1964 Trenton 100 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1964)

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1964trenton1001.jpg

Program for the race.

Status: Lost

The 1964 Trenton 100 was the second race of the 1964 USAC Championship Car Season. Occurring on 19th April at the Trenton Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by polesitter A.J. Foyt in a Watson-Offenhauser, his fourth consecutive victory at the track. This also marked Mario Andretti's debut USAC race.

Background

The 1964 Trenton 100 was the seventh running of the event, with the annual race lasting 100 miles.[1] It was one of three 1964 USAC Championship Car Season races to commence at Trenton Speedway;[2] the Trenton 150 occurred on 19th July and was won by Foyt,[3] while the Trenton 200 commenced on 27th September, with Parnelli Jones claiming victory in a Lotus-Ford.[4] Trenton would continue hosting IndyCar races until 1979 before it was dropped from the schedule and demolished in 1980.[5]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Foyt winning the pole position with a speed of 110.974 mph.[6][1] Entering a new Offenhauser Sheraton Thompson for the event, Foyt was seeking to win his fourth consecutive Trenton event, having won all 1963 events at the track.[7][6] Rodger Ward qualified second in a Watson-Ford, with Jones lining up third out of 22 competitors.[1][6] This also marked Mario Andretti's debut USAC appearance, having qualified 16th in an Elder-Offenhauser.[8]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1964 Trenton 100 commenced on 19th April.[1] Foyt maintained his lead at the start, while Jones exited the race after 22 laps following a water pump failure.[6][1] 12 laps earlier, Troy Ruttman spun on the backstretch before crashing into the infield, causing his Watson-Offenhauser to overturn and catch fire.[6][1] He escaped, but suffered injuries to his right forearm.[6] On lap 39, as rain began to fall, Elder-Offenhauser's Mario Andretti, and Kurtis-Offenhauser's Ed Kostenuk both spun.[6] While Foyt managed to escape, Ward ploughed into one of the competitors, causing his car to suffer terminal damage, including to its front wheel.[6][1]

The race would then be halted for two hours because of excessive downpour.[6] When it restarted, Foyt controlled proceedings, crossing the line to take victory and $4,790 in prize money.[1][6] This proved to be Foyt's fourth consecutive victory at Trenton, having led all 100 laps.[6][1] Fellow Watson-Offenhauser driver Jim Hurtubise finished second, while Bobby Marshman took third in an Epperly-Offenhauser.[1][6] Meanwhile, Andretti finished his first USAC race eleventh.[1]

Availability

According to IndyCar on TV, 45 minutes of highlights were televised by ABC on 2nd May 1964 as part of its Wide World of Sports, alongside figure skating.[9] This broadcast has yet to resurface however, and no footage of the race is currently publicly available. Nevertheless, a few photos of the event can be viewed online.

Gallery

Images

See Also

References