driver interviews on the grid, starting lineups row by row, interviews from cars deep in the field as well as the polesitter, and an educational piece on the car itself. Totally a badass video that has more personality in it's 9 minutes that quite frankly you get at a whole nights show. After watching it, all i could think of was that I'm glad as hell to do it now, but man it would have been kick ass to do it back then.

Kevin Studley


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n78Hx9JNPKA

Thanks for sharing, Kevin. Watching that brought back some memories and a few emotions like....rage, because somehow that whole deal has gone away (see the full bleachers? see the great racers in that field?), also an appreciation for that era, however. But the overriding emotion was and is still pure old love....for the Silver Crowns, USAC, PIR, Sports Cavalcade, and of course the drivers and cars.:thumb

RIP to all those that were mentioned that have left us in the years since, starting with Steve Evans.

Thanks again, Kev.

No kidding. Excellent post.

Great post .....But what happen to the last 40 laps??

Thanks for sharin' that one with us Kstud!!.......Brucer'

go to the bottom when the video is over and scroll to the right ,there are 4 parts to watch the whole race:thumb

Great post Stud...:respect:

Quote of the day:
"Absolutely no electronics on these cars, no two-way radios, no computers, no information gathering devices, and I think, Brock, what they're (USAC) trying to do is keep the older, more romanticized Silver Crown cars alive, I think I speak for you and a lot of our fans out there, we hope those cars are around forever, USAC is doin' a great job..."

My how times change... :action-smiley-049:

I personally prefer the #78 Car that was shown at the 7:09 mark. If you want to rock it old school, that is how you do it.

That car was actually an old 4-Coil J&J that had a junky looking Alum. body on it when we got it and we converted it to the old "King" style. Even had a Weeks grill without a front bumper and I believe no nerfs at the time. We built two Competition Welding cars after that with the same design.

We had to change motors after the semi and I believe that was the year that the power steering went out and Bill ran the last 20 laps with no power steering.

The Copper was an incrediable event that unfortunately got caught up in the IRL deal and basically ruined it. The Chili Bowl has in many ways taken it's place as far as the Winter place to be. I only went to maybe Seven Coppers, but I loved every one of them.

From the Alaskan Bush Company, a trailer park "Massage Parlor", a chicken living in an apartment, the worlds largest **** shop(they say), and the largest collection of prostitutes I ever saw gathered in one spot(Maybe 100 or more at once on Van Buren); I saw alot of things in Phoenix that I had never seen before. That and some great racing.

That video is evidence of what I said in other posts. Look at the names that ran the Silver Crown Cars. Different drivers from all over the country. That is what made the Silver Crown series what it was. That is what makes it special.

Yeah Scott, large **** and large prostitutes, don't try to tell me you hadn't seen that before.:moon::eek: Don't forget "Import Night."

I remember watching that broadcast when it aired. Thought it was terrific and really miss those American Sports Cavalcade shows.

I highly recommend import night to anyone looking to have a social gathering.

The guests have to bring along enough of their favorite import beverage for everyone and the nastiest **** they can find. It doesn't hurt to have the boss's youngiest(legal drinking age; I think) daughter there as well. Who know she had been training as a gymnast and contortionist for 15 years? If not for import night; we would have never known that.

Anyway, way off topic. The Copper is great too.