Editors Note: In a nod to our 90 years of history, each week SPEED SPORT will look back at the top stories from 15, 30 and 60 years ago as told in the pages of National Speed Sport News.

15 Years Ago 2010

News: USAC has elected Jeff Stoops as chairman of its board of directors and nominated Feld USAC Motorsports President Charlie Mancuso to that board of directors.

Stoops, a long-term board member; replaces retiring chairman John Capels, who held the position for eight years. Stoops is a former sponsor and car owner and is the president of Stoops Freightliner.

Mancuso joins the board of directors for the first time but is no stranger to the motorsports industry. Mancuso oversees Feld Motorsports, which owns various motorsports companies, including the IHRA NitroJam Drag Racing Series, Monster Jam Series, AMA Supercross Series, AMA Arenacross Series, Freestyle Motocross and Nuclear Cowboyz.

Other members of the USAC board of directors include Tony George; Brett Frood, EVP of Stewart-Haas Racing; Curt Brighton, CEO of Hulman and Company; Sterling Pratz, CEO of Autonet Mobile; Peter Morse, partner at Barnes and Thornburg; and Ricky Johnson, seven-time AMA Motorcyle Champion.

Winners: Bobby Gerhart scored a record sixth ARCA victory Saturday at Daytona Intl Speedway, but most of the attention went to the sixth-place finisher of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick drove a smart race in the beginning, but after she went three-wide with Nelson Piquet, Jr. on lap 53, she got punted across the infield grass and fell back to 24th place. What she did after that showed she has true potential in this form of racing as she was able to battle back to as high as fifth with three laps to go before finishing sixth.

Shortly after winning the race, the grizzled Gerhart was happy that his victory was being overlooked because of the attention Patrick brought to this race.

Im glad she was here, Gerhart said. It brought some much-needed attention to the series. I actually welcome the opportunity to have a national platform.

Not even Gerhart could meet the IndyCar Series driver, who was mobbed by fans and media after the race. Patricks team owner, Kelley Earnhardt, said the crowd around Patrick was bigger than what Dale, Jr: has been involved in in quite some time.

I didnt see her or talk to her all week, said Gerhart. How about that? But I did notice this extremely large group of media outside her trailer near mine. I thought they were coming to see me.

As for Patricks race, it was certainly a learning experience.

I definitely learned how to use the fenders a little bit, Patrick said. I felt the fenders, too. I dont care that l did because now I know what it felt like to be pushed up the track. I wanted to be smart, make it to the end and learn something in this race.

It was really cool to come back in the top-five again. I really said, what the heck, I made it this far, so I jumped up high and didnt have many takers up there. It was a lot of fun. I was bumped from the side, bumped from the front, bumped from the back. I had so much fun in a race car today: I cant wait to do it again.

30 Years Ago 1995

News: Plans for a proposed race track near Vicksburg, Miss., are progressing according to American Racing League President Jim Belisle.

Speculation that the project was in jeopardy was dashed by Belisle, who hopes to create several identical tracks for use by a spec-car racing series in the near future.

Belisle told NBBN Monday that construction on Mississippi National Speedway should begin before the end of this month.

We will start to push dirt and build levies, Belisle said. We have to build levies as part of the sewer system. In all we have 3 million cubic yards of dirt to move, so it is a large project.

We will have the facility complete, including both race tracks and hotel construction by 1996 to hold our first event in June of that year, added Belisle, who also updated this newspaper on the progress of a second ARL track in Reno, Nev.

We have acquired the site in Reno and we have some more site planning to do there, but we hope to begin construction there in the third quarter of this year and have it completed by the end of 1996, Belisle said. Once the levy system is built, we can begin moving dirt for the actual construction at the Vicksburg (Miss.) site, Belisle concluded. The weather is good enough there to build 12 months a year.

Winners: If Kenny Schrader could pick winners like he does drivers for the Daytona ARCA 200, hell have friends lining up to take him to the dog track.

Driving instructor Andy Hillenburg gave the Winston Cup regular his second consecutive victory in the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Supercar Series opener, holding his own in a wild dash to the finish in a traditional slam-bang event. 

Hillenburg held off Gary Bradberry, defending winner Mike Wallace, Joe Ruttman and Bob Hill in a sprint to the caution flag with three laps remaining, and then took the checkered flag under the caution as safety crews cleaned up the debris resulting from a wild ride taken by Pennsylvania chauffeur Andy Belmont.

Defending ARCA champion Bobby Bowsher was up front on a restart with nine laps remaining, and held his own for three circuits in a tight nine-car pack before being shuffled back. Belmont, who started 23rd but ran in the top 10 most of the race, was bumped by Bowsher as he tried to get by, got up in the air, briefly atop Bowshers car, and then rolled violently six times before coming to a stop. Unhurt, Belmont leaped to the roof of has battered car to let his spotters and the crowd know he was OK.

Hillenburg, a 31-year-old Indianapolis native, came from the 20th starting position to notch hls first career ARCA and superspeedway triumph in Schraders Air Orlando Chevrolet Lumina. 

Bradberry placed second in his own Chevrolet followed by Wallace in the Duron Paints Ford, Ruttman in the Roulo Brothers Chevrolet and Hill in the Friskies/Clement Mack Chevrolet.

60 Years Ago 1965

News: Scotlands Jim Clark, the road racing champion of the world in 1963, will make his third attempt to win the annual 500-mile classic at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year as the No. 1 driver of a three-car team entered by Colin Chapman of Team Lotus, Ltd.

Clarks fellow drivers have not yet been selected, but all three will be in the cockpits of new Lotus powered by Ford rear-engine creations similar to those which have attracted so much attention at Indianapolis during the last two years.

Clarks two previous performances at Indianapolis have been outstanding and he holds the present one-lap and four-lap qualifying records of 159.337 and 158.828 miles per hour, respectively.

As a newcomer to the 500 in 1963, he led the field for 28 laps and finished second to Parnelli Jones, forcing the winner to a new race record of 143.137 mph.

Last year, after boosting the official track record close to 160 mph to win the No. 1 starting position, he charged to the front twice during the early stages of the contest, but failed to finish due to suspension failure caused by tire trouble.

Ten of the 11 entries received to date are rear-engine cars and all top-ranking favorites probably will be driving equipment of this type when they shoot at Clarks records during the official time trials on the weekends of May 15-16 and May 22-23. Practice will be permitted beginning May 1. 

Other drivers already assigned to cars include Len Sutton, Jim Hurtubise, Lloyd Ruby, Bob Veith, Walter Hansgen and rookie Mickey Rupp.

Winners: Sundays second annual 250-mile ARCA late model stock car classic at Daytona Intl Speedway produced 27 caution laps, 10 lead changes, plus several demolished cars, and when it was all over, 47-year-old Ignatius (Iggy) Katona pulled into victory lane with his oil-spattered 1964 Ford.

Katona averaged 132.684 mph for the 250 miles, far off the 154.103 mph record set last year by Nelson Stacy. Katona banked $5,450 of the $37,000 purse for his one hour, 53-minute ride.

Finishing second, three car lengths back was Andy Hampton, also driving a 64 Ford. Rounding out the top 10 were Benny Parsons, 64 Ford; Harry Pick, 64 Mercury; Jack Bowsher, 65 Ford; Ralph ODay, 64 Plymouth; Blaine Kaufman, 64 Ford; Junior Spencer. 64 Ford; Danny Byrd, 64 Ford; and Harold Smith, 64 Mercury.

Only 13 of the 33 starters were running at the finish, and eight cars dropped out before 25 miles became history.