There’s a really interesting history behind the whole “closed course” speed record that really started getting a lot of attention in the 1950s. There’s also a weird side note that somehow drag racing doesn’t count because why, again? Anyway, bacon the late 1950s when cars were running in the upper ranges of the 170s the whole “record” started getting a lot of attention. Bill France paid big money for the 180mph barrier to be broken at Daytona and then the race was on for 200mph. That came and went at Talladega which was the biggest, baddest, and most banked speedway on Earth. It would become the central hub for all further record breaking activity on this front of motorsports.
AJ Foyt went around ‘Dega at 217 in his Indy car during 1974 and that was the mark to beat and the mark that both Mark Donohue and Roger Penske were looking to not only break but to smash. The guys showed up with their incredible Porsche 917-30 Can-Am car which reportedly made some 1,000hp and was as aerodynamic as anything in the world at that point. The car was not built for speedway racing and therefore was kind of weird to drive at these monster velocities and you’ll hear Donohue talk about that fact.
Away, you need to watch the video to see how they do it, but as Donohue and Penske so often did, they succeed at this goal and do it with the style and panache that was the hallmark of their incredible partnership.
Ken Squier is on the call, one of the greatest voices in American motorsports history and he actually throws us a bonus. Johnny Ray takes to the track in a Kenworth tractor pulling a trailer with an aerodynamic front on it and tries to set a big rig speed record. Watch it all!
The record has been reset over time but this one was particularly cool!
I wonder how one of today’s aero semis could run?
What Mark Donohue sounded sketchy. The semi running 99mph was down right hilarious and cool.