Throughout the 1960’s and the 1970’s, the most legendary names in racing were not only drinking the milk at Indianapolis in front of half a million spectators - they were also racing sprints and midgets at local dirt tracks in front of a couple thousand fans for a significantly smaller paycheck.
Big names like Mario Andretti, and A.J. Foyt were slinging dirt at quarter-mile tracks in between pushing 200 mph on the 2.5-mile Brickyard. The iconic photograph of Johnny Rutherford getting airborne at Eldora Speedway in 1966 proves that these guys raced hard in whatever car they were competing in.
Photo: Bob Jefferson
It was an era of racing whatever, wherever, and whenever.
Indy car racing’s biggest fanbase is located in the midwestern portion of the United States, and in the states of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, you are likely within 30 miles of a dirt track that races weekly. Many open-wheel fans today would love to see some of the stars of IndyCar racing other open-wheel cars at local venues just like the heroes of the “good 'ole days” did.
On Saturday, July 25th, Verizon IndyCar Series rookie Gabby Chaves tried a new form of racing by driving a United States Auto Club (USAC) midget at the inaugural Tony Stewart Classic at the one-fifth-mile Indianapolis Speedrome - and did pretty darn good!
The Bryan Herta Autosport No. 98 Honda driver got the opportunity from Honda Performance Development to compete and was completely surprised to see the engine was not in the rear of the car.
“The crew laughed when I went for the seat fitting and looked around the car," said the 22 year old.
Chaves got up to speed quickly and qualified 11th for the 100 lap main event. After the mandatory pit stop for tires and adjustments at Lap 75, the Colombian was running third when he was handed yet another opportunity he didn’t pass up.
Sheppard Insurance offered a $10,000 bonus for any driver who restarted at the rear of the field and won with 25 laps remaining.
The drivers running first and second refused, but after seeing the enthusiasm of the crowd, Chaves accepted the challenge.
He came back to finish in a very impressive fifth place.
“It was worth a try,” said Chaves. “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in the beginning of the race, but after a few laps I felt very comfortable, felt very quick and saw that I could really challenge any of the guys up front,” he added.
“We put on a great show and I am very happy and thankful for the opportunity that Honda and HPD gave me. I had a blast.”
Perhaps the successful run Chaves had in the USAC midget will encourage more IndyCar drivers to get out of their comfort zone and head to a local racetrack and compete in other forms of open-wheel racing.
Bryan Clauson, driver for Jonathan Byrd Racing is today’s only racer to race at the famed oval at Indianapolis and also race sprints and midgets at local dirt tracks. The Noblesville Indiana native raced his No. 88 Chevrolet in the 2015 Indianapolis 500 then headed to Kokomo Speedway to race sprints on the 1/4th-mile dirt oval.
“I wish it was still like those days when you could race every weekend, because it keeps you sharp and I just love to drive,” says Chaves.
Chaves will be back in his Indy car this coming weekend for the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Be sure to follow @VAVELIndyCar for all your race coverage needs and don’t forget to take part in the #VAVELIndyCar Twitter chat on Tuesday, July 28 from 6-8 pm ET!
Eric Lawrence is a writer for the VAVEL USA Racing section. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheRic5150.