1985

INDIANAPOLIS 500

"One Track Mind"
Plus:
"Sullivan's Brickyard"

"One Track Mind" and "Sullivan's Brickyard" are two different films of the 1985 500-mile race, and both are included in COLOR on this 55-minute DVD from Rare Sportsfilms! "One Track Mind" emphasizes the Rick Galles Valvoline team of Pancho Carter and Geoff Brabham, while the second film, "Sullivan's Brickyard", has more pit stop action, different coverage of the crashes and pre-race ceremonies and more on the winning Penske team of Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser, Sr. Both films are narrated by "voice of the 500" Paul Page but even as they both show the 1985 Indy 500, each film shows completely different footage of the race and the story of the month of May leading up to the spectacular classic on Memorial Day!

Beginning with "One Track Mind" by Car & Track Productions for Valvoline Oil Company, the DVD opens by showing short highlights of the opening race of the season at Long Beach, won by Mario Andretti. Quickly moving to Indianapolis, the film follows the story of the new turbocharged Buick stock block V-6 engines used in Valvoline sponsored Pancho Carter's #6 Hawk, as well as in Scott Brayton's #37 Hardee's Buick. Brayton is first to qualify and sets a new track qualifying record of 212.354 MPH. Fourth qualifier is Carter, also with the new Buick V-6 and Pancho tops Brayton's new record with a 212.583! Scenes of the attempts of other drivers Bobby Rahal, Andretti, Geoff Brabham, Don Whittington and A.J. Foyt are included. As Carter's Rick Galles-owned #6 Buick is sponsored by Valvoline Oil Company, the film has a special feature on Galles, his other driver Geoff Brabham (#7 Coors Light Silver Bullet) and Carter with 15 minutes to go in '85 first-day qualifying. Shown is the team with Rick, Brabham and Pancho up in the suites watching as the final qualifying attempt is made for the pole by Rick Mears! You'll then see a front row qualifying shot of Carter, Brayton and Bobby Rahal, all with their cars lined up in front of the Valvoline truck on the main straightaway! In this film there are several pre-race interviews with drivers (Rahal, Michael Andretti, then Mario, Scott Brayton, Carter and Don Whittington) and they comment on this year's 69th annual running of the 500. At the McLaren Engines shop in Livonia Michigan, G.M. Wiley McCoy compares the new Buick Indy racing stock block V-6 to the standard Buick V-6 engine sold in passenger cars. In the pits, fuel specialist Jim Reynolds explains how USAC officials monitor activity during early race morning fueling inspections. On Raceday you'll see cars of Rahal, Andretti, Carter and others rolled out onto the track, and see drivers A.J. Foyt, Emerson Fittipaldi, the Al Unsers, Michael and Mario Andretti, Carter, Bobby and Debi Rahal, Geoff Brabham and Roger Penske with Danny Sullivan, all during pre-race activities.

"Sullivan's Brickyard" is a different film of the '85 race and begins with a ride around the track in a typical Indy race car. More different drivers are shown during qualifying on this film: Emerson Fittipaldi, Roberto Guerrero, rookie Arie Luyendyk, the Al Unsers, Rick Mears, Michael Andretti and Johnny Rutherford. Actual attempts of Brayton, Carter, Raul Boesel and Sullivan are shown and Danny explains that once in a while even a poor qualifier has won the race. The practice crashes of Michael Andretti and Chet Phillip are shown. On race morning, you'll see the cars of Sullivan, the Unsers, Rahal, Carter, Fittipaldi, Boesel, Rutherford, Foyt, Dick Simon and John Paul, Jr. out on the track during pre-race festivities. Combining the race action of both films, here's what you'll see on this DVD:

Bobby Rahal immediately blasts to the front at the first turn and leads the first 14 laps until George Snider stalls his engine and requires a tow in, bringing out the first caution. The very first driver out of the race however is pole-sitter Pancho Carter with a failed oil pump. Just five laps later Scott Brayton is also sidelined with a faulty turbocharger. Already the top two qualifying cars, both V-6 Buicks, are out! After beating Rahal out of the pits, Mario leads the next 32 laps and after that trades the lead back and forth with Emerson Fittipaldi between pit stops. In the pits at various junctures of the race you'll see A.J. Foyt, Emmo, Mario, Rick Mears and Bobby Rahal. Meanwhile other drivers have their problems. After 62 laps A.J. Foyt is out with a broken front wing. Rahal is finished by lap 84 with a broken waste gate valve. With Bobby out, the contenders at halfway are Fittipaldi, Tom Sneva (up from 13th starting position), Danny Sullivan and first place Andretti. But Sullivan is gaining! After a 19-second stop (gas only) Danny finds himself in second place, less than 4 seconds behind Mario! By lap 115 Sullivan is only 1/1/2 seconds behind, and on lap 119 Danny tries to pass but can't. Next lap, with all four wheels below the white line in turn one, he tries again, squeezing by Mario, then in front of him! But Danny bobbles, and directly in front of Andretti, spins his #5 Miller American around more than 360 degrees in a cloud of tire smoke, while Andretti lifts for a split second then yanks his car to the left, re-passing Sullivan! It's one of the most memorable and still talked-about events in Indy 500 history! Both cars keep going and even after his heart-throbbing spin, Sullivan is still in second place! Both cars are shown in the pits, Mario for fuel only, but Danny to also replace flat-spotted tires. The biggest accident of the race then occurs on lap 124 when Howdy Holmes and Rich Vogler touch wheels heading into the first turn. This pushes Vogler to the right and into the wall, just as Sneva enters turn one. Sneva loses control amid a shower of car parts and also smacks the first turn outside wall! After cleanup, and with another contender finished for the day, the Andretti-Sullivan battle continues on lap 134. Six laps later, Sullivan again swings out to the left of Andretti on the main straightaway and at the same spot in turn one takes the lead from Andretti - This time for keeps! You'll see the John Paul, Jr. turn two crash at the 420-mile mark. A late accident occurs when Bill Whittington brings the caution light on for the final time when he smacks the third turn wall. The green comes out for lap 197, but no one can catch Sullivan. In this film you'll be near the Sullivan pit for the last two laps, and there is more Victory Lane coverage on this film than in "One Track Mind". Andretti finishes second, Roberto Guerrero third and Al Unser Sr, fourth. Arie Luyendyk is named "Rookie of the Year".

To get your own DVD containing both of these historic films, send only $29.95 plus $4.60 shipping. (Illinois residents must add $3.20 state sales tax). Add $10 extra for BLU-RAY!         (Recommended if you have a BLU-RAY player or HD Large screen TV!)