---

I enjoy auto racing - NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) in particular. I especially enjoy racing since the idiots who run and play major league baseball have tried so relentlessly and have made such great strides towards destroying that great sport....but that is another tale....

And through auto racing I learned of STP - The Racer's Edge. Ever since I got a car, I use STP products exclusively. And they work. Thanks to STP products, I got over 100,000 miles out of a car that already had over 40,000 miles on it.

STP has also played a major role in American motor sports. From 1972 - 2000, STP was the primary sponsor of NASCAR's legendary #43 stock car, owned and operated by Richard Petty. The famed STP emblem adorned Petty's "43" car for 60 of his record 200 victories, and was the sponsor on four of his record seven NASCAR series championships. (You can learn more of the racing exploits of Richard Petty by clicking on this line.)

Additionally, STP has long been a primary sponsor of American open wheel racing, scoring several successes at the greatest race track on earth.....The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1969 Mario Andretti notched his lone Indianapolis 500 in the STP Oil Treatment Special. Gordon Johncock won the Indianapolis 500 in 1973 behind the wheel of the STP Double Oil Filters car and again in 1982 with the STP Oil Treatment Special.

I toured the mammoth Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994. As a race fan, it was incredible to see how unbelievable huge the Speedway was in person. It's sheer size cannot be displayed on TV nor can a sense of it's history. Pundits have stated that the current war between the Indy Racing League (IRL) and Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) has lessened the majesty and importance of the Indy 500. As usual, they, like most news media, ignore the facts of history. The Indianapolis 500 makes a driver a legend, not the drivers making the race important. No one would have heard of Johnny Rutherford had he never become a 3-time Indy 500 Champion. The same holds true for Gordon Johncock and Tom Sneva, and even A.J. Foyt, the first 4-time Indy 500 Champion says no one would have heard of him or the Unsers or Mario Andretti without their success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

So if you ever get the chance to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you should do so. From this world famous site have come many advances in automotive technology that are now commonplace in our automobiles. This track is virtually unchanged since it's construction. The track that challenged Mauri Rose, Bill Vuckovich, and Wilbur Shaw is the same layout that challenged A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Jr. and Rick Mears.

I also follow Formula One auto racing. Here is where 1969 Indy 500 Champion Mario Andretti cemented his legendary status in auto racing with his 1978 World Championship. Several Formula One World Champions did the reverse route; Jim Clark, the 1963 and 1965 World Champion won the 1965 Indy 500 and 1962 World Champion Graham Hill won the 1966 Indy 500. Emerson Fitttipaldi matched up his 1972 and 1974 World Championships with victories in the 1989 and 1993 Indianapolis 500. The latest to complete this feat is Jacques Villeneuve, who won the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 World Championship.

In the year 2000, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway became the new permanent home of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. This made the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the only track to host IndyCar, NASCAR, and F1 in the same year.

This is my personal listing of some of the world's finest race car drivers:

Juan-Manuel Fangio Formula One World Champion: 1951, 1954 - 1957 Record 5 World Championships

Jack Brabham Formula One World Champion: 1959-1960, 1966 [Won 1966 World Championship in car he designed.]

Graham Hill 1962 and 1968 Formula One World Champion 1966 Indianapolis 500 Champion Winner, 1972 Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance (with Henri Pescarolo)

Jim Clark 1963 and 1965 Formula One World Champion 1965 Indianapolis 500 Champion

Emerson Fittipaldi 1972 and 1974 Formula One World Champion 1989 and 1993 Indianapolis 500 Champion

Jacques Villenueve 1997 Formula One World Champion 1995 Indianapolis 500 Champion

Niki Lauda 1975, 1977, 1984 Formula One World Champion

Alain Prost 1985 - 1986, 1989, 1993 Formula One World Champion Won record 51 Grand Prix races in career.

Mario Andretti 1969 Indianapolis 500 Champion 1965 - 1966, 1969, 1984 IndyCar Champion Won pole position in 67 IndyCar races (Series Record) 1978 Formula One World Champion 1967 Daytona 500 Champion Winner, 1972 Rolex 24 at Daytona (with Jacky Ickx)

Bill Vuckovich 1953 - 1954 Indianapolis 500 Champion [Killed in accident while leading 1955 Indianapolis 500]

A. J. Foyt, Jr. 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 Indianapolis 500 Champion [First 4 time Indianapolis 500 Champion] 1960 - 1961, 1963 - 1964, 1967, 1975, 1978 IndyCar Champion Won record 7 IndyCar Series Championships Won series record 67 IndyCar Races 1972 Daytona 500 Champion Winner, 1967 Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance (with Dan Gurney) Winner, Rolex 24 at Daytona: 1983 (with Preston Henn, Bob Wollek & Claude Ballot-Lena) and 1985 (with Bob Wollek, Al Unser & Thierry Boutsen)

Richard Petty 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973 - 1974, 1979, 1981 Daytona 500 Champion [Record 7 Daytona 500 victories] Winston Cup [NASCAR Series] Champion: 1964, 1967, 1971 - 1972, 1974 - 1975, 1979 [Record 7 time NASCAR series champion] Won record 200 NASCAR races

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page