BROOKLYN,
Mich. (May 5, 2008) —
Just 40 days remain
until the green flag
drops on the LifeLock
400 NASCAR Sprint Cup
race at Michigan
International Speedway,
kicking off the historic
track’s 40th season in
racing.
Michigan
International Speedway
boasts a proud history
of hosting some of
America's best racing
action. The 18-degree
banking and 73-foot wide
sweeping turns have long
been a driver favorite
and have produced some
of the most memorable
races in motorsports
history.
The
racetrack hosted its
first NASCAR event on
June 15, 1969. Cale
Yarborough (sic) and
LeeRoy Yarbrough (sic)
battled door-to-door for
most of the final 150
laps of the Motor State
500. The lead changed
hands officially 37
times that day,
according to press
reports, with some laps
seeing as many as four
lead changes on a single
lap.
Thirty-eight drivers
raced the two-mile track
for 250 circuits that
day — but the final lap
is one race fans will
never forget.
On the
final lap, Cale hugged
the groove while LeeRoy
tried to pass his rival
on the outside in Turn
1. They touched twice as
they entered the turn,
with LeeRoy’s car
brushing the outside
wall and Cale fighting
to take his out of a
half-spin.
“I had
lost it for a moment and
thought I was going to
spin out in the
infield,” Cale said
after the race. “I saw
LeeRoy’s car do a little
wiggle and was afraid he
was going to knock us
both out of the race. I
got control in time to
keep going straight and
managed to keep going.”
The pair
recovered, drafted down
the backstraight and hit
the final turns. Cale
said he was prepared for
LeeRoy to try to take
him in the final turn so
he clung to the groove,
a racetrack’s best line.
LeeRoy slipped out of
the draft so Cale hung
on for what he thought
would be a side-by-side
dash to the finish.
“Suddenly, his car got
in some loose stuff and
wiggled,” Cale said of
LeeRoy. “It hit the
right side of my car and
we both went out of
control.”
LeeRoy
spun and crashed just
300 yards from the
finish, handing Cale
Yarbrough the win. David
Pearson and Richard
Petty finished second
and third, respectively.
LeeRoy
had to settle for
fourth.
After the
race, Cale said it was
the hardest, roughest
race he’d ever driven.
“That was
500 miles of the
toughest competition
I’ve ever seen,” he
said.
LeeRoy
didn’t stick around.
Newspaper reports said
he disappeared in a
helicopter shortly after
the race. He appeared
visibly shaken and his
face streaked with
tears.
Later, in
a telephone interview
with the Detroit News,
LeeRoy Yarbrough said:
“I would do the same
thing if the race was
run over again. I had
passed Cale earlier to
set him up. I knew I was
faster than he was and
when I had a chance to
get by him on the
outside I took it. …
Sure, I could have sat
tight and finished
second, but every driver
comes (to Michigan
International Speedway)
to win. This is what
racing is all about. I
know I was faster; I
know I should have won
the race. I’ll just have
to do it better next
time.”
LeeRoy
Yarbrough never won at
Michigan International
Speedway; Cale
Yarborough finished
first eight times.
That
first NASCAR race was
just one of the great
stories in MIS’ history.
To celebrate 40 years of
racing and look ahead to
the next 40 years, MIS
will highlight a
different decade each
week, celebrating past
champions, great race
moments and track
history that put the
Irish Hills track on the
NASCAR racing map.
The
speedway is also looking
for race fans’
recollections of the
speedway.
“With 40
days remaining, the
excitement is really
starting to build for
our LifeLock 400 weekend
and the start of our 40th
anniversary season,”
track President Roger
Curtis said. “We have a
lot of fun initiatives
planned for the
anniversary and hope
race fans will take the
opportunity to buy a
seat for the race and
start building their own
memories at Michigan
International Speedway.”
Other
moments that will be
highlighted over the
next few weeks will
range from David
Pearson’s track record
ninth Cup victory in
1978 to Bill Elliott’s
fourth MIS victory in a
row in 1986. From Cale
Yarborough’s win in the
first NASCAR race at MIS
in 1969 to Kurt Busch’s
victory in last year’s
3M Performance 400 and
everything in between,
it’s been a special 40
years with many great
racing moments.
If race
fans have a moment
they’d like to share –
on-track or off – send
them to
contacts@MISpeedway.com
today. Yours could be
featured on the
speedway’s Web site.
Please be sure to
include photos and
contact information
where you can be
reached.
The
LifeLock 400 weekend,
which will also feature
the ARCA RE/MAX Series
on June 13 and NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series
Cool City Customs 200 on
June 14, will kick off
the speedway’s 40th
season of racing in the
Irish Hills in 2008.
With only 40 days to go,
tickets remain for the
LifeLock 400. Many more
memories are sure to be
experienced.
To order
tickets, pit passes,
camping or hospitality
packages, call the MIS
Ticket Hotline at
800-354-1010 or visit
MISpeedway.com.
.gif)
