It was known as the triple crown. Ontario, Indy, Pocono. These three races, some of the longest and fastest on the USAC trail tested both the bravery of the drivers and the gumption, skill, and craftsmanship of everyone from the engine builder to the crew chief. These cool looking cars were fast as lightning and they were no easy pieces to drive. The three race grouping made for such a compelling story that Raybestos brakes decided to get with a production company to make a film about the experience that year. The players are among the best names in the history of American racing. There’s Andretti, Foyt, Rutherford, Unser, and on and on and on.
One of the neatest parts of the film is that it is narrated by Tom Carnagie who was the longtime voice of the Indy 500 at the Speedway. The guy’s voice is awesome and because he actually knows the cars, the people, and the underlying culture of the sport, he does an awesome job lending his voice to this film.
The footage is awesome and it is pretty amazing to see the massive crowds at Ontario and Pocono as this style of racing does not really draw like that anywhere but the Indy 500 these days. This was a pretty glamorous era in the world of open wheel racing. We love the look of the cars and we love the fact that the fields of these races were all filled with guys who were racing SOMETHING every weekend. When it was not this car it was a sprint car or a stock car, or a rental car, something. The life they lived was far different than the racing heroes of today. We’d argue that they were more hardcore and that’s probably because the stuff they did was so damned dangerous.
Enjoy all of this film, it is amazing.
