1966 Trenton 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1966)

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1966trenton1501.jpg

Program for the race.

Status: Partially Found

The 1966 Trenton 150 was the second race of the 1966 USAC Championship Car Season. Occurring on 24th April at the Trenton Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by Roger Ward in a Lola-Offenhauser, his final victory in motorsport, in a race shortened to 102 laps because of rain.

Background

The 1966 Trenton 150 was the fifth running of the event, with the annual race lasting 150 miles.[1] It was one of two 1966 USAC Championship Car Season races to occur at Trenton Speedway,[2] the other being the Trenton 200, which occurred on 25th September and was won by Mario Andretti in a Brawner-Ford.[3] Trenton would continue hosting IndyCar races until 1979 before it was dropped from the schedule and demolished in 1980.[4]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Andretti winning the pole position with a speed of 115.718 mph.[1] Directly behind him was Eagle-Ford driver Lloyd Ruby, with Brabham-Ford racer Jim McElreath lining up third.[1] Roger Ward qualified eighth out of 22 competitors.[1]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1966 Trenton 150 commenced on 24th April.[1] Andretti maintained his lead from the start, holding it for 17 laps before ultimately being overtaken by Lotus-Ford's A.J. Foyt on lap 18.[1] The latter would defend his lead until dropping it back to Andretti on lap 40.[1] Andretti would then achieve the longest uninterrupted duration in the lead at 47 laps, with Foyt retiring after 85 laps due to a rear end failure.[1] Two laps later, Ward overtook Andretti for the first position, in what was ultimately the final lead change of the race.[1]

With Andretti out of the picture and even a lap down to Ward by the end, it enabled Ward to control proceedings. Rain then started pouring down, forcing the race to end after 102 of the scheduled 150 laps.[1] Ward therefore claimed victory and $5,617 in prize money.[1] This also marked his final win, as he retired from racing following the 1966 Indianapolis 500.[5] Gordon Johncock finished second in a Gerhardt-Offenhauser, while McElreath took third, with the two being the only other drivers on the lead lap.[1]

Availability

According to IndyCar on TV, 45 minutes of highlights were televised by ABC on 30th April 1966 as part of its Wide World of Sports, alongside the World Pocket Billiards Championship.[6] The broadcast has yet to fully resurface, although a fragment of it was uploaded to YouTube by applepitz on 1st June 2016. Additionally, a silent one-minute highlight reel can be viewed on eFootage.

Gallery

Video

Fragment of the ABC broadcast.

Image

  • Ward being interviewed with the trophy following the race.

    Ward being interviewed with the trophy following the race.

See Also

External Link

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Racing-Reference detailing the qualifying and race results of the event. Retrieved 28th May '22
  2. ↑ Racing-Reference detailing the 1966 USAC Championship Car Season schedule. Retrieved 28th May '22
  3. ↑ Racing-Reference detailing the results of the 1966 Trenton 200. Retrieved 28th May '22
  4. ↑ Racing Circuits detailing the history of the Trenton Speedway. Retrieved 28th May '22
  5. ↑ Motorsport noting this was Ward's final win, and his retirement following the 1966 Indianapolis 500. Retrieved 28th May '22
  6. ↑ IndyCar on TV detailing the ABC broadcast of the race. Retrieved 28th May '22
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