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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1976)
< < < hi- sor w **£ h.. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1976 3-RING SHORTENING LIMIT 1 WITH o | d $5 PURCHASE «3-LD. OR MORE**«*««CAN 89* BANQUET MEAT PIES 5 pk°g z s * 1 00 TURKEY DRUMSTICKS....meaty lb 39* BING CHERRIES lb 89* RED BEAUTY PLUMS. 89* Texas World Speedway will again be the site of racing activity this Sunday as the Texas 500 will be run for the fourth time, Texas First time in two years Bonne igains ater i Texas 500 to run Sunday ig By PAUL McGRATH Battalion Sports Editor It has been two years since a stock car race has been held at Texas World Speedway, billed as the world’s fastest speedway. This Sun day, auto racing seeks to retake lost ground and time in Lone Star coun try with the fourth running of the Texas 500 at 1 p.m. Texas World Speedway, located just south of College Station along Highway 6, has been closed down for over a year due to financial difficul ties. The United States Auto Club (USAC) sanctioned race returns with an all-star cast of drivers. Three-time Indy winner and four-time national champion A.J. Foyt of Houston will be among the qualifiers seeking en trance into the 40-member field. The field will also include this year’s Indy 500 winner, Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Roger McCluskey, the 1975 national champ; Ramo Scott and four-time National Stock Car (NASCAR) titlist, Larry “Butch” ATTENTION SUMMER AND VET GRADUATES! You may begin ordering your Graduation Announcements May 24th thru June 4th at the Student Finance Center, Room 217, Memorial Student Center from 8:00 to 4:00, Monday thru Friday. Hartman. Competition between Rutherford and Foyt will be spiced by the controversy emerging from last weekend’s Indy race where Foyt claimed Rutherford illegally took advantage of the yellow caution flag. Foyt narrowly lost the last Texas 500 when Buddy Baker of North Carolina beat out the Houstonian by 18 inches to take the checkered flag. Richard Petty finished third only 20 feet behind the leaders. The Speedway was limelighted in 1973 when Mario Andretti set a world’s closed course speed record of 214 miles per hour on the two mile oval during a qualifying run. Winner of the race, Gary Bettenhausen, earned a spot in the Guinness Book of Records with an average speed of 181.99 — the fastest for any closed course race. The race will cover 250 laps on the two-mile track. The track itself has turns banked at 22 degrees with 12 degree banking on the front straight and 2 degrees on the back straighta way. The high banked oval is 72 feet wide on the turns and 50 feet in width on the straightaways. There is an additional 12 foot apron circuiting the track. The Speedway incorporates sev eral safety features for both drivers and spectators. A crashwall four feet high and a foot thick separates the BUSINESS CBlttfii Inquire About Our Term Starting June 29 Phone 822-6423 or 822-2368 DON'T LOSE YOUR PARKING SPACE! Walk on over to Northgate to News Office Supply Company for all the supplies you need for engineering, art, architecture, E.D., and E.D.G. courses. Custom blue- and black-line prints while you wait — satisfaction guar anteed. News Office Supply Co. 108 College Main — Northgate track from the grandstands. A nine foot high welded wire mesh catch fence provides additional safety. Seating facilities provide for 26,000 spectators with room for thousands more on the infield. The purse for the race is $11,000 from a total of $75,000 distributed amongst the competitors. All driv ers, regardless of sanctioning body affiliation, are invited to compete in the Texas 500. However, USAC safety rules must be followed and all cars are inspected before being al lowed to race. The USAC rules do not restrict engines and combined with the high-banked track makes for faster times. Speedway president R.C. Conole said, “Naturally we would like a lot of Texans to enter the Texas 500, but we want to make this race an open invitation to all drivers to compete. We know that this is the world’s fas- (it The if the ham] test speedway and that this poses 1 problem for some of their machiner, to be competitive. June6(thedatei)( the race) is an open date on thea- ^ 0I lender meaning that there is 10 other race scheduled elsewhere, Conole added, “We putallthea|r pearance money in the pursed spread it over to pay more money! the way down to last place." An interesting sidelight to theras will be the names of some of th participants—some of them will l* t ' ona | Speedway turns down Janet Guthrie Texas World Speedway has re fused any possible entry by Janet Guthrie into the Texas 500 on June 6 and at all other Speedway events this year. Speedway President Richard Conole has written the United States Auto Club requesting the removal of her competition license and the re moval of her car owner Rolla Vol- Istedt from its Board of Directors. The issue is over Guthrie’s and Voll- stedt’s intention to accept a $5,000 appearance offer from a NASCAR race track. completely fictitious. Conole said that NASCAR officials have told some NASCAR drivers not toente the US AC-sponsored race. Becaust of this, Conole said he would allot any drivers to enter under anynan# they choose and will be free 6m exposure “1 respect their reason for usinji fictitious name,” Conole said. “Wi applied for a full International Fed eration of Automobiles (FIA, ih Paris-based governing body of am- petitive racing) listing of the Ten! 500 and the only Automobile Com petition Committee of the United States (ACCUS) member to veto! was Billy France, the bead of CAR. He doesn’t want his driven running here.” Conole said he thought thisws unfair to the drivers in both publirit and purse earnings. “In NASCM only the top names win. Theygd appearance money and all the 6s tires. The little guys can’t make: that way. Our purse paysmoreattbl iaturd the Jnivei The ;ear, ' ihauei the N< iociati on Jui The ith te Ihterc 851 three- bad t Rob Ji vidual the to The out of but or the st; “I think this whole thing is a cheap publicity stunt on the part of the NASCAR track. I am appalled that a member of the Board of Directors of USAC would accept what amounts to public payola,” Conole declared. “I think that the public is sick and tired of payoffs. Top NASCAR driv ers get paid to appear in a race that only they can win. Everyone knows that the other drivers are going broke and can’t afford to race, but they have raced and supported rac ing every week. They would be crazy to run that race if Janet gets $5,000 to run against them. bottom and if they (the drivers) wi to run under an assumed namei okay with me,” Conole said. Another attraction will be an at tempt to break the womens old course speed record by lady driven Arlene Hiss of Tnstin, Calif. Martha Wideman of Lufkin. Theat tempt will take place following Fit day’s practice runs. Stock car drivn Earl Canavan donated a 1974 Dodge Charger to the ladies for tbei record-breaking attempt. Thecarii powered by a 426 cubic inch engine and is capable of speeds d better than 220 mile per hour. Drivers will take their practk* runs on Friday from 1 p.m. to5p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. tonooa. Admission is free to the public. _ ifying for the 40 starting berthswl take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m oi: Saturday. Admission prices range from SH to $20 for adults and $5 for children 6-12 years. Children under 6 ye® are admitted free with parent.