Firsts and Lasts in Motorsports

[D-Type]

I looked at Pikes Peak as well, just in case, and found the same. It was never a points paying event as far as I know but it was listed on the Champ Car (Indy Car) schedual, at least until the latter part of the 20th Century.

I'm pretty sure that Pike's Peak did count for AAA Championship points from 1948 to 1955 but not after USAC took over in 1956 or CART in 1979

[Stan Reid]

I'm pretty sure that Pike's Peak did count for AAA Championship points from 1948 to 1955 but not after USAC took over in 1956 or CART in 1979

Thanks D-Type. I didn't start to seriously follow racing until 1958 (heard Jimmy Bryan win the Indy 500 on the radio that year) so I was never familiar with the AAA points system.

[Starter]

I'm pretty sure that Pike's Peak did count for AAA Championship points from 1948 to 1955 but not after USAC took over in 1956 or CART in 1979

i could be mistaken, but I don't believe that CART ever had any involvement with Pikes Peak or in counting it toward their championship.

[Stan Reid]

My firsts in following racing:

The first race I attended was a local jalopy type stock car race in about 1949. I was only about 3 years old so all I remember is a lot of crashes and some fires.

The first major race I attended was an IMCA Big Car (the old name for sprint cars) race in 1951 at Peoria Exposition Gardens. Frank Luptow was the feature winner.

First race on radio-1958 Indy 500 won by Jimmy Bryan.

First USAC Championship Race attended-the Springfield 100 won by Len Sutton in 1959.

First event attended at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway-1964 pole qualifying day-saw Jim Clark take pole position.

First Formula One race attended-1979 U. S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen won by Gilles Villeneuve.

All five drivers I listed above entered at least one World Championship event.

[Stan Reid]

The first driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500 with only one leg was Al Miller.

The last one legged Indy 500 driver was Cal Niday.

The only other Indy 500 driver to run with a prosthetic leg was Bill Schindler.

[Stan Reid]

Thanks D-Type. I didn't start to seriously follow racing until 1958 (heard Jimmy Bryan win the Indy 500 on the radio that year) so I was never familiar with the AAA points system.

It looks like the AAA points were the same as USAC except that USAC didn't award points in races that were scheduled to run fewer than 100 miles.

[Stan Reid]

The Indy 500 has had no shortage of father/son combinations, but not winning ones. The first was 1992 when Al Unser Jr won; he was also the last.

There have been two (and soon three) father-son-grandson racers in the Indy 500-Bill Vukovich Sr., Bill Jr. plus Bill III and Andretti-Mario, Michael and Marco. This year, Matthew Brabham is scheduled to start to add to dad Geoff and grandpa Jack.

[Stan Reid]

The first Unser to race in a World Championship event-Jerry Jr.(1958 Indianapolis 500)

The last Unser to race in a World Championship event-Bobby(1968 U.S. Grand Prix)

[Stan Reid]

The first time three World Championship event drivers were killed in racing crashes on the same day-July 29 of 1951-Cecil Green, Bill Mackey and Walt Brown

The last time three World Championship event drivers were killed in racing crashes on the same day-June 19 of 1960-Chris Bristow, Alan Stacey and Jimmy Bryan

Corrections welcome

[D28]

The first Unser to race in a World Championship event-Jerry Jr.(1958 Indianapolis 500)

The last Unser to race in a World Championship event-Bobby(1968 U.S. Grand Prix)

I had forgotten Bobby Unser's appearance at the 68 USGP, though I witnessed it; safe to say his F1 career wasn't a huge success. Just recently I learned that this was not his first F1 outing; both he and Mario Andretti were entered in the 68 Italian GP for BRM and Team Lotus respectively. They practiced at Monza on Fri, Andretti setting a very quick time for Lotus, Unser's time, I do not know. Both flew home together to race in the Hoosier 100 on Sat, then flew back to Monza for Sunday morning. Race officials promptly disqualified both from the Grand Prix because they had raced elsewhere within 24 hours. Andretti's time from Fri would still have been good enough for a 7th grid position. The heavy hand of Ferrari is suspected, either directly protesting both drivers, or influencing race officials to ban them.
It was Andretti, not Unser they were concerned about, and with good reason, he put the same Lotus on pole for the USGP a few weeks later. This race was Unser's first and last start in F1.