The TACH Report: A.J. Turns 63, Force is a Force in NHRA, CART's Record Attendance, Hyundai Minivan Coming Up
20 January 1998
Irascible four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt--a guy who, though he hasn't sat in an Indy car in several years, still gets a ton more Christmas wishes in National Speed Sport News than a great many active drivers--turns 63 years of age today. You still may see him in a Ford pickup in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Speak of irascible, outspoken, and hyperkinetic and you've described seven time NHRA Funny Car National Champion John Force, who welcomed the racing media to tour his multi-million buck racing facility in Yorba Linda yesterday. To the uninitiated it may be difficult to understand how a guy who races in a series where his "race/pass" is over in six seconds gets a zillion dollars to build a racing palace complete with a dozen full time uniformed employees, a dozen race cars, kitchen, museum, and a separate building to house his "Untouchables" gift shop. NHRA founder Wally Parks was on hand for the tour, as was the association's VP of communications, Denny Darnell. Three TV crews recorded the junket, which visited the NHRA museum at the Pomona, CA Fairplex/race strip, saw a new MADD comics/Warner Bros Funny Car unveiled at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, and ended having dinner with NHRA Top Fuel champ Gary Scelzi. Two bus loads of drag race media types made the all day tour. CART, now FedEx CART, realized a 5.3% spectator increase for 1997. 2,491,058 race fans bought tickets to 17 races. Hyundai Motors U.S. says they are working on new products and that they expect to have a minivan in their lineup by the year 2000. It will be the size of the Dodge Caravan. Roger Penske's California Speedway has eight primo attractions set for the 1998 racing season, ending with the FedEx CART Marlboro 500 on November 1. The organization's road course is now complete, but will not see action in 1998. Hollywood has discovered the Fontana, CA track: the NBC show Pretender was filmed there, as was a Pepsi commercial with Jeff Gordon. Like your road racing Mexican style? If so, the Tecate Beer races are set for July 16-19 in Tecate, Mexico. Want info call 818 509 0257. Raytheon Aircraft builds corporate jets and has a new one that is all dressed up in Jaguar's British Racing Green trim. It's called the Jaguar Special and can be yours for $2.6 million. Indy Lights standout Helio Castro Nueves has joined Bettenhausen/Alumax racing in the CART series. There are lots of new faces in CART this year: they must have rich papas. Two more new drivers in the Dayton Indy Lights series have signed up with Brian Stewart racing: Mattias Anderson (from Sweden) and Sergio Paese. They have no doubt brought sponsorship money from their Daddy's companies. Isuzu has announced they will cut the price of the '98 Trooper by 8% to show a sticker of $34,000. Keep The Tach In The Black. Bill Maloney -- The Auto Channel
