Frenetic Friday -- All About Gary B

Writing my post last week about the year 1972 really made me give a lot of thought about Gary Bettenhausen, who among the drivers I have followed over the last 40 years might have had one of the most star-crossed careers of them all at Indy.

Gary made 21 starts in the 500 between 1968-93 and is one of only one of seven drivers to make the field 20 times, but is one of just two in that group (George Snider) to have never won. Along the way he had three top-5 finishes, but the same number of finishes in 31^st place or worse.

When he came to Indy he was an accomplished driver in the USAC circuit, and showed he was ready for a move to the big show in 1968 when he qualified a respectable 22^nd and finished 24^th when he dropped out of the race after completing 43 laps.

In the years that followed he won two national sprint car championships (1969, ’71) and in 1971 finished 10^th in the 500. That led to a spot with Penske Racing and a chance to drive a McLaren at the Speedway in 1972.

Gary in his 1972 McLaren at Milwaukee/oldracingcars.com

As I mentioned in my feature, that was his best chance to win the race, and he looked well on his way after leading 138 of the first 175 laps, including a span where he led 104 consecutive circuits. Sitting on the point and a good lead with less than 75 miles to go, his engine began going south and he retired from the race to finish in 14th place. He then followed that up with a fifth place the next year.

Not long after was when his career took a turn for the worse. Driving in a sprint car race in July of 1974 at Syracuse, Gary suffered serious injuries when his car left the track and crashed into an old concession stand. While he recovered from most of his injuries, he suffered serious nerve damage that left him unable to lift his left arm.

He soon lost his ride with Penske as well.

"I'm positive I would have won the Speedway at least once by now, had I continued to drive for Penske," Bettenhausen said in a 1991 LA Times article. "He's certainly proved that his cars are capable, and I know I am. But I was just young and dumb at the time. I wanted to race every weekend if I could. I wasn't ready to settle down and race only nine or 10 times a year."

Even with his mangled arm Gary’s career continued, though not on the arc that it was on prior to his accident. He won a USAC Silver Crown title in 1980, the same year he started 32^nd and raced to a 3^rd-place finish at Indy, then won another Silver Crown title in 1983. He later finished 5^th in the 500 in 1987.

Nearing 50, Bettenhausen had begun focusing on Indy-only efforts, and from 1989-93 raced for John Menard at the wheel of his powerful, yet unreliable, Buick powerplants. Driving the colorful Menards livery, in 1991 he was the fastest qualifier at 224.460 mph, but started 13^th overall as a second-day qualifier, then followed that up by starting fifth on the grid at 228.930 the next year before ending his career with a 17^th-place finish in 1993.

Gary could be fast, and he could finish well, but it never all came together for him. Only once did he complete the entire 500 miles, and was running at the finish just five times. Eleven times he retired due to mechanical problems, including 1989 when his Buick suffered a bent valve shortly after the engine was fired to start the race and he never even took the green flag. In all, he averaged just 113 laps per start during his career.

Still, he had a solid, if not spectacular career at Indy, was a multiple-time national champion in midgets and Silver Crown cars, and was elected to the National Sprint Car (1993) and National Midget (1998) Halls of Fame.

But if the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or auto racing gods owed one to anybody, it would be the Bettenhausens. Between family patriarch Tony, Gary and younger brother Tony Jr., the family combined for 46 starts at the Brickyard and came away empty.

Along with that, the family suffered more than its share of tragedy.

Tony, one of the sport's more popular drivers and one of the best dirt track drivers in the country in the 1950s, made 14 starts at Indy and finished second in 1955 and had back-to-back 4th-place finishes in 1958-59. Entering the month of May in 1961, he felt he had his best chance to win but sadly was killed in practice while testing a car for friend Paul Russo. Still, last year he was named one of the Greatest 33 drivers in the race's history and belongs to three different racing Halls of Fame.

Tony Jr. was a solid driver who made 11 starts in the 500 and later became a car owner, but lost his life in a 2000 plane crash. A third brother, Merle, lost his right arm racing Indy cars at Michigan in 1972 and retired from racing two years later.

The sport gave a lot to the Bettenhausens, but it took a heck of a lot away, too. Despite never tasting victory at the Speedway, the family left a proud legacy of success that can never be denied, and Gary plays a big part in that legacy.

If They Taught A "Racing History 101" Class...

...I found a couple of articles that would be required reading. In doing some research for a post about Gary Bettenhausen (that will appear tomorrow), I came across an excellent two-part series that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in May, 1991 that focused on the Bettenhausen and Vukovich families.

I love great writing, and it seems that with the demise of newspapers it becomes more difficult to find. Even though the pieces are long, they are worth the read as they discuss the triumphs and tragedies of at one time were people from two of America's more prominent racing families.

Part 1

and

Part 2

There are people who are fortunate enough to write (like me) and there are people who are true writers, like Mike Kupper, the man who did the storytelling here. I think it is cool to come across something like this and hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

Hinch Has Found A Home, and So Has Tagliani

It was probably one of the worst-kept secrets in IndyCar over the last couple of weeks, but Andretti Autosport officially announced that James Hinchcliffe will be driving the team's Go Daddy-sponsored car this season.

Good move, no make that, great move. Hinch, who drove for Newman Haas last season and had planned to do the same in 2012 until the team shut down operations a few weeks ago, is the perfect guy to take this seat, which was of course originally intended for Dan Wheldon, who had signed a contract to drive the No. 27 car the day he lost his life at Las Vegas.

Hinch at Indy...thanks IndyCar

He more than established his credentials as a driver as he posted seven top-10 finishes and ended up the season 12th in the points standings, good enough to squeak past J.R. Hildebrand for the series' Rookie of the Year honors. Not only that, he appeals to Go Daddy because of his outgoing personality and his comfort with social media.

While there were several drivers who would have done well in that seat (I would love to see Justin Wilson with a top-line team), I always thought that Hinchcliffe should have been on the short list to become Danica Patrick's replacement. Moving to one of the power teams in the series immediately makes him a threat to win races and stand on podiums, no doubt, and his higher profile will also make race weekends a lot more entertaining since he should run up front and be in front of the media more often too.

And, most importantly, I think his personality is a good fit for the team, as his laid-back style will mesh well with Marco Andretti (who I think needs to make another step forward himself) and Ryan Hunter-Reay. That kind of environment should be a good opportunity to flourish.

Also finalizing his plans was Alex Tagliani, who wrapped up his deal with Bryan Herta Autosport. It has certainly been an up and down last couple of years for Tagliani, who seemed settled for a long future with Fazzt only to see that organization fizzle, won the pole for Sam Schmidt at Indy before closing the season at BHA. He finished 15th in the final IndyCar standings and also placed second in a NASCAR Nationwide event at Montreal.

Tagliani has proven he can go fast, and given that BHA is a factory team for Lotus he will have plenty of resources to do that at his disposal.

While there is still plenty of silly season action left, it's good to see another couple of drivers settle into their plans for 2012. Hopefully Wilson and Oriol Servia, among others, get a phone call soon too.

Frenetic Friday -- 1972

There are many arguments as to what represents the "golden age" of the Indy 500, where the race and its talent level, excitement and innovation was at its peak. For the generation of fans prior to me (my golden age was the 80s and 90s, but more on that someday), many point to the late 60s and early 70s as a time where the Speedway was shining in all of its glory.

No doubt, big changes went on during that period. Once the move was made to rear-engine cars, speeds skyrocketed and we began seeing some of the first pieces of equipment that utilized aerodynamics to help the car be more streamlined.

By the time May of 1972 rolled around, the people that design the cars had learned that the use of wings at the front and rear of the car went a long way to helping the car punch a bigger hole in the air while using downforce to keep it on the track at higher speeds. With bolt-on wings allowed for the first time and little in the way of regulation, the bigger the wing the better, which made the cars go faster but also added to the danger involved, as Jim Malloy died three days after a practice crash.

Qualifying was like nothing the Speedway had ever seen before. For the first (and still only) time in the track's history, two 10 mph increments were broken on the same day.

Joe Leonard put Peter Revson's 1971 record speed of 178.696 on ice with a four-lap average of 185.223, which was then broken three more times, the last by Bobby Unser, who clinched the pole at an amazing speed of 195.940 with a fast lap of 196.678.

In the end, Revson's record was broken by the ENTIRE 1972 field, as every one of the 33 drivers qualified faster than the previous year's pole speed.

When race day rolled around, Unser picked up his dominance right were he left off, piloting his Dan Gurney Eagle to the front for the first 30 laps of the race before retiring with an ignition issue. Gary Bettenhausen, driving for Roger Penske in what in hindsight was his best opportunity to win the race, led 138 of the next 144 laps before his engine went sour as well.

Jerry Grant took over for the next 12 laps, then pitted for fuel and with his tank dry borrowed some from Unser's pit and was subsequently penalized. That left the door open for Mark Donohue, who had patiently driven up front all day and jumped to the lead with just 13 laps to go. The Brown University-trained engineer took it from there to give Penske the first of his 15 wins.

Donohue, named one of the race's Greatest 33 drivers, averaged a race-record 162.962 miles an hour, a mark that stood for 14 years. His No. 66 McLaren is one of the sleeker and more popular cars of the era, a gorgeous machine that looks just as spectacular in the museum today as it did 40 years ago.

Al Unser, who entered the day looking to win his third straight 500, was second while Leonard placed third. In a strange twist, five of the top-10 finishers started from the 19th position (Unser) or further back, with Jimmy Caruthers and Cale Yarborough driving from the last row to finish ninth and 10th, respectively.

Below is my favorite YouTube video from that day. It was shot by a then-11-year-old boy who was seeing the race for the second time. Besides really liking the accompaning music, I relate to that video a lot because I was 10 when I went to the Speedway for the first time and love to think about how this race was viewed through his eyes.

The last minute of the video is pure gold, showing Donohue pulling into Victory Lane and the subsequent celebration. Good stuff.

Geaux Beaux

A racing series hiring a new chief steward shouldn't be big news, but unfortunately the controversies (and I won't rehash them) that Brian Barnhart brought on over the last couple of years made it just that for IndyCar. Those decisions cost Barhart his job, and Beaux Barfield was tapped Wednesday as his replacement.

The 40-year-old Barfield comes from the ALMS series and has an extensive background in open wheel racing, both as an official and a driver. That in itself will lend respect and credibility to his job, something that I believe Barnhart lacked, especially as time went on.

Unfortunately, that leaves Barfield with some huge shoes to fill...and not in a good way. A lot of work needs to be done to clean up the rulebook and restore faith in the management of the races, not only in the eyes of the drivers and teams, but especially the fans. I think a lot of decisions made last year were very disheartening at times because some of them (such as the restart in the rain at New Hampshire) caught the public eye and made the series look really bad.

Barfield plans to clean up a lot of "gray areas", which is a good thing. I believe one place he should start is in the enforcement of infractions. As in, action "A" gets you penalty "B", with no exceptions.
Penalties need to have the same consequence every time. The only gray area that should exist is in determining the infraction. Just like how you could call holding on pretty much every play in the NFL, deciding to call that foul is up to the referee's discretion. However, when the flag comes out of his pocket, it is 10 yards. Same concept here, an infraction yields the same penalty. EVERY TIME!

No, you can never get a hyper-competitive group of people to believe they are all being treated fairly, but drawing a line and firmly standing there is a good start. Let's hope he is able to do that.

Frenetic Friday -- State of 15 Days In May

It is really hard to believe that I started this blog over a year ago. Certain things got in the way from my posting as much as I would have wanted to -- like I mentioned back in June...what kind of an idiot has an Indy 500 blog and doesn't make a single post in May? -- but hope to get back to where I would like to be in 2012.

I've noticed that a lot of content that people liked mostly revolved around the 500, so I am going back to that while still sprinkling in some IndyCar news and views. As you can tell, I am very opinionated!

Looking back, it is interesting to note the posts that people liked to read. I will post my top 5 (in terms of reported page views) as well as a couple of others that I enjoyed writing.

1) Buddy Lazier's Place In History Since it had three times as many views as any other posts, I think this one was a bit of a spammer's special. But Buddy's place amongst the (almost) Greatest 33 was a good debate.

2) The Most Important Race in History I love the history of the 500, so my look back at the 1946 race -- my choice for the most important -- was a lot of fun. The best part of this blog is learning more and more about the 500.

3) Dan Wheldon Memorial Like many, I was shocked at the events in Las Vegas on Oct. 16. I tried to put my feelings into words.

4) George Snider Who would have thought Ziggy would be so popular? Then again, the guy was a fan favorite during a very romantic period of the race's history.

5) Cup of Coffee at the 500 Again, another great history lesson. We all know the epic accomplishment it is to qualify for the 500, and given that one in three drivers who have ever made the race only made one start shows what kind of effort it takes.

Along with those, here are a couple of my favorites:

1) Jake Query Q&A Jake is a great guy and has a huge passion for the 500, so spending some time talking to him was a lot of fun.

2) Greg Moore Like Wheldon, the sport was just gutted the day Moore lost his life at Fontana in 1999. He would have been an incredible driver at Indy, and the history that we now know would have been completely different had he been given the chance to drive there.

3) The Agony...Of Victory Some pictures tell a thousand words, others tell a million. The photo of Bill Vukovich that I commented on in this post was one of the latter. Vuky was one tough hombre, but even he was humbled after almost four hours of wrestling with the Brickyard.

My 2011 in many ways followed the fortunes of the series. I had some ups and downs, and lost someone close to me that I held very, very dear (my sister Joni passed away from cancer on Dec. 22). Still, we are blessed to be here to see 2012, and in the end I think everything is going to be OK. I hope everyone has a great New Year's, and remember that our Christmas is just 148 days away!

Senna

Over the weekend I finally had an opportunity to check out "Senna", the documentary on the life of the late Ayrton Senna that was released over the summer to very good reviews.

I have to say the movie was excellent. As someone who has never followed Formula 1 racing all that much, I thought it was a good look into the life of a very complex man. On the racetrack, Senna was intense, fearless and brilliant, while off of it he could be very charismatic in public, but also quiet and introspective when alone or with friends and family.

He loved racing, but hated the political crap that went along with it, and like many drivers, time and experience exposed him to his own mortality and though he sometimes questioned why he should continue racing, he knew he had to because it was who he was.

Much of the film details Senna's time in F1, from his stunning runner-up finish to Alain Prost at Monaco in the rain in 1984 to his death in 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy. Senna's numbers as an F1 racer are just insane: in 161 Grands Prix starts he won 41 times, sat on the pole 65 times and had an amazing 80 podium finishes.

Senna didn't just drive race courses, he attacked them, finding an edge to his car that few were able to match. By the time he joined Prost with the powerful McLaren team in 1988, he was on top of his game, and it showed as he won the world championship in three of the next four seasons.

That stretch of his career made for the most fascinating point of the movie. Though Senna and Prost, who also won three world titles, were able to somehow get along in the beginning, their competitive streaks and opposite personalities (and driving styles) quickly led to plenty of strife, much of which was unfortunately settled on the track in a way that at times seemed to leave both of them very conflicted.

Any working relationship they had went over the line in Japan in both 1989 and 1990, when blatantly deliberate racing incidents between the two at the series' penultimate race in Japan ultimately decided the world championships in each year. Prost wrecked Senna in 1989 in what he thought was a move to protect his series title, and when Senna was able to return to, and win the race, Prost protested the result and Senna was disqualified.

The next year, Senna returned the favor to clinch his own championship. It seemed like in both instances their actions went completely against what they stood for, but they held their noses and did what they needed to do in order to protect their own self interests.

In the end, I think Senna and Prost were more alike than they would have cared to have admitted, but were unable to see it because of the circumstances surrounding their lives. Really, if Senna were alive today they might be great friends, and in fact Prost is a trustee with Senna's foundation that assists in the education of Brazilian children, something that was very dear to Senna's heart.

Of course, we all know how the movie ends, but even so it is very difficult to watch. That particular race weekend was one of utter tragedy, and marked a turning point for Formula 1. Senna, who had moved to Williams in 1994, was driving a balky car that had been stripped of much of its technology after the team's dominant performances in the previous two years, which saw Nigel Mansell and Prost, respectively, capture titles.

He hadn't finished the first two races before coming to Italy, and became even more frustrated in practice as the car would not cooperate. Senna's angst grew even deeper when Rubens Barrichello, a fellow countryman and protege, was involved in a crash that sent his car into a catch fence before rolling upside down.

Barrichello walked away from that accident, but the next day Austrian Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying. The footage captured Senna and his team watching both accidents on television, and he was deeply affected by them. In fact, despite putting the car on pole for the race, many on his team were worried that Senna might not show up the next day.

In a way that only racers can do, Senna did show up the next day and was in the lead and in front of Michael Schumacher on lap 7 when something broke in the steering column of his car and it jumped sideways and into a barrier at 135 m.p.h. Senna suffered fatal head injuries and was declared dead a short time later. Amazingly, the doctor who attended to him said that Senna had no broken bones or bruises, and had the suspension pieces that struck his helmet and provided what many feel were the mortal blows missed him, he would have walked away.

The movie ends with his funeral, which was preceeded by a procession through the streets of Sao Paulo that was attended by almost three million people. Senna of course leaves a great legacy as a racer, and in fact is considered by many to be the finest Formula 1 driver ever. But much like Dale Earnhardt and ultimately even Dan Wheldon, his greatest contribution might be the improvments in safety that followed his death.

Today the Formula 1 series has one of the best safety records in racing, and to my knowledge has gone the longest of any major racing series in the world without losing a driver.

In all it is just a great movie, and well worth its 105 minute running time. Though primative compared to today's standards, the movie uses lots of in-car camera footage, which captures even more his skill and talent. He was a fascinating man and I feel like this movie captures him well.