Sunday
Sep012024
SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
Sunday, September 1, 2024 at 08:19AM 
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
The press release from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Indianapolis 500 veteran Paul Goldsmith, a winning competitor on two and four wheels, died Sept. 6 in Munster, Indiana. He was 98, the oldest Indianapolis 500 starter at the time of his passing.
West Virginia native Goldsmith made six consecutive “500” starts between 1958-63. His best finish came in 1960, a third-place result in the No. 99 Demler Epperly/Offy car overshadowed by the sensational duel for victory between Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward. Goldsmith also finished fifth in 1959. That strong result came a year after he completed zero laps as a rookie starter in 1958, as he was caught in the multi-car accident that claimed the life of Pat O’Connor. Goldsmith’s best qualifying position was ninth for his final start, in 1963. Incredibly, Goldsmith achieved such success at the top level of open-wheel racing despite making only eight career starts in cars without fenders. All eight races were USAC Championship events, including the six Indianapolis 500 starts.
Few racers in his era were more versatile and successful than the humble, quiet Goldsmith. Raised in Detroit, he began racing motorcycles as a teenager after the end of World War II. He jumped immediately to American Motorcyclist Association expert status on Harley-Davidson machines, competing while working full time at a Chrysler factory. Goldsmith’s first major AMA motorcycle win came in 1952 on the 1-mile dirt track at Wisconsin State Fair Park, now paved and known as the Milwaukee Mile.
In 1953, Goldsmith won the Daytona 200 motorcycle race on the old beach road course, with his Harley prepared by legendary engine builder and tuner Smokey Yunick. He also won the 100-mile race at treacherous Langhorne (Pennsylvania) Speedway. Goldsmith finished second in the AMA standings in 1954 to a protegee and friend from the West Coast who also achieved success on two and four wheels – Joe Leonard.
While still racing motorcycles, Goldsmith tried his hand at stock car racing, winning a 250-mile race in 1953 at the Detroit Fairgrounds. He made his final motorcycle start in 1956 and then focused on stock car racing, earning his first NASCAR victory that year in a 300-mile race at Langhorne for Yunick’s team. Goldsmith was the final NASCAR Grand National winner on the old beach course in 1958 in Daytona Beach, Florida, while the construction of Daytona International Speedway was underway. He is the only competitor to win on the beach course in a car and on a motorcycle.
In 1959, Goldsmith teamed up with ace mechanic Ray Nichels and dominated the USAC Stock Car circuit in Nichels Engineering machines during the first half of the 1960s. He won the USAC Stock Car championship in 1961 and 1962 and finished second in 1960 and 1965. Goldsmith won 26 USAC Stock Car races in 85 starts, with 44 top-three finishes. Nineteen of those wins came in 39 starts during his title-winning seasons in 1961 and 1962. He won nine races and earned 59 top-10 finishes in 127 NASCAR starts. His last NASCAR win came in 1966 at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway.
Despite only six starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Goldsmith turned many laps at the Racing Capital of the World as Firestone’s chief test driver. He also participated in one of the most unique events in IMS history, a 24-hour race between two cars Nov. 21-22, 1961. Goldsmith and fellow star drivers Ward, Len Sutton, Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch and Joe Weatherly alternated between a Police Enforcer version of a Pontiac Catalina and a conventional Catalina in heavy rain, a test of the machinery and drivers. They were the first drivers to compete on the completely paved 2.5-mile oval, as the front straightaway of original brick was covered with asphalt in October 1961.
His noteworthy accomplishments on two and four wheels were honored with membership in several Halls of Fame, including the IMS Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Motorcycle Hall of Fame, USAC Hall of Fame and Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Goldsmith retired as a driver in 1969 to focus on his growing aviation exploits. He was a noted pilot, one of the first drivers to fly himself to and from races. He also trained pilots for China East Airlines, flew parts to races in his plane, and owned an aviation engine repair business and an airport in Griffith, Indiana. Goldsmith also owned a series of ranches and restaurants.
Goldsmith was predeceased by his wife, Helen, and son, Greg. He is survived by his daughter, Linda Goldsmith-Slifer.
Indianapolis 500 veteran Paul Goldsmith, a winning competitor on two and four wheels, died Sept. 6 in Munster, Indiana. He was 98, the oldest Indianapolis 500 starter at the time of his passing.
West Virginia native Goldsmith made six consecutive “500” starts between 1958-63. His best finish came in 1960, a third-place result in the No. 99 Demler Epperly/Offy car overshadowed by the sensational duel for victory between Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward. Goldsmith also finished fifth in 1959. That strong result came a year after he completed zero laps as a rookie starter in 1958, as he was caught in the multi-car accident that claimed the life of Pat O’Connor. Goldsmith’s best qualifying position was ninth for his final start, in 1963. Incredibly, Goldsmith achieved such success at the top level of open-wheel racing despite making only eight career starts in cars without fenders. All eight races were USAC Championship events, including the six Indianapolis 500 starts.
Few racers in his era were more versatile and successful than the humble, quiet Goldsmith. Raised in Detroit, he began racing motorcycles as a teenager after the end of World War II. He jumped immediately to American Motorcyclist Association expert status on Harley-Davidson machines, competing while working full time at a Chrysler factory. Goldsmith’s first major AMA motorcycle win came in 1952 on the 1-mile dirt track at Wisconsin State Fair Park, now paved and known as the Milwaukee Mile.
In 1953, Goldsmith won the Daytona 200 motorcycle race on the old beach road course, with his Harley prepared by legendary engine builder and tuner Smokey Yunick. He also won the 100-mile race at treacherous Langhorne (Pennsylvania) Speedway. Goldsmith finished second in the AMA standings in 1954 to a protegee and friend from the West Coast who also achieved success on two and four wheels – Joe Leonard.
While still racing motorcycles, Goldsmith tried his hand at stock car racing, winning a 250-mile race in 1953 at the Detroit Fairgrounds. He made his final motorcycle start in 1956 and then focused on stock car racing, earning his first NASCAR victory that year in a 300-mile race at Langhorne for Yunick’s team. Goldsmith was the final NASCAR Grand National winner on the old beach course in 1958 in Daytona Beach, Florida, while the construction of Daytona International Speedway was underway. He is the only competitor to win on the beach course in a car and on a motorcycle.
In 1959, Goldsmith teamed up with ace mechanic Ray Nichels and dominated the USAC Stock Car circuit in Nichels Engineering machines during the first half of the 1960s. He won the USAC Stock Car championship in 1961 and 1962 and finished second in 1960 and 1965. Goldsmith won 26 USAC Stock Car races in 85 starts, with 44 top-three finishes. Nineteen of those wins came in 39 starts during his title-winning seasons in 1961 and 1962. He won nine races and earned 59 top-10 finishes in 127 NASCAR starts. His last NASCAR win came in 1966 at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway.
Despite only six starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Goldsmith turned many laps at the Racing Capital of the World as Firestone’s chief test driver. He also participated in one of the most unique events in IMS history, a 24-hour race between two cars Nov. 21-22, 1961. Goldsmith and fellow star drivers Ward, Len Sutton, Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch and Joe Weatherly alternated between a Police Enforcer version of a Pontiac Catalina and a conventional Catalina in heavy rain, a test of the machinery and drivers. They were the first drivers to compete on the completely paved 2.5-mile oval, as the front straightaway of original brick was covered with asphalt in October 1961.
His noteworthy accomplishments on two and four wheels were honored with membership in several Halls of Fame, including the IMS Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Motorcycle Hall of Fame, USAC Hall of Fame and Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Goldsmith retired as a driver in 1969 to focus on his growing aviation exploits. He was a noted pilot, one of the first drivers to fly himself to and from races. He also trained pilots for China East Airlines, flew parts to races in his plane, and owned an aviation engine repair business and an airport in Griffith, Indiana. Goldsmith also owned a series of ranches and restaurants.
Goldsmith was predeceased by his wife, Helen, and son, Greg. He is survived by his daughter, Linda Goldsmith-Slifer.
(Cadillac Racing)
Cadillac Racing has announced that its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program will expand to three Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) factory cars beginning with the start of the 2025 season. Cadillac Racing will welcome the return of Wayne Taylor Racing along with reigning IMSA GTP champion Action Express Racing to run three Cadillac V-Series.R race cars powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5L DOHC V8 engine. Drivers will be announced in the future. “Cadillac Racing is thrilled to run an expanded three-car factory program in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express Racing bring decades of proven racing and technical expertise, and we look forward to continued success on the track.” Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing will run two Cadillac V-Series.Rs in the 2025 IMSA season. Action Express Racing, the 2023 GTP team/driver champion and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup team/driver champion with Cadillac Racing, will race in 2025 as Cadillac Whelen and will continue to run the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in IMSA’s premier class.
(Photo by James Black/INDYCAR)
In a wild race, Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Gallagher Chevrolet) held off six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda) to win the second race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader Sunday. New Zealand native McLaughlin earned his series high-tying third victory of the season, finishing .4558 of a second ahead of fellow Kiwi Dixon. Colton Herta placed third in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. “That was the most fun race I’ve had in INDYCAR,” McLaughlin said. “It was a blast. We just stuck with it. The car wasn’t quite good at the start, and we just tuned her up, and it was awesome. A lot better in traffic today, which helped a lot. Yeah, burn the house down tonight. That was awesome. I’m pumped.” Santino Ferrucci finished fourth in the No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, mirroring his result in the first race Saturday. Marcus Ericsson ended up fifth in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda of Andretti Global, his best result since placing fifth July 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Defending series champion Alex Palou will carry a 33-point lead over Will Power into the next race, the season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on Sept. 15. Palou finished 19th in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda, while Power placed 10th in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Business Chevrolet in a day of disappointment and lost chances for both. Watch the Extended Race Highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media.)
(Photo of Pato O'Ward - Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 - By Joe Skibinski)
Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) won the first race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s on Saturday, and Will Power tightened his NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship duel with Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda) with two races remaining this season. O'Ward earned his third victory of the season beating the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Business Chevrolet of Power to the finish by 1.8215 seconds. O'Ward's seventh career victory came after three consecutive finishes of 15th or lower since late July, effectively removing him from the title race. Conor Daly finished third Saturday in a stirring drive in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, his best race since a career-best result of second in June 2016 at Detroit. Daly thrilled the crowd with 51 on-track passes, the most of any driver in a race this season, using every available racing line on the track. Live coverage of the second 250-lap doubleheader race on the 1.015-mile oval starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Palou will seal his third championship in four years if he wins and leads the most laps. Otherwise, the title race will go to the season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway. Watch the Extended Race Highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
(Formula1.com)
Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) delivered a stunning victory at the Italian Grand Prix after utilizing a bold one-stop pit strategy to hold on to the lead, the Monegasque thrilling the Tifosi as he clinched P1 ahead of the McLarens. After making a decent start off the line from pole position, Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team) initially stayed in P1 before Oscar Piastri (No. 81 McLaren Formula 1 Team) swept past into the second chicane later in the lap. From there, the Australian stayed out in front for much of the race. With much of the field opting for a two-stop strategy, however, Ferrari made the risky decision to try a one-stop for Leclerc and Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari), resulting in the pair running at the front of the field in the latter stages of the race. Birthday boy Sainz was unable to hold on given his ageing tires, with both Piastri and Norris overtaking him to move into second and third. But Leclerc held out to grab an emotional win on Ferrari’s home soil, crossing the line 2.6s ahead of Piastri. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
(Photo of Marc Marquez by AE Special Contributor Whit Bazemore)
(Trans-Am)
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returned to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the first time in a decade and put on an exciting race in front of legions of Canadian race fans. Paul Menard (No. 31 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang) led the TA class for a majority of the race, but it seemed that Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) would take the checkered flag following a late-race overtake. A spin by Dyson with two laps to go, however, handed the race back to Menard, who earned his fifth victory of the season. Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Drissi Motorsports/Lucas/Mission Chevrolet Camaro claimed the third podium spot. (Thank you to Trans-Am Media)
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
