Loved seeing the old midgets racing. I went to my first auto race in 1966 at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona to watch USAC Midgets race on the half mile. By 1970 I was hooked on racing and remember the 1973 Indy 500 too well. That was a dark racing month with three deaths (Art Pollard in practice, Swede Savage the race, and a mechanic I believe from Savages team being hit by a truck on pit road) everyone was glad it was over. 21-years later on 1 May 1994 the Formula One world would feel the same way.
So glad grew up near Trenton Speedway ....I lived to see the best of open wheel racing in the 1960s. Best footage ever of the Atlanta race. They had such a great collection of cars of all kinds...even roadsters were beating rear engines...what a great show! Gotta love Graham Hill's long victory kiss after winning the Indy 500. Time trials at Indy used to be so much more than they are today...just look at the crowd. 1973 was brutal...Salt Walther was never the same and poor Swede died a month later... Great video collection...thanks movracefan!
The first Indy Car Atlanta race was held in July of 1965...and I, along with my parents and my mom's only brother (a famous Methodist Church minister in the Atlanta area) and two of his sons, went to the time trial event the day before the "250" Atlanta Indy race. Dad got several good photos in the pit area of the cars and drivers, along with my uncle taking some photos. For some reason, I could not go with them to the pits at A.I.R. I might not have been old enough to enter due to being almost 15 years old. My cousins were about 14 and 11. They too were excluded to go. (My uncle personally knew the head plant manager of the Atlanta area Ford assembly plant. I think he was with them and had the pit passes for Dad and my uncle. Anyway...the day was hot and mostly sunny, which caused a terrible sunburn on us boys, especially one. The Hope's of going to the race the next day was dashed. "Lonestar J.R. (Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Texas won that race...His very first Indy Champ Car win in a car that had initially been for great Indy Car veteran and twice Indianapolis "500" winner, Rodger Ward. Ward, in the several attempts to qualify for the Indy "500" in May of '65 could not seemed to get the newly created A.J. Watson design up to speed and was thus "bumped" from the "500" ...a first for his up to then, 14 to 15 years of being in the big Indianapolis "500". What a shame and so sad. Ward was one of my all-time favorites and, the '65 year Watson creation looked great in my opinion...second best to all the Indy cars of that year, being the 1965 Lotus-Ford (38 model Lotus series) was and is still my all-time favorite of Indy cars ever raced. (Jim Clark of Duns, Scotland was, and still is my all-time favorite of race drivers. His race record in his 10 year racing career is fantastic! Plus, the 1965 Indy "500" was my first Indy car race to see) So there you have it: I was...almost there at that first Atlanta Indy car race.
What a great story line. It must have been a magical experience to see Jimmy Clark driving the Lotus 38 powered by the "Monster" Ford DOHC. I was able to see the entire race as well but, unfortunately not in person. My Grand Dad an my Uncle took me to see the race on a black and white simulcast version on "Closed Circuit Television" at the beautiful Fox Downtown Theatre in Tucson Az. it was the "Next best thing to being there" with Charlie Brockman of ABC Television as the M.C. What a great memory Jimmy had the full measure of the entire field that day as he led 190 of the 200 laps. He has always been my Second favorite driver. Second only to "Super Tex" A.J. Foyt! That's pretty rarefied company indeed.
Me too! The Roadsters were the quintessential Indianapolis Race Cars for me. They just had that "Brute" power look to them and although they were very dangerous there was a certain romanticism to being able to actually see the driver sawing and wrestling with that big steering wheel. For me, it was truly "The Golden Era" of Open Wheel Racing in America!
That papaya orange McLaren M16C/Offy is sublime. With Lonestar JR The Offenhauser-powered 1974 McLaren M16C is rightly regarded as one of the most collectible of the historic Indy cars. The lineage of the McLaren company and the fact that the car that took the company’s first win in Indy further add to the car’s value in the eyes of collectors.
Joe Scalzo has been, for decades, my favorite Scribe of Old School Indy Car Racing and the old "Championship Trail." Dick Wallen is the premier producer/director of films which took place during the same era! It's a treat to watch the Gulf Oil production of "A heartbeat Away." The films of vintage Indianapolis 500 Mile Races have always been my favorite topics. Each car (for the most part) were individual expressions the different builder's vision of what a winning car should be!
Orange county 100/1965 Atlanta big car race/ 1911 indy/ Hands on the Wheel including practice to checked flag 1966 Indy coverage/ 1973 Indy practice to checker. AWESOME! THANK YOU! never knew that Mr. Hurtibese toook that same #69 Novihe qualified at Indy and gave it a GREAT run at Atlanta! i wonder why USAC stopped racing at Atlanta, looked VERY racy…
@@Malibu1515 good grief. can you tell that i was 3 years old at the time lol. i meant novi, no idea why i wrote turbine 🙄. that was 67’. thanks for the corrections.
You've uploaded this in the wrong format. Older films need to be uploaded in the 4x3 format, so everything doesn't look stretched out. I believe you've uploaded it in the 16x9 format.
In the 1st race, Midgets at San Bernardino, was the 27 with Bob Tatersall the Jack London Offy out of NorCal? Sure looked like it. Burt Foland kicked some serious ass in that car years later as the #4. Always a good car.
Loved seeing the old midgets racing. I went to my first auto race in 1966 at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona to watch USAC Midgets race on the half mile. By 1970 I was hooked on racing and remember the 1973 Indy 500 too well. That was a dark racing month with three deaths (Art Pollard in practice, Swede Savage the race, and a mechanic I believe from Savages team being hit by a truck on pit road) everyone was glad it was over. 21-years later on 1 May 1994 the Formula One world would feel the same way.
So glad grew up near Trenton Speedway ....I lived to see the best of open wheel racing in the 1960s. Best footage ever of the Atlanta race. They had such a great collection of cars of all kinds...even roadsters were beating rear engines...what a great show! Gotta love Graham Hill's long victory kiss after winning the Indy 500. Time trials at Indy used to be so much more than they are today...just look at the crowd. 1973 was brutal...Salt Walther was never the same and poor Swede died a month later... Great video collection...thanks movracefan!
The first Indy Car Atlanta race was held in July of 1965...and I, along with my parents and my mom's only brother (a famous Methodist Church minister in the Atlanta area) and two of his sons, went to the time trial event the day before the "250" Atlanta Indy race. Dad got several good photos in the pit area of the cars and drivers, along with my uncle taking some photos. For some reason, I could not go with them to the pits at A.I.R. I might not have been old enough to enter due to being almost 15 years old. My cousins were about 14 and 11. They too were excluded to go. (My uncle personally knew the head plant manager of the Atlanta area Ford assembly plant. I think he was with them and had the pit passes for Dad and my uncle.
Anyway...the day was hot and mostly sunny, which caused a terrible sunburn on us boys, especially one. The Hope's of going to the race the next day was dashed. "Lonestar J.R. (Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Texas won that race...His very first Indy Champ Car win in a car that had initially been for great Indy Car veteran and twice Indianapolis "500" winner, Rodger Ward. Ward, in the several attempts to qualify for the Indy "500" in May of '65 could not seemed to get the newly created A.J. Watson design up to speed and was thus "bumped" from the "500" ...a first for his up to then, 14 to 15 years of being in the big Indianapolis "500". What a shame and so sad. Ward was one of my all-time favorites and, the '65 year Watson creation looked great in my opinion...second best to all the Indy cars of that year, being the 1965 Lotus-Ford (38 model Lotus series) was and is still my all-time favorite of Indy cars ever raced. (Jim Clark of Duns, Scotland was, and still is my all-time favorite of race drivers. His race record in his 10 year racing career is fantastic! Plus, the 1965 Indy "500" was my first Indy car race to see)
So there you have it: I was...almost there at that first Atlanta Indy car race.
What a great story line. It must have been a magical experience to see Jimmy Clark driving the Lotus 38 powered by the "Monster" Ford DOHC. I was able to see the entire race as well but, unfortunately not in person. My Grand Dad an my Uncle took me to see the race on a black and white simulcast version on "Closed Circuit Television" at the beautiful Fox Downtown Theatre in Tucson Az. it was the "Next best thing to being there" with Charlie Brockman of ABC Television as the M.C. What a great memory Jimmy had the full measure of the entire field that day as he led 190 of the 200 laps. He has always been my Second favorite driver. Second only to "Super Tex" A.J. Foyt! That's pretty rarefied company indeed.
The last days of the Indy roadsters.
Love how they looked.
Me too! The Roadsters were the quintessential Indianapolis Race Cars for me. They just had that "Brute" power look to them and although they were very dangerous there was a certain romanticism to being able to actually see the driver sawing and wrestling with that big steering wheel. For me, it was truly "The Golden Era" of Open Wheel Racing in America!
Great stuff.
That papaya orange McLaren M16C/Offy is sublime. With Lonestar JR
The Offenhauser-powered 1974 McLaren M16C is rightly regarded as one of the most collectible of the historic Indy cars.
The lineage of the McLaren company and the fact that the car that took the company’s first win in Indy further add to the car’s value in the eyes of collectors.
Made my day! Great footage!
Totally awsome
Joe Scalzo has been, for decades, my favorite Scribe of Old School Indy Car Racing and the old "Championship Trail." Dick Wallen is the premier producer/director of films which took place during the same era! It's a treat to watch the Gulf Oil production of "A heartbeat Away." The films of vintage Indianapolis 500 Mile Races have always been my favorite topics. Each car (for the most part) were individual expressions the different builder's vision of what a winning car should be!
Orange county 100/1965 Atlanta big car race/ 1911 indy/ Hands on the Wheel including practice to checked flag 1966 Indy coverage/ 1973 Indy practice to checker. AWESOME! THANK YOU! never knew that Mr. Hurtibese toook that same #69 Novihe qualified at Indy and gave it a GREAT run at Atlanta! i wonder why USAC stopped racing at Atlanta, looked VERY racy…
1966 Indy not '65.
No Turbine cars in this film. They didn't come along till 1967.
The Novi that Jimmy H. was driving was a DOHC Supercharged V-8.
@@Malibu1515 good grief. can you tell that i was 3 years old at the time lol. i meant novi, no idea why i wrote turbine 🙄. that was 67’. thanks for the corrections.
At 19:27 you can see the smoke coming off the right front tire...
Awesome
Look at these death traps..jeez
AHA freeze at 33:03 - clear shot of Granatelli NOVI impeller - seems to be a turbo IMO but this was the sound he raved about
A.j. foyt's father watches his son blast by @ 8:55
You've uploaded this in the wrong format. Older films need to be uploaded in the 4x3 format, so everything doesn't look stretched out. I believe you've uploaded it in the 16x9 format.
In the 1st race, Midgets at San Bernardino, was the 27 with Bob Tatersall the Jack London Offy out of NorCal? Sure looked like it. Burt Foland kicked some serious ass in that car years later as the #4. Always a good car.