Sigur Whitaker Articles

Sigur Whitaker is an acclaimed auto racing history book author. First Super Speedway and Sigur are collaborating with this platform for her articles. You can receive her articles directly by subscribing to her e-mail newsletter. If you would like to be added to my subscriber list, please let her know at sigurwhitakerbooks881@gmail.com.

How the Indianapolis Motor Speedway became "The Brickyard"

Construction on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway began in 1908. When the track was under construction, the four partners (Carl Fisher, James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler) made the decision that crushed stone would work well and it was significantly cheaper than the alternatives of either brick or concrete.
 

Tony Hulman and the formation of USAC

After taking a hiatus during World War II, auto racing resumed. Many of the drivers from the pre-World War II era had retired and their replacements were inexperienced. Additionally, most of the autos raced were between five and eight years old. During this period, it was not unusual for a car to be rebuilt after a crash, even a fatal one. This resulted in increased carnage on the racetracks.
 

The Newby Oval

In the 1890s, bicycling swept across the United States. It opened a new world as an alternative to walking, or if you could afford it to riding in a carriage. By 1893, there were over one million bicycles in America.
 

1941 fire in Gasoline Alley

It seemed like a normal race day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The skies were gray and overcast and rain was predicted. In Gasoline Alley, thirty-one race teams were making last minute adjustments to their cars. The bomb, which signaled that the gates were open for the estimated 175,000 spectators, went off at 6:00 a.m.
 

Orville Redenbacher and Tony Hulman

The story of Orville Redenbacher and Tony Hulman, who in 1945 purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, goes back to 1900 when Anton Hulman, Tony’s father, married Grace Smith. The Smith family had a coal mining operation based in Terre Haute, Indiana. The mining operation expanded in 1924 south of Princeton, Indiana. Wanting to expand the Princeton operation, Smith and Tony Hulman purchased 12,000 acres of Indiana farmland including the mineral rights. This farm, operated under the trade style of Princeton Farms, became the largest farm in Indiana.

Book Review: Rick Mears Thanks. The Story of Rick Mears and the Mears Gang by Gordon Kirby

Rick Mears, one of the preeminent drivers during the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, spent the majority of his time in open-wheel racing with Team Penske. Over his remarkable career in USAC and CART, he had 204 starts, won 29 races including the Indianapolis 500 four times, and had three USAC/CART championships.

The Long Downward Spiral

Team Penske has a phenomenal record in racing. It has won over 540 races and 40 championships across a variety of racing leagues—IndyCar, CART, NASCAR, Formula 1 and others. Despite this record of achievement, there was one period when the racing team endured a long downward spiral.
 
The high point was 1994 when the team not only won the Indianapolis 500 and the championship but their three drivers—Al Unser, Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy—took the top three championship spots. 
 

The Year Team Penske Did Not Make the Indianapolis 500

During the 1994 racing season, Team Penske was on top of the world. The IndyCar team won 12 of 16 races including the Indianapolis 500 and its drivers took the top three spots in the championship with Al Unser, Jr. finishing first, Emerson Fittipaldi second and Paul Tracy third. For the 1995 season, Unser Jr. and Fittipaldi were back. Tracy had signed a one-year contract with Newman/Haas Racing. With two returning drivers, the expectation was that they would have another good year.

Book Review: Beast, by Jade Gurss

As Roger Penske was leaving the 1993 Indianapolis 500 which he had won, he was already focused on winning the 1994 race. Always looking for the “unfair advantage,” he had carefully read the rules. One seemingly unimportant rule implemented in 1991, got him to thinking. Was there a way to take advantage of this rule to create an unfair advantage? Jade Gurss tells the behind-the-scenes story of how The Beast, the nickname for the Ilmor engine, was conceived and developed in secrecy in 10 months and won the 1994 Indianapolis 500.

I've Got Your Back

Rick Mears started driving for Roger Penske on a part time basis in 1978. Previous to joining Team Penske, Mears had driven on a limited basis for Bill Simpson and Theodore Racing (Teddy Yip, Sr.). His talent soon became apparent. In his first year with Penske, he won three of the eleven races in 1978, finished second twice, and was the Co-Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 after finishing 23rd. In 1979, he won the Indianapolis 500 (Penske’s 2nd). Mears also won back-to-back CART championships in 1981 and 1982 and his second Indianapolis 500 in 1984.