Wikipedia

Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200

(Redirected from Bobby Ball Memorial)
This article is about the second Phoenix IndyCar race which was held in the fall at or near the end of the season. For the first Phoenix IndyCar race in the spring, see Jimmy Bryan Memorial.

The Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200 was the final name of a PPG IndyCar World Series race held annually at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, from 1979 though 1986; it was known as the Miller High Life 150 for five editions during that period. The race was known by multiple other names, operated under other sanctioning bodies, and was run at other distances during a much longer history before IndyCar.

Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200
CART PPG Indy Car World Series
VenuePhoenix International Raceway (1964–1986)
Arizona State Fairgrounds (1915, 1950–1963)
First IndyCar Series race1979
Last race1986
Distance200 mi (320 km)
150 mi (240 km) pre-1986
Laps200 / 150 pre-1986
Previous names
  • Phoenix 100: 1950–1953
  • Bobby Ball Memorial: 1964–1968
  • Bobby Ball 200: 1969
  • Bobby Ball 150: 1970–1971
  • Best Western 150: 1972
  • Arizona 150: 1973
  • Phoenix 150: 1974–1975
  • Bobby Ball 150: 1976–1977
  • Miller High Life Bobby Ball Memorial 150: 1978
  • Miller High Life 150: 1979–1983
  • Stroh's 150: 1984
  • Dana 150: 1985
Most wins (driver)A. J. Foyt (4)
Al Unser (4)
Most wins (team)Dean Racing Enterprises (5)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chassis: March (6)
Engine: Cosworth (10)

Race history

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Finishing order of the 1915 race as published in The Arizona Republic

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.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3][4] The race was renamed in 1972 due to sponsorship from Best Western.[5] Bobby Ball naming returned for the 1976–1978 editions, the last of which was title sponsored by Miller High Life.[6] Miller's sponsorship continued through the 1983 edition. The race then had three different title sponsors for its final three editions: Stroh's,[7] Dana,[8] and Circle K.[9]

Over the entire history of the race, A. J. Foyt and Al Unser each won four times, the most of any driver. Foyt's wins came in 1960 at the Fairgrounds and then in 1965, 1971, and 1975 at the Raceway. Unser's wins all came at the Raceway, in 1969, 1976, 1979, and 1985. The most consecutive wins was three, by Tom Sneva in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Sneva's three wins were the most by any driver during the IndyCar era of the race (1979–1986).

Arizona State Fairgrounds

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Season Date Race Name Driver Team Chassis Engine Tire Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Laps Miles (km)
AAA Championship Car history
1915 November 20   Earl Cooper Stutz Motor Company Stutz Stutz F 109 109 (175.418) 1:42:30 64.39
1916
–
1949 		Not held
1950 November 12 Phoenix 100   Jimmy Davies Pat Clancy Racing Ewing Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:16:54 78.020
1951 November 4 Phoenix 100   Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:10:54 84.626
1952 November 11 Phoenix 100   Johnnie Parsons Ricketts Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:09:52 85.87
1953 November 11 Phoenix 100   Tony Bettenhausen Belanger Motors Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:11:30 83.916
1954 November 7−8* Bobby Ball Memorial   Jimmy Bryan Dean Racing Enterprises Kuzma Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:10:59 84.524
1955 November 6 Bobby Ball Memorial   Jimmy Bryan Dean Racing Enterprises Kuzma Offenhauser F 97* 97 (156.106) 1:09:24 83.862
USAC Championship Car history
1956 November 12 Bobby Ball Memorial   George Amick Lindsey Hopkins Racing Lesovsky Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:05:20 91.826
1957 November 11 Bobby Ball Memorial   Jimmy Bryan Dean Racing Enterprises Kuzma Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:09:46 86.001
1958 November 11 Bobby Ball Memorial   Jud Larson Bignotti-Bowes Racing Associates Lesovsky Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:04:42 92.738
1959 October 18 Bobby Ball Memorial   Tony Bettenhausen Lindsey Hopkins Racing Kuzma Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:07:50 88.458
1960 November 20 Bobby Ball Memorial   A. J. Foyt Bignotti-Bowes Racing Associates Meskowski Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:07:21 89.079
1961 November 19 Bobby Ball Memorial   Parnelli Jones Agajanian Racing Lesovsky Offenhauser F 89* 89 (143.231)
1962 November 18 Bobby Ball Memorial   Bobby Marshman Lindsey Hopkins Racing Kuzma Offenhauser F 51* 51 (82.076) 0:33:13 92.124
1963 November 17 Bobby Ball Memorial   Rodger Ward Leader Card Racing Watson Offenhauser F 100 100 (160.934) 1:10:35 85.01
  • 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.[10]
  • 1961: Race shortened due to darkness.
  • 1962: Race shortened due to crash.
  • Bolded driver indicates this was their first USAC Championship Car win

Phoenix International Raceway

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Season Date Race Name Driver Team Chassis Engine/Aero Kit Tires Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Laps Miles (km)
USAC Championship Car history
1964 November 22 Bobby Ball Memorial   Lloyd Ruby Bill Forbes Racing Halibrand RE Offenhauser F 200 200 (321.868) 1:51:23 107.736
1965 November 21 Bobby Ball Memorial   A. J. Foyt Anstead-Thompson Racing Lotus RE Ford G 200 200 (321.868) 2:00:01 99.99
1966 November 20 Bobby Ball Memorial   Mario Andretti Dean Racing Enterprises Brawner Hawk Ford F 200 200 (321.868) 1:54:38 104.697
1967 November 19 Bobby Ball Memorial   Mario Andretti Dean Racing Enterprises Brawner Hawk Ford F 200 200 (321.868) 1:49:13 109.872
1968 November 17 Bobby Ball Memorial   Gary Bettenhausen Gerhardt Racing Gerhardt Offenhauser F 200 200 (321.868) 1:54:19 104.972
1969 November 15 Bobby Ball 200   Al Unser Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola Ford F 200 200 (321.868) 1:48:59 110.109
1970 November 21 Bobby Ball 150   Swede Savage All American Racers Eagle Ford G 150 150 (241.401) 1:17:30 116.807
1971 October 23 Bobby Ball 150   A. J. Foyt Anstead-Thompson Racing Coyote 71 Ford G 150 150 (241.401) 1:21:18 110.333
1972 November 4 Best Western 150   Bobby Unser All American Racers Eagle Offenhauser G 150 150 (241.401) 1:10:31 127.618
1973 November 3 Arizona 150   Gordon Johncock STP-Patrick Racing Eagle Offenhauser G 150 150 (241.401) 1:18:15 115.015
1974 November 2 Phoenix 150   Gordon Johncock STP-Patrick Racing Eagle Offenhauser G 150 150 (241.401) 1:12:28 124.202
1975 November 9 Phoenix 150   A. J. Foyt Gilmore-Foyt Racing Coyote Foyt TC G 150 150 (241.401) 1:21:02 111.055
1976 November 7 Bobby Ball 150   Al Unser Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:23:34 107.695
1977 October 29 Bobby Ball 150   Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing Wildcat Drake Goosen Sparks G 150 150 (241.401) 1:22:53 108.597
1978 October 28 Miller High Life Bobby Ball Memorial 150   Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren McLaren Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:14:24 120.974
CART Championship Car history
1979 October 20 Miller High Life 150   Al Unser Chaparral Cars Chaparral Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:13:03 123.203
1980 November 8 Miller High Life 150   Tom Sneva Jerry O'Connell Racing Phoenix Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:30:04 99.925
1981 October 31 Miller High Life 150   Tom Sneva Bignotti-Cotter Racing March Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:20:10 112.266
1982 November 6 Miller High Life 150   Tom Sneva Bignotti-Cotter Racing March 82C Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:21:05 110.997
1983 October 29 Miller High Life 150   Teo Fabi Forsythe Racing March 83C Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:11:03 126.671
1984 October 13 Stroh's 150   Bobby Rahal Truesports March 84C Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:31:47 98.048
1985 October 13 Dana 150   Al Unser Team Penske March 85C Cosworth DFX G 150 150 (241.401) 1:14:35 120.644
1986 October 19 Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200   Michael Andretti Kraco Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX G 200 200 (321.868) 1:29:06 134.676

Support races

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Selected race summaries

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  • 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

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  1. ^ "Earl Cooper Wins Race at Phoenix". San Francisco Chronicle. November 21, 1915. p. 43. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Armijo, Mark (November 1, 1986). "Phoenix grand prix race has committee approval". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. 31. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Gates, Bob (March 2, 2010). "Bobby Ball Could Have Been One Of America's Greats". Turn 3 Media. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "Parsons Joins Big-Car Race Field Here". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. October 12, 1954. p. 8. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Vies for Racing Crown". St. Joseph Gazette. St. Joseph, Missouri. AP. November 3, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Garrett, Mike (October 29, 1978). "It was in stars for Rutherford". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. 11. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Stroh's 150 Dates Announced". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. August 21, 1984. p. 55. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "PIR OKs repaving, to stage October Dana race". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. August 7, 1985. p. G4. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Fiesta Bowl to adopt Indy-style 200 race". Tucson Citizen. July 16, 1986. p. 21. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Many Greats Gone Since Last '500'". Indianapolis News. May 29, 1956. p. 43. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
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