The Arizona State Fairgrounds played host to many races in American open-wheel racing during the AAA sanctioned era.
Race history
Open wheel racing in the Phoenix area dates back to 1915 on a dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. Earl Cooper, who competed in the Indianapolis 500 seven times, won the inaugural race—scheduled for 150 laps of the one-mile track, it was ended after 109 miles due to darkness.
The race was revived in 1950 by the AAA, and then passed to the United States Auto Club (USAC) in 1956. USAC moved the race to the newly built Phoenix International Raceway in 1964. The race became a CART event in 1979. During the CART years, two races were scheduled through the mid-1980s, but the track dropped down to one race per year starting in 1987.
Starting in 1954, the race was named for driver Bobby Ball, who died in February 1954 following a racing accident in Los Angeles in January 1953. The race was renamed in 1972 due to sponsorship from Best Western. Bobby Ball naming returned for the 1976–1978 editions, the last of which was title sponsored by Miller High Life. Miller's sponsorship continued through the 1983 edition. The race then had three different title sponsors for its final three editions: Stroh's, Dana, and Circle K.
Past winners SeasonDateRace NameDriverTeamChassisEngineTireRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed(mph) Laps Miles (km)AAA Championship Car history 1915 November 20 Earl Cooper Stutz Motor Company Stutz Stutz109109 (175.418)1:42:3064.391916–1949 Not held 1950 November 12 Phoenix 100 Jimmy Davies Pat Clancy Racing Ewing Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:16:54 78.020 1951 November 4 Phoenix 100 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:10:5484.626 1952 November 11 Phoenix 100 Johnnie Parsons Ricketts Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:09:5285.87 1953 November 11 Phoenix 100 Tony Bettenhausen Belanger Motors Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:11:3083.916 1954 November 7−8* Bobby Ball Memorial Jimmy Bryan Dean Racing Enterprises Kuzma Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:10:5984.524 1955 November 6 Bobby Ball Memorial Jimmy Bryan Dean Racing Enterprises Kuzma Offenhauser97*97 (156.106)1:09:2483.862USAC Championship Car history 1956 November 12 Bobby Ball Memorial George Amick Lindsey Hopkins Racing Lesovsky Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:05:2091.826 1957 November 11 Bobby Ball Memorial Jimmy Bryan Dean Racing Enterprises Kuzma Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:09:4686.001 1958 November 11 Bobby Ball Memorial Jud Larson Bignotti-Bowes Racing Associates Lesovsky Offenhauser100100 (160.934) 1:04:42 92.738 1959 October 18 Bobby Ball Memorial Tony Bettenhausen Lindsey Hopkins Racing Kuzma Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:07:5088.458 1960 November 20 Bobby Ball Memorial A. J. Foyt Bignotti-Bowes Racing Associates Meskowski Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:07:21 89.079 1961 November 19 Bobby Ball Memorial Parnelli Jones Agajanian Racing Lesovsky Offenhauser89*89 (143.231) 1962 November 18 Bobby Ball Memorial Bobby Marshman Lindsey Hopkins Racing Kuzma Offenhauser51*51 (82.076)0:33:13 92.124 1963 November 17 Bobby Ball Memorial Rodger Ward Leader Card Racing Watson Offenhauser100100 (160.934)1:10:3585.01 1954: Final 65 laps completed on November 8 due to heavy dust and the rough condition of the track. 1955: Race shortened due to rough track conditions. Driver Jack McGrath was killed in an accident during this race. 1961: Race shortened due to darkness. 1962: Race shortened due to crash. Bolded driver indicates this was their first USAC Championship Car win
Selected race summaries 1980: Johnny Rutherford led the first 37 laps, then on lap 71 was chasing leader Tom Sneva. Dicing through slower traffic, Rutherford slipped by Sneva in turn three to take the lead. He then suffered a spectacular crash. Coming out of turn four, he touched wheels with Dennis Firestone and spun into the outside wall. Then the car flipped up in the air and landed upside-down on its roll bar. Rutherford escaped with a concussion and only minor cuts and lacerations. 1985: In the second-to-last race of the season at Phoenix, Al Unser Sr. and Al Unser Jr. finished first-second, and ended the day within three points of each other going into the season finale. The father and son battle for the 1985 championship is famous in Indy car lore.
References
External links Champ Car Stats: Fairgrounds archive Ultimate Racing History: Fairgrounds archive