FAMOUS FRONT ROWS, PART V.

Sunday

Oct152023

Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 08:57AM

By Peter M DeLorenzo

Detroit. These photographs of front-row qualifiers capture a moment in time, or rather, a moment in speed. For a fleeting moment, we get a glimpse of the best of the best at a particular track, on a particular day. Is it too much wallowing in nostalgia? I have been roundly criticized for that, but I disagree. In order to appreciate what we have now, or where we want the sport to go, we have to appreciate where we've been. I hope you enjoy it, because even though these are historic photos - they never get old.

New Smyrna Beach Airport, Florida, February, 1957. Marvin Panch (No. 98 Ford Thunderbird "Battlebird") and Carroll Shelby (No. 198 Ferrari 4.9) take the start for the 40-lap feature race. An eight-turn, 2.4-mile course was arranged at the airport that still sits alongside U.S. Highway 1. Along with Panch and Shelby, 100 drivers showed up for the SCCA races. Other notables? Troy Ruttman, Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner and Paul Goldsmith. Shelby averaged 87.56 mph for the win, with Panch finishing second. The Ford "Battlebirds" were prepared by Peter DePaolo Engineering, in Long Beach, Calif. DePaolo had raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and had established his company as a go-to racing car engineering firm. DePaolo was selected by Ford to prepare Thunderbirds for the Daytona Beach Speed Week Trials in February 1957, so four production Thunderbirds where shipped out to California for race preparation. Dwight “Whitey” Clayton and Dick Troutman (of Troutman & Barnes fame) heavily-modified - and lightened - the cars using hand-formed aluminum hoods, doors, trunks, firewalls and belly pans. Faired-in headrests were also used for streamlining. The Battlebird that Panch raced had a heavily-modified 312 cu. in. V8 with Hilborn fuel-injection.
Silverstone, England, July 19, 1969. The start of the British Grand Prix: Jochen Rindt (No. 2 Gold Leaf Team Lotus 49B Cosworth DFV V8, on pole and already out of the picture), John Surtees (No. 14 BRM P139 V12), Jackie Stewart (No. 3 Matra MS80 Ford Cosworth DFV V8), Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M7A Ford Cosworth DFV V8), Chris Amon (No. 11 Ferrari 312 V12), Pedro Rodriguez (No. 12 Ferrari 312 V12), Bruce McLaren (No. 6 McLaren M7C Ford Cosworth DFV V8), Graham Hill (No. 1 Gold Leaf Team Lotus 49B Cosworth DFV V8) and Jacky Ickx (No. 7 Brabham BT26 Ford Cosworth DFV V8). Stewart won by 1 lap, followed by Ickx and McLaren.
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, 1960. Setting the grid for the Road America 500 with the Maserati Tipo 61 of Dave Causey/Luke Steer on pole and the No. 60 Briggs Cunningham Jaguar E 2A driven by Walt Hansgen next to it on the Front Row. Picture taken from the No. 62 Briggs Cunningham Lister-Jaguar driven by Cunningham/Hugus/Forno. Causey/Steer won. Hansgen finished third.
Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1970. The Front Row: Al Unser (No. 2 Vel Miletich Johnny Lighting Special Colt/Ford), Johnny Rutherford (No. 18 Patrick Petroleum Eagle/Offy) and A. J. Foyt (No. 7 Sheraton/Thompson Coyote/Ford). Unser won, followed by Mark Donohue (No. 66 Penske Sunoco Lola/Ford) and Dan Gurney (No. 48 Olsonite Eagle/Offy).
Watkins Glen, July 23, 1972. The Front Row for the Can-Am: Peter Revson (No. 4 McLaren Cars/Gulf McLaren M20 Chevrolet, pole) and Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren Cars/Gulf McLaren M20 Chevrolet) lead the field to the start. George Follmer (No. 6 Roger Penske Enterprises Inc. L&M/Porsche+Audi Porsche 917 Turbo) qualified third and Francois Cevert (No. 22 Young American Racing McLaren M8F Chevrolet) lined up in fourth. Hulme and Revson delivered a 1-2 for McLaren; Cevert was third, David Hobbs (No. 1 Carl A. Haas Racing Teams Ltd. STEED Lola T310 Chevrolet) fourth and Follmer came home in fifth.
(Pete Lyons photo)
Stardust Grand Prix Can-Am, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 12, 1967. The Front Row consisted of Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren M6A Chevrolet, pole) and Jim Hall (No. 66 Chaparral 2G Chevrolet). Other notables? Parnelli Jones (No. 21 Lola T70 Mk.3 DOHC Ford), Dan Gurney (No. 36 Lola T70 Mk.3B AAR-Weslake Ford), Peter Revson (No. 52 Denny Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet), Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M6A Chevrolet), Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet), Mike Spence (No. 22 McLaren Elva Mark II B Chevrolet) and John Surtees (No. 7 Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet). Surtees won, followed by Donohue and Spence. McLaren, Hulme, Hall and Gurney DNF.
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, July 19, 1970. The Front Row for the Trans-Am: George Follmer (No. 16 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302) and Parnelli Jones (No. 15 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302). The rest of the first ten qualifiers included Vic Elford (No. 2 Chaparral Cars Chevrolet Camaro), Swede Savage (No. 42 All American Racers Inc. Plymouth Barracuda), Sam Posey (No. 77 Autodynamics Corp. Dodge Challenger), Mark Donohue (No. 6 Roger Penske Racing Sunoco AMC Javelin), Peter Revson (No. 9 Roger Penske Racing Sunoco AMC Javelin), Jim Hall (No. 1 Chaparral Cars Chevrolet Camaro), Milt Minter (No. 68 American Racing Associates Inc. Chevrolet Camaro) and Roy Woods (No. 69 American Racing Associates Inc. Chevrolet Camaro. Donohue won that day, followed by Savage, Posey, Hall, Jones, Minter, Woods and Tony DeLorenzo (No. 3 Owens/Corning Fiberglas Racing Team Chevrolet Camaro).
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1969. The Front Row for the Indianapolis 500: A. J. Foyt (No. 6 Sheraton/Thompson Coyote Ford), Mario Andretti (No. 2 STP Oil Treatment Hawk/Ford) and Bobby Unser (No. 1 Bardahl Lola/Offy). But that's not Mario in the picture, it's his brother Aldo filling in for him. Mario had burns to his face from a practice crash and he didn't want to be in the picture with bandages, so he had his brother stand in for the picture. Mario won that year - his only win in the Indianapolis 500 - followed by Dan Gurney (No. 48 All American Racers Olsonite Eagle/Ford) and Bobby Unser.