First of all, sorry for the "tearing" in the upper third of the video..long-term subscribers know that the only working VHS machine I have left is one of those things with automatic tracking, and I can't adjust the damn thing to get rid of that stuff. That being said, let's go.
Is that the strangest "show open" to an event in the entire history of ESPN?!? Holy crap, that might give me nightmares. I really don't recall having a reaction to it back then, we must have fast forwarded the tape to the action after we got home from the track.
Your old Illmore is now officially a "Chevy", and GM has the advertising to prove it. Jenkins and Nuber work it, with Gary Lee in the pits..but with 'Lone Star JR' helping them! They say it's AJ's first visit to Portland, and I believe it, since AJ stuck with USAC after CART got going. Anyone else wonder if the man just wanted to see if he could snare another national championship? Damn thing breaks, and he doesn't even throw a wrench. Must have known he was going to have to retire pretty soon.
Sighted a Porsche Indycar 'in the wild', instead of a museum..
There's a chicane on the front straight..but not as bad as the one that's there today.
Bobby Ray wears #1, but Truesports switched to Judd. Seems to me that it's a tribute to the entire team that when the season ended..they were third in the points. Not a good day for him here, though.
Danny outbreaks himself in traffic early on, but eventually it doesn't matter, since Arie loses third gear later on. Friends of mine from out West say 3rd gear's important at Portland..regardless of what kind of car you're in.
I still think Mears was a great road racer before he smashed up his feet at Sanair. Comes home 6th. Not bad, considering who else was running this particular weekend.
"Derek Daly is not a happy person." -Bob Jenkins
Coyne still trying to nurse that stock-block along..If I had a car, but no money for a Cosworth, I would have done the same. Better a racer for a moment, than a spectator for a lifetime.
Bitchin' 3rd gen Camaro is the pace car! I wonder if that one had the PPG treatment. CART pace cars were so cool after PPG got involved. IIRC, they also sought out women racers to drive the things as part of their marketing plan back then.
As always, I'm too lazy to edit out the ads. Best stuff in them: I actually bought some Quaker State so I could join that "WIN A PORSCHE!" contest, even though I hated the stuff. I still think my dad's Quaker State habit was why the 360 in the '77 FSJ Cherokee was so sludged up when it died. The case of that crap I bought is probably still lying in the back yard of the house I was renting back then. Linda Ellerbee says this Prodigy thing is gonna make your future a better place. Goodyear says, "Buy more Eagles! We actually can keep American cars from handling like crap!"
To be serious for a moment..even though I wasn't much of a fan of ESPN's broadcast team back then (Jenkins & Nuber vs. Evans & Yates on Diamond P? No contest.), I have to admit they were a great part of these early efforts to put motor racing on TV, especially during the early days of cable. Nuber left us in 2000, had a terrible stroke. Lee in 2014, from a heart attack.
Bob Jenkins is still with us, was pretty active on NASCAR broadcasts until the Corporate Overlords decided Speed Network would become "Fox Sports 1".
Enough of the heavy stuff. Grill yourself some Provimi Veal, and enjoy the race. Sorry about the spoilers.
7 ноя 2015
