Walking, Talking History
Following last year’s Vintage Indycar Celebration at Pocono, presented by the Classic Racing Times, we wrote about the cars driven by Parnelli Jones and Eddie Sachs in the 1963 Indy 500, cars which were reunited on the track last year and which reminded us of the post-race confrontation between the two men.
This year, despite another great assortment of cars gathered at Pocono, including many making their first appearance at a Classic Racing Times event, the cars were not what captured our attention. Instead, it was the presence of the people who drove them, people who connect us directly to the history being celebrated.
On Sunday, race day for the Verizon Indycar Series, Pancho Carter, Merle Bettenhausen, and Tighe Scott participated in the Classic Racing Times’ Autograph Alley. For a similar autograph session on Saturday they were joined by Bentley Warren and Nokie Fornoro. We’d need a calculator to add up all the races and championships won by this group, but for this writer and for the fans at Pocono their presence was a direct connection to the racing history represented by the cars on hand.
Having been given the task of coordinating the autograph sessions, we at CarShowSafari.com had a front-row seat to watch not only the interaction between these drivers and the countless fans who lined up to meet them, but also to see the respect and admiration they had for one another. Whether consciously or not, each man recognized that all of them belong to a special group, a group of uniquely skilled and talented individuals whose accomplishments set them apart and bind them together.
Smiles and laughter were the order of the day, and it was obvious that Carter, Bettenhausen, Scott, Warren and Fornoro were enjoying their time together. Stories flowed like water, and history came alive.
In addition to participating in the autograph sessions, each driver stuck around for many of the other activities on the schedule. Bentley Warren drove on the 2.5-mile track in the vintage Indycar sessions. Pancho Carter piloted a vintage TQ Midget in ceremonial laps prior to the TQ race. Nokie Fornoro still fit into his old driver’s suit for a photo-op in one of his old rides. Tighe Scott reminisced all weekend with old and new friends. And Merle Bettenhausen was everywhere, his infectious smile lighting up the festivities.
The cars are beautiful artifacts of the racing history that the Classic Racing Times seeks to celebrate and preserve, but the people who made that history are living, breathing embodiments of that history. When you attend such an event, appreciate the cars for the exquisite machines that they are, but take the time to make the connection with the people, the people without whom history would be not much more than cold, dry statistics.