Forty years ago this month, former three-time 2nd. place finisher Tom Sneva finally won the Indinapolis 500 in the white #5 Texaco Star March Cosworth. There were eight Indy winning/eventual winning drivers in the field that year. One of them, four-time winner A.J. Foyt, was racing in his 26th consecutive 500! Our latest DVD takes you back to that time and place to again watch that historic race! | |
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Dear Rare Sportsfilms Subscriber,
Spring is here and Race Day May 28th is not far off! I'm looking forward to my 38th consecutive race and my 36th consecutive Indy Racing Memorabilia show, especially since it's once again being held at our new venue, the Embassy Suites Hotel near the Indianapolis Airport in Plainfield, Indiana about 16 miles west of the track! Great news! For the first time in 10 years, the show will run for three days - Thursday, Friday and Saturday! Be sure to read more about it in this annual Indy 500 issue of our Newsletter!
Veteran Indy 500 fan and racing historian Dr. Tom Lucas has written a story this month about his recollections of the 1983 race. It was a year at the track that will always be remembered for many reasons.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the show or at the track later this month!
Doak Ewing, President
RARE SPORTSFILMS,INC.
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NEW!
1983
Here are two different color films on the 1983 500-mile race, both narrated by "Voice of the 500" Paul Page! "Man In Charge", has the more detailed race and wreck coverage, including the incidents of Johnny Rutherford , Chuck Ciprich, Dennis Firestone, Patrick Bedard, Roger Mears, Mike Mosely, Johnny Parsons and Mario Andretti, while "Million Dollar Moment" has driver interviews, more on qualifying, more pit stop action and shows more from the perspective of the Carl Hass-Paul Newman team with Mario Andretti driving. On this DVD you'll hear from A.J. Foyt, Roger Penske, Robin Herd, rookie pole-winner Teo Fabi, Howdy Holmes, last year's winner Gordon Johncock, Bobby Rahal and car owner Jim Trueman, Mario Andretti and Paul Newman as well as race winner Tom Sneva. Even as both films show the '83 Indy 500, each film shows different footage of the race and the story of the month of May leading up to the spectacular classic on Memorial Day! You'll also see drivers Al Unser and rookie Al Unser Jr, Josele Garza, Rick Mears, Geoff Brabham, Danny Ongais and more!
51 Minutes, 29.95 +$4 S & H.
Add only $10.00 for BLU-RAY!
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"Season of Speed"
plus
"The Indianapolis 500"
and
"Speedway Sound of the Sixties"
(All on one DVD)!
Only $5.00 with purchase of our new
1983 Indy 500 DVD!
With the purchase of our new 1983 Indy 500 DVD, you can also get the 1960 race on DVD for only $5.00! Three different vintage films show and tell the story of the 1960 race won by Jim Rathmann! All three show and tell the story of the 500 that year, but each with different scenes and different emphasis for different sponsors! You'll see Jack Rounds' practice crash, Eddie Sachs qualifying on the pole, and the amazing qualifying run of Jim Hurtubise at just under 150 MPH in the purple and white #56 Travelon Trailer Special! Of course, the 1960 race will always be remembered as one of the most exciting in history! Defending champion Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann stage a stirring duel that has the spectators limp at the finish! With the crowd in a frenzy and three laps to go, Rathmann passes Ward for the final time to win the race! Plus see all these great drivers and racing personalities in action 63 years ago: A.J. Foyt, Duane Carter, Red Amick, Troy Ruttman, Chuck Stevenson, Bob Veith, Len Sutton, Shorty Templeman, Don Freeland, Johnny Thomson, George Salih, Johnny Boyd, Dick Rathmann, Dempsey Wilson, Bobby Grim, Don Branson, Eddie Russo, Tony Bettenhausen, Jimmy Bryan, A.J. Watson, Smokey Yunick, Paul Goldsmirh and others!
All Color, 90 minutes
Normally $29.95, but this month only $5.00 with purchase of our new 1983!
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ORDER NOW AND $AVE!
Special Limited Time Offers!
Order our new 1983 Indy DVD
and select any one of our other
racing DVDs for only $57.80 PPD!!
(add $10 if you want 1970, 1981, 1982 or 1983 on Blu-Ray)
Select from the list on our website here
(Illinois residents must add
$4.45 state sales tax)
OR:
10 for only $225.00 PPD!
Get our new 1983 Indy DVD and
any nine other racing DVDs
for only $225.00 PPD!
Select from the list on our website here
(Illinois residents must add
$17.40 state sales tax)
Order by Mail
Send your check or money order
payable to Rare Sportsfilms, Inc. to:
Rare Sportsfilms News
1126 Tennyson Lane
Naperville, IL 65040
Order by phone
Call us at 630-527-8890
We accept Mastercard and Visa
If you would like to know more about other vintage
sports films now available on high-quality DVD...
...call us at 1-630-527-8890
or visit our website
www.raresportsfilms.com
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Visit with
Rare Sportsfilms in Plainfield, Indiana
(west of the Speedway just off I-70) at the 2023
"Indy Racing Memorabilia Show"
Rare Sportsfilms has now been exhibiting its video productions at Indianapolis the weekend of the “500” for 36 consecutive years!
Once again this year, we will have a booth at the racing show and we hope you’ll come on out to visit with us. Find us at the Indy Racing Memorabilia Show on Thursday, Friday and Saturday May 25 thru 27th at the Embassy Suites Event Center, 2353 Perry Road, Plainfield, Indiana (just west of Indianapolis airport). Show hours are Thursday 4-8PM Friday evening 3PM-8PM and 9AM-4PM Saturday. Click this link to get more info about the show.
Rare Sportsfilms President Doak Ewing says, “Any racing fan who appreciates the history of the Indianapolis 500 and is lucky enough to be in Indianapolis during race week should not miss the fun of visiting the greatest assemblage of racing memorabilia and artifacts in the country – this year a three-day show, Thursday, Friday and Saturday! You’ll find racing photos, yearbooks, racing magazines, trading cards, old toy and model race cars, driver autographs, old pit badges, 500 ticket stubs, programs, DVDs on past 500s, books on the 500, driver uniforms, helmets and even vintage paving bricks from the original track which has come to be known as "The Brickyard"!
"I’m looking forward to displaying our DVDs and seeing old friends and new collectors alike along the side wall of the room both days! At this show you will meet the most knowledgeable dealers and collectors of Indy 500 memorabilia in the country".
SEE YOU MAY 25 thru 27th –at The Show!
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LOOKING BACK AT INDY - RECOLLECTIONS OF 1983
By Dr. Tom Lucas
Each year the history and tradition of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing” is played out on what is advertised as “The Greatest Race Course In the World”, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year will be the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500, and every race has been different, while adding to the excitement, tradition and memories of those who have watched the event.
Let’s look back on what happened 40 years ago this month at Indy. As in most years, it was a month of firsts, lasts and controversy.
(You can even use these fun facts to make your own Indy 500 trivia quiz)!
Firsts: - (1) The (Paul) Newman/(Carl) Haas racing team makes its debut and will have Mario Andretti as the driver every year until his retirement after the 1994 season. (2) Al Unser, Sr. joins the Penske Team for a 7-year run which will result in five top 4 finishes including another win (Al’s 4th at Indy in 1987). (3) Pennzoil Joins Penske as a primary sponsor for a successful association with Rick Mears. (4) Al Unser, Sr. and Al Unser, Jr. become the first father/son combination to start in the same 500. (5) Teo Fabi becomes the first rookie to win the Pole Position since Walt Faulkner in 1950 and, like Faulkner, sets new 1 and 4-lap Track Records of 208.049 and 207.395mph. Fabi also become the first rookie to lead lap 1 since Paul Bost in 1931.
Lasts: - (1) The last entries with Offenhauser/Meyer & Drake engine (cars #17 and #27), both from Rolla Vollstedt, are made. The #17 failed to qualify (Mark Alderson/Larry Canon) and #27 failed to show up. This ends a legacy of a basic engine design going all the way back to 1930. (2) The last “Coyote” chassis (A.J. Foyt’s 1981 entry) is crashed and no further “Coyotes” will ever be entered; its driver, Bob Harkey, will retire from driving. (3) as with Harkey, this is the last year for Bill Vukovich, Jr. as an active driver (fails to qualify). Two additional notes from 1983: Future NASCAR star Ken Schrader tries (and fails) to qualify for the only time; and the first weekend of Qualifications is completely rained out (more on this in our latest film).
The biggest story and most remembered event of the race itself: Late in the race Al Unser, Sr. is leading with Tom Sneva 2nd, but Al, Jr, several laps down, is between them and appearing to be “blocking” Sneva. Despite failing on several attempts to pass, Tom does eventually get around both Al’s with less than 10 laps to go. After the race, “Little Al” won’t confess to blocking Sneva, but he doesn’t deny it either. Sneva’s win is extremely popular with fans and fellow competitors (including Al, Sr.) alike.
Indy fans still talk about this one!
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Who is Dr. Lucas?
By Doak Ewing
If you are an Indy 500 fan, you would enjoy talking to "Doctor Tom" Lucas. Growing up in Indianapolis within a mile of the track (before he became a dentist) Tom was always interested in the major league sport that had it's world famous yearly event several blocks from his house. As a young teenager he would regularly to go out to the track after school to watch practice during the month of May. Later, as he got to know some of the racing participants (car owners, mechanics and even famous drivers), he eventually was asked to help out more than one racing team during the month of May.
"In 1972 I was on the Page Racing crew of car # 60, the STP Pylon car of Mike Hiss" he told me recently. "The next year I worked with Pat Patrick's STP team of Gordon Johncock and Swede Savage with Gordy winning a rain-shortened race. After a year off for my first year of dental school, I came back in 1975 and was part of The Spirit of Orange County team with Jerry Grant the driver. By 1978, I was a practicing dentist full time, so my days on a racing crew were over, however I had also gotten to know official track photographer Ron McQueeney who was looking for another raceday photographer, so I became a member of the official IMS photo staff from 1979 through 1994".
I couldn't resist asking him if any of his patients were ever Indy drivers or racing personalities.
"Oh yes" he said. "Probably my most famous was A.J. Foyt. Tom and Jerry Sneva, Bill Vukovich, Jr and Billy III, Al Unser, Sr., Ralph Ligouri, Bill Simpson, George Snider were others. Matter of fact, Lou Palmer, eventually anchorman for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network was my first patient"!
I'll be looking forward to seeing "Doc" this year again - we always attend the race together and have great seats in the front row of the Paddock Penthouse just past the start/finish line. Will we see another great race like the one in '83??
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TRADE SHOW SCHEDULE FOR 2023
The trade shows that Rare Sportsfilms participates in throughout the year are excellent venues at which to meet other collectors with similar interests and visit in person with Rare Sportsfilms. We are always offering specials at our booth where you can also ask to see any DVD you may be interested in! Normally we will have an inventory of 150-250 different DVDs available at any show.
Here is our Show Schedule for the months ahead:
May 25-27, 2023 - Thursday, Friday and Saturday "Annual Indy 500 Racing Memorabilia Show" located again this year at the Embassy Suites Hotel Event Center, Plainfield, Indiana. Larger room! One third more dealers than last year! Free parking!
July 5-8, 2023 - National SABR (Society For American Baseball Research) Convention at The Palmer House Hotel, downtown Chicago. Meet with Rare Sportsfilms in the special SABR Vendor's Room in the Hotel Thursday, Friday and Saturday! Discounts available!
July 26-30, 2023 – National Sports Collector’s Convention, Chicago, at the Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois. This is the BIG one – the greatest sports collector’s convention in the world!
November 17-19, 2023 - Stephens Convention Center,
Rosemont, Illinois. "The Chicago Sports Spectacular" (Fall Sports Collectibles Show). See you there!
Click the links or call Doak Ewing at 630-527-8890 for more information about any of these shows.
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Want to see what we're buying?
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