Its A New Track Record!

Indianapolis track announcer Tom Carnegie used to whip the crowds into frenziedexcitement during qualification runs for the famous 500, especially when he intonedhis trademark exclamation “It’s… A… New Track Record!”. That occurred quite often during the period 1962–1972with its unprecedented explosion in speed. Parnelli Jones became the first manto break the 150-mph barrier with a lap at 150.370 mph in 1962, then just 10years later Bobby Unser’s 196.678 mph was not far short of the 200-mph mark. Thishappened because the “decade” brought extraordinary advances in car, engine andtire design, including takeover by the rear-engine configuration and theemergence of aerodynamic wings, wide slick tires and unrestricted turbochargedengines that ultimately produced over 1,000 horsepower. Foremost Indianapolis500 historian Rick Shaffer tells the entire story with authority and style inthis captivating book.

 Key content

• Year-by-year coverage includes the technicaldevelopments behind rising speeds in a period that saw Formula One-inspiredrear-engine chassis depose Indy’s traditional front-engine roadsters.

• Following his 150-mph qualifyinglandmark in 1962, when Rodger Ward won the race, Parnelli Jones claimed victoryin 1963 after holding off an unexpected challenge from rookie Jim Clark.

• The 1964 Indy 500 saw A.J. Foyt—writerof this book’s foreword—achieve the last win for a front-engine roadster.

• Scotland’s Jim Clark, the pole-sitter in1964, famously achieved the first rear-engine win in 1965 driving for Lotus,while A.J. Foyt’s 161.233 mph in qualifying made him the first pole-winner toexceed 160 mph.

• Englishman Graham Hill won in 1966,followed by a third victory for A.J. Foyt in a career total of four.

• The 170-mph mark was breached in 1968 whenJoe Leonard’s turbine-equipped Lotus lapped at 171.559 mph in qualifying, butthe win went to the Eagle of Bobby Unser, marking the first victory for theUnser dynasty.

• Qualifying speeds dropped back a littlein the next two races, which brought wins for Mario Andretti (1969) and AlUnser (1970), who then won again in 1971.

• While Mark Donohue won the 1972 Indy 500in a McLaren, qualifying brought the biggest-ever leap in speeds with BobbyUnser’s 195.940 mph in his Eagle exceeding the previous record by an incredible17 mph, resulting in the 180-mph and 190-mph barriers both being broken in thesame year.