DECEMBER 20, 2023

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

From the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Press Release: Cale Yarborough, legendary championship-winning NASCAR driver and four-time Indianapolis 500 starter, died Dec. 31 in his native South Carolina. He was 84. Yarborough was one of the greatest stock car drivers in history, winning three straight Cup Series championships from 1976-78. His 83 victories are tied for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory list. Among his career accolades were four Daytona 500 victories, in 1968, 1977, 1983 and 1984. But the fiercely determined Yarborough gained just as much renown and helped to launch stock car racing into the national consciousness in the 1979 Daytona 500 when he fought with brothers Donnie and Bobby Allison inside Turn 3 after Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed while dueling for the win on the final lap. Before rising to stardom in NASCAR while driving for the legendary Junior Johnson in the mid-1970s, Yarborough showed his versatility by competing in open-wheel racing.

Yarborough made his first Indianapolis 500 start in 1966, driving for Rolla Vollstedt. Yarborough was caught off guard by the throngs who attended qualifying days in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and got stuck in traffic en route to the track for the first qualifying day. He ended up parking his car in the yard of a local resident and walking to the track, qualifying 24th in the No. 66 Jim Robbins Vollstedt/Ford. But his four-lap qualification run that year lasted longer than his race. Yarborough’s car was one of 11 collected and eliminated in a first-lap accident that triggered a red-flag delay of nearly 90 minutes, and he was credited with 28th place. Yarborough returned with Vollstedt’s team in 1967 and finished 17th, completing 176 laps. He made his final two “500” starts in 1971 and 1972 with Gene White’s team, completing 193 laps and finishing 10th in 1972 – both career bests – in a colorful team that also boasted fellow kindred jovial spirits Lloyd Ruby and Sam Sessions. In 1971, Yarborough raced the entire USAC Championship Trail with White’s team. He produced a best finish of fifth, at Trenton and Michigan, and ended up 16th in the standings in his only full open-wheel season.

Yarborough retired as a driver after the 1988 NASCAR Cup Series season and then focused on team ownership and other businesses. His Cale Yarborough Motorsports raced in the Cup Series through the 1999 season, with John Andretti delivering the team its sole victory in the 1997 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. His immense success as a driver helped Yarborough earn enshrinement in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Hall of Fame. He was selected as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and one of its 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. Yarborough was an excellent athlete before focusing on racing in his late teens. He was a high school football star and played semi-pro football in his native South Carolina, and he also was a Golden Gloves boxer.

(Steven Tee/Motorsport images)

Gil de Ferran, the holder of IndyCar’s fastest qualifying average at 241.428mph, the two-time CART IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500, has died at the age of 56. de Ferran is believed to have suffered a heart attack while participating at an automotive event in Florida. Read Marshall Pruett's story in RACER here. (12/29)

(Honda images)

Honda Racing Corporation USA has become official, replacing Honda Performance Development to reflect the new role of the company in Honda’s global racing efforts. With this change, HRC US will take on an increased role in Honda’s global motorsports activities, including the company’s Formula One power unit development program. Collaborating as one global entity, these two independent racing arms of Honda – HRC Japan and HRC US – will combine their unique expertise and resources to strengthen Honda’s overall motorsports capabilities. HRC was established in Japan in 1982 as Honda’s motorcycle racing arm, and has amassed more than 40 years of championship racing success in pinnacle global racing categories such as WGP/MotoGP, Superbike, Motocross, World Trial and the Paris Dakar Rally. In 2022, HRC added auto racing including Honda’s F1 program to its responsibilities, with the Sakura Center dedicated to auto racing and the Asaka Center focused on motorcycle racing. HPD was established by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. in 1993, as a separate racing arm to compete in the IndyCar series. For 30 years, HPD has participated in various racing series including IndyCar, IMSA, Baja Off-Road, Touring Cars and Formula Regional America. Through HPD, Honda has 280 wins from 510 races in IndyCar competition, including 180 wins from 410 events with multi-manufacturer competition. At the Indianapolis 500, Honda has won 15 times, nine with multi-manufacturer competition. Honda has won 13 Drivers’ Championships and 10 Manufacturers’ Championships in years with multi-manufacturer competition. HPD also has led the Acura brand to three consecutive wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and three IMSA Manufacturers’, Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships since 2018. HRC’s auto racing development center in Japan currently supports Red Bull Powertrains, and is a vital part of the team’s F1 World Championship victories. Starting in 2026, HRC will partner with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 team as the team’s official engine supplier. With three F1 races now in the U.S., the new HRC US will be involved in Formula One power unit development and race support starting in 2026.

(IMSA)

Expect the usual close racing in IMSA's Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes in 2024. Both GTD classes – GTD and GTD PRO – in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will experience increases in car counts when the season opens Jan. 27-28 with the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona International Speedway. Of the 43 cars that participated in testing last week at Daytona, 27 of them were GT cars. The prerace entry list for the Rolex 24 At Daytona has 60 cars across four classes – 38 of them in the GTD and GTD PRO classes. The two most prominent entries in the GTD PRO class are the two Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs and the two Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3s.

(IMSA)

Proton Competition’s Porsche 963 will have a familiar look to IMSA fans with Mustang Sampling’s return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the 2024 season. “Our new partner, Mustang Sampling Racing, has been successful within the IMSA SportsCar Championship winning multiple WeatherTech (Championship) championships, Michelin Endurance Cups, and the Rolex 24,” said Christian Ried, Proton Competiton team owner. The 2024 WeatherTech Championship season kicks off with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 testing session, Jan. 19-21. Rolex 24 At Daytona race week action runs Jan. 24-28. For ticket information: daytonainternationalspeedway.com. (Thank you to IMSA Wire Service)

(Alpine)

The Alpine Endurance Team was at Portimão this week (12/13) for its final test session of the year ahead of its 2024 Hypercar program. This was the first test session with two Alpine A424s and the six recently announced official drivers. After its wind tunnel tests in the USA in November, the A424 continued its homologation process in Switzerland. The homologation process is currently being completed at the FIA's Valleiry facilities in France. The two days of running focused on development with just over 3,000 km covered (1,443 km for No. 35 and 1,562 km for No. 36), with no technical problems significant enough to delay the completion of the work schedule. For the first time, the presence of the six drivers in the 2024 line-up allowed the technical teams for the crews to work on the cockpit, refueling processes, driver changes, pitlane and garage procedures. The session also provided an opportunity to continue working on tire management and evaluate the different compounds proposed by Michelin.

Happy Holidays to Our Friends, Family, Subscribers, and Supporters

From Jacques Vaucher and the staff of l'art et l'automobile

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG