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1955-1969
MILWAUKEE RACES
"MEMORIES AT MILWAUKEE"
Championship Indy car racing, whether on the week following the Indianapolis 500, or in late August, has always been a memorable attraction for mid-west racing fans at State Fair park, Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, Milwaukee. Here on this 33-minute video from "Rare Sportsfilms" is a nostalgic look at the highlights of five of these memorable Milwaukee races from the past – and all in beautiful COLOR!
Here is what is included:
* June 5, 1955 – 100-Mile "Rex Mays Memorial" – In the first race held on the newly-paved 1-mile track at Milwaukee, pole-sitter Bob Sweikert in his pink #6 John Zink Special (who won the Indy 500 the week before), battles it out with other drivers of the day. Shown are Don Freeland, Jack McGrath with the Hinkle Special, national big car champ Jimmy Bryan and Pat O’Connor. Johnny Thomson, in the Red #44 Peter Schmidt Special takes the lead from Sweikert on the 39th lap and goes on to win the race.
* August 26, 1956 – 250-Mile Championship Race – With Johnny Boyd on the pole the race begins under threatening skies, and after two red flags for rain, Jimmy Bryan in the white #2 Dean Van Lines Special grabs the victory! Boyd leads most of the way, but a sour engine after 229 laps brings him into the pits. Other drivers shown are Johnnie Parsons, Rodger Ward, Jimmy Reece and Johnny Thomson.
* August 30, 1959 – 200-Mile Championship Race – This segment includes the last close-up shots of Ed Elisian ever filmed, as he was killed in this tragic race (no shots of his actual wreck were caught on film). 1958 National Champion Tony Bettenhausen in the red #1 John Zink special leads most of the way, however an oil line leak causes him to spin out, and Rodger Ward, driving the white #5 Leader Card Roadster takes over the lead and chalks up his second consecutive late-summer victory at Milwaukee! Johnny Thomson finishes second.
* August 18, 1963 – 200-Mile Bettenhausen Memorial – Offy roadsters and even one dirt car can’t match the new rear-engine Lotus-Fords, driven by Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. Qualifications as well as all the highlights of the race are shown. Great close-ups of Clark, Gurney, A.J. Foyt, Eddie Sachs, Parnelli Jones, Don Branson, Jim Hurtubise and Rodger Ward are included. Foyt and Ward challenge during the race, but Clark in #92 and Gurney in #93 finish 1-2!
* June 8, 1969 – 150-Mile "Rex Mays Classic" – Pole-sitter and race favorite Mario Andretti, fresh from winning his only Indy 500 a week earlier, encounters engine problems late in this race, but Art Pollard, after a first lap incident takes out his own car, drives teammate Greg Weld’s car to victory for his first ever championship win! Mario, A.J., Jim Malloy and Roger McCluskey are the front-runners most of the way. National Champion Bobby Unser and Lloyd Ruby also shown.
Get your own copy of "Memories At Milwaukee" by sending $24.95 + $5.00 for shipping and handling. (Illinois residents must add $2.00 per video for sales tax.)
"RARE SPORTSFILMS N",
1126 Tennyson Lane,
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 527-8890
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