in a new twist to the sleeping beauty story, a bikini contest winner was woke up in a hospital, near a race track, by a race car driver, and he took her to see his shiny new ride. Or something like that

 https://public.fotki.com/gwadagone/sixties-nascar--dec/68allison.html#media

here's proof that someone will always graffiti something nice so they will be known when others go to look at something famous

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=29484759864503631&set=g.293156547881991

Al Unser Jr. and designer of the 1983 Galles-All American Racers Eagle Indy car, Trevor Harris, use an unorthodox method to diagnose a front suspension issue on the Galles/AAR Eagle Indy car, 1983 at Phoenix during testing

https://www.facebook.com/groups/808547945893612/permalink/2934545973293788/

coolest thing I've read in weeks, how Louie Unser won the 1961 Pikes Peak race - genius tactics

Louis J. Unser. drove a tour bus up the Colorado road several times a day as a teenager, and it paid off with consecutive 1960-61 Pikes Peak Hill Climb wins.

and his experience from winning the 1960 hillclimb taught him a way to put the odds of winning the next in his favor: be the last to make the run up the hill.

In Joe Scalzo’s 1971 book, The Unbelievable Unsers, Unser explained that he was counting on quicker qualifiers to sweep the unpaved road clear of loose gravel.

“During the qualifying run Louie had purposely stopped his car, parked, and chatted with some spectators along the side of the road for a few minutes,” Scalzo wrote. “His time, with the delay, was of course very slow.” That advantage combined with on-and-over-the-edge driving defeated Turner’s 406 Galaxie by the smallest margin ever recorded: 2.4 seconds.

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/louie-unser-gave-chevys-new-409-thrilling-early-victory-pikes-peak-1961/

get a Kleenex before reading, you might need it. Bobby Unser interview in Auto Week magazine had a cool story to tell. A SALUTE of the day to Mario Andretti for making up with Bobby Unser while they are still alive (77 and 83 years old)

Auto Week question: You win the race in 1981 after one of the most controversial race days in Indy 500 history. You finish first, but the win is taken away and handed to Mario Andretti because you passed cars under caution.
Then the next day, the call is reversed and you regain the win. Does all that still stick out for you?

Bobby Unser reply: It stuck in me for a long time -- really hard.

Mario was one of my very closest friends. He was hard to beat. He went fast.

But he cheated by saying I passed all those cars, which I damn sure did. He passed them all, too!

It turns out I was totally right. It was legal. But Mario got excited seeing me get away like that.

 I was going to beat him. I had passed him three or four times in the race. My car was faster than any of the other cars. Jackie Stewart talked about it on TV and said what I did was illegal.

That stirred it up. If Bobby was wrong, how could Mario be right? It was all on tape.

My recent hospital stay was bad, for four or five days, it was pretty close. Guess who I got a phone call from?

 First time since 1981, from Mario. He just wanted to talk.

 It went really good. I hate to say it, but I’m a hard person. I know that. I can be pretty ornery.

But I got a tear in my eye. I really did. He knows I like him. He knows how close we used to be. We used to room together on the road.

 You can’t believe how much better it made me feel talking to him. I hadn’t talked to him in so many years, I didn’t recognize his voice.

 I asked who it was. He said, “Damn it, it’s me, Mario.”

You know, I don’t need another car or another airplane. Talking to Mario did me good. It was good for my health. Got me over some of the grudge I had.

http://autoweek.com/article/indycar/inside-unserville-visit-racing-legend-bobby-unser-his-home-albuquerque

it doesn't seem very complicated, or very extraordinary, but it won the 1958 Pike's Peak race, and that means the driver was the special high speed part that the car needed to win

http://www.influx.co.uk/blog/pikes-peak-1958/

if it looks new... it's because it was ever only used once, for about 14 minutes in 1969 when blasting up Pikes Peak

notice the tires are Goodyear Blue Streak dirt tires.... I've never seen any before

I posted about it 9 years ago, and the article from the magazine still is defintively the best I've read about it yet, but this is the first time it's been shown publicly in decades, and finally some new photos are available.

It was a win at all costs built car, and the gears in the axle cost $35,000 all by themselves.... in 1969. The Boss 429 was built by Smokey Yunick.

It was used the one time, then it was retired as Ford decided they were done with racing, and they paid for everything to get the best, and win without doubt.

So they hired the fastest guy to get up Pike's Peak, Bobby Unser, who had already won 10 times previous to 1969 (with open wheel cars 1956, and 1958-62 with the Unser Special, 1963 and 66 with a Chevy, (1964 with Sports Car), and 1968 with the Rislone Special) (He also won in 1986 with an "Unlimited" car)

Bobby Unser drove it the one time, and that run set a record (Super Stock Car 13 minutes 40 seconds) that stood for 5 more years until he broke it with a Dodge Dart.

http://www.rodauthority.com/event-coverage/car-shows/mcacn-2016-muscle-car-show-par-excellence-2/
http://www.riggsboysracing.com/69%20Torino.htm
http://www.ppihc.com/race_winners_by_year/

The only used once, Boss 429 Bardahl Torino, prepped by Holman Moody Stroppe

This Torino was specifically built for Bobby Unser to use at Pikes Peak and it set a record in 1969 that held for 7 years! It still has the Boss 429 engine under the hood and is exactly as it was when raced. After running it was put in the Pikes Peak museum for several years then was shipped back to Bill Stroppe and stored away for several more years. It has remained untouched and original, right down to the original paint, motor, and even the Good Year Pikes Peak special tires are with the car!




Also an odd historical note, the 69 full race Torino Talladaga's had Boss 429 engines, but none of the publicly available Torino Talladaga's came with a Boss 429, they were instead fitted with thte 428 CJ, not as powerful... sad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Torino_Talladega

This car was gifted with a Boss 429 that Smokey Yunick built, and when Unser wasn't satisfied with the gears in the axle, he had a new set made, that cost $35,000 alone. Bunkie Knudsen was running the operation to win at Pikes Peak, and money wasn't a problem, Knudsen told Unser anything it takes, win. No matter what.