Wilbur Shaw... Born ... AAA driver from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. He was a three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1937, 1939, and 1940), and three times a runner up. He later served as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Best known as the man who, with Tony Hulman, saved the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from becoming an industrial park; Inducted in 1991 into the Indianapolis Motor speedway Hall of Fame. Sadly, at the height of his power in the racing world, Shaw was killed in an airplane crash near Decatur, Indiana on October 30, 1954, one day before his fifty-second birthday. The pilot, Ray Grimes, and artist Ernest Roose were also killed.
____________________
1925
Peter DePaolo won the AAA sanctioned Autumn Classic 250 on the 1.25 Mile Board Oval Rockingham Speedway in Salem, New Hampshire. Ralph Hepburn was second followed by Earl Cooper, Harry Hartz and Bob McDonogh.
____________________
1933
Hugh Randall... Born ... USAC driver from the early 1960's. He died as a relief driver for Bob Mathouser in the Vargo Special at the Langhorne Speedways 100 Mile USAC Championship race July 1, 1962.
____________________
1939
Tom Bigelow... Born ... A former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He began his racing career at the Badger Midget Racing Association at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. His first attempt at the National Championship was in 1967, and he finished eighteenth. He had 1968 midget wins at Hales Corners Speedway in Hales Corners, Wisconsin and at the Sycamore, Illinois track. He won the first Astro Grand Prix in the Houston Astrodome in 1969. He raced in USAC and CART in 17 seasons (1968-1983 and 1985), with 104 combined career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 every year during 1974-1982. He finished in the top ten 39 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in consecutive races in 1978 at Texas World Speedway and Milwaukee. Bigelow was also the 1978 USAC Sprint Car Series Champion.
He returned to his roots won the 1984 USAC National Midget Series Champion. He finished fourth, third, and ninth in the following three season. He also won the 1982 USAC Midwest Regional midget car title. Tom made a single NASCAR start at the 1986 Atlanta Journal 500 at the Atlanta International Raceway, and he finished 40th with engine problems.
____________________
1954
Mike Nazaruk won the AAA Sprint Car race at the Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne, PA.
Bobby Grim won the IMCA Sprint Car race at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds, Shreveport, LA.
____________________
1959
Cliff Spaulding won the 100 lap USAC Midget race at the San Jose Speedway (1/4p) , San Jose,CA.
____________________
1964
Roger McCluskey won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA. A.J. Foyt was second followed by Bobby Unser, Billy Cantrell and Johnny Rutherford.
____________________
1965
Hal Browning won the Super Modified race over Bobby Abel, Bob Tester, Bobby Brymesser and Johnny Crawford at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA.
____________________
1967
Buddy Lazier ... Born ... An American open-wheel racecar driver. Lazier first appeared in CART beginning in 1989 driving for Gary Trout Motorsports and also participated in The Indy 500 as a rookie. He won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and has finished in the Top Ten in that race six times. Both his father Bob Lazier and brother Jaques Lazier are veterans of the Indy 500 as well.
____________________
1971
Eddie West won the NESMRA Challenge Cup 150 race at the Thompson Int. Speedway , Thompson,CT. Don MacLaren was second followed by Ed Flemke, Howie Brown and Bob Potter.
____________________
1976
Johnny Rutherford, in a McLaren-Offenhauser, won the USAC sanctioned Texas 200 on the 2 Mile Paved Oval Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. Gordon Johncock was second followed by Al Unser, Mario Andretti and Billy Vukovich, Jr.. This was the last USAC Championship victory for a Drake-Offenhauser engine.
Rob Cappetta won the Sprint Car race at the Reading Fairgrounds, Reading,PA. Keith Kauffman was second followed by Bobby Weaver, Garry Gollub and Bill Wentz.
Chuck Gurney won the USAC Sprint Car race over Jackie Howerton, Bruce Walkup, Sheldon Kinser and Billy Cassella at the Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute,IN.
____________________
1982
Darrell Waltrip won the NASCAR Winston Cup Hodg. Amer. 500 over Bobby Allison at the North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, NC.
Billy Osmun won the Modified Stock Car race at the Bridgeport Speedway, Bridgeport, NJ. Brett Hearn was second followed by Hal Bunting, Karl Freyer, Don Kreitz Jr., C.D. Coville, Ronnie Tobias, Freddy Brightbill, Bobby Walls and Fritz Epright. Doug Hoffman won the Sportsman feature over Glenn Smith, Barry Von Dohren, John Smith and Butch Green.
George Kent won the 250-lap NASCAR Budweiser Modified Series Championship Race at the Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA. Richie Evans finished second followed by Don "Satch" Worley, Tom Comerford, Brett Bodine, Paul Radford, Bobby Vee, Gail Barber, Jean Michaud and Tom Baldwin. On lap 165 Ray Evernham's car came to a halt on the backstretch. With nowhere to go Tony Siscone slammed into Evernham's car and both cars exploded in flames. Quickly Evernham jumped out of his car. Seconds later, Siscone was helped out of his car by driver Jerry "Magee" Miller, who stopped his car alongside the wreck. The fire was quickly extinguished as both cars wrer literally destroyed. Evernham and Siscone were taken to the hospital with burns. Quick-thinking by drivers and crewmen saved both driver's lives.
Ron Shuman won the Western World Midget Championship race at the Manzanita Speedway, Phoenix, AZ.
____________________
1987
Steve Kinser won the 20th annual Valvoline/Coors Western World Championship Sprint Car race at the Manzanita Speedway, Phoenix, AZ. ( Click here for the race report. )
Bobby Rahal won the inaugural Marlboro Challenge CART Indy Car race at the 1.7 mileTamiami Park road course, Miami, FL. ( Click here for the race report. )
Bill Elliott , NASCAR Winston Cup driver, tried his hand behind the wheel of a USAC Silver Crown Dirt car on the 1-mile paved Phoenix International Speedway oval, Phoenix, AZ. The Daytona 500 winner toured the track during warm-ups in Louie Seymour's # 29 driven by Ken Schrader. "It was really neat, but the steering is too quick," Elliott said. Elliott was on the track only during the caution flag and never took any hot laps.
Elvin Felty won the 100-lap Racers Warehouse 100 Small Block Modified Stock Car race at the Flemington Speedway, Flemington, NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
Glenn Fitzcharles won the URC 40-lap Northeastern Sprint Car Championship race at the Flemington Speedway, Flemington, NJ. ( Click here for the race report. )
____________________
1993
Mark Martin won the NASCAR Winston Cup Slick 50 500 over Ernie Irvan at the Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix, AZ.
____________________
1999
Greg Moore... Died ... A Canadian racecar driver who competed in the Indy Lights and CART World Series, where he had great success with several wins in both series and a championship in the 1995 Indy Lights series. However, his promising career and his life came to an end on October 31, 1999, when he was fatally injured in a violent crash on the 10th lap of the CART season finale, the Marlboro 500, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Larry "Spiderman" McBride made the first sub-6-second 1/4-mile Top Fuel Motorcycle pass, at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. His record–breaking run was recorded as 5.993 seconds at 243.68 mph.
____________________
2004
Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 over Mark Martin at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA.
____________________
2010
Clint Bowyer won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Amp Energy Juice 500 over Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Reutimann and Joey Logano at the Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL.
Brett Hearn won the 100-lap Big Block Modified race during the 23rd annual Octoberfest 350 at the Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown, MD. Billy Decker was second followed by Rick Laubach, Larry Wright and Tim McCreadie. Cody Darrah won the 50-lap 410 Sprint Car race portion of the Octoberfest 350 over Lance Dewease, Fred Rahmer, Greg Hodnett, Donnie Kreitz Jr and Daryn Pittman. Tim McCreadie won the 100-lap Small Block Modified portion of the Octoberfest 350 over Brett Hearn, Ryan Godown, Jimmy Horton, Wade Hendrickson and Rick Laubach. Gary Stuhler won the 100-lap Late Model race over Tim McCreadie, Billy Decker, Jason Covert and Dan Stone.
ONE DAY
To report wrong information, click here to send E-Mail to webmaster@wheelsofspeed.com 
Back to the Wheels of Speed home page