 |
|
Scott Pruett aboard the Truesports 91C at the famed
Milwaukee Mile. (Source: Bing.com Images)
|
As not sure what's worse? That I've watched both of
them throughout their amazing careers, THEY'RE STILL BEHIND THE keyboard, or
the fact that we're A-L-L gettin' old-ER...
Wouldn't Yuhs know I-T? Naturally The Freaks'
would have a good show full of different, NON RASSCAR' centric interviews on
their show whilst I was away, playing in the Pacific Ocean on the B-I-G'
Island... As the March 26TH show featured "Symone Pagenoe," nee Pageantry',
aka Simon Pagenaud. Followed by Johnny O', (O'Connell) and some Hollywood Cat
named Dax
Shepard, director of the new CHiPs movie, who I've
never heard of before listening to his Speed Freaks interview.
Like seriously? How
can you ever replace Erik Beefcake' Estrada; Hya! But C'mon Hollywood, leave
the legendous' CHiPs TV series alone...
And although O'Connell plugged the CRAP outta
his current Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) employer Cadillac, nonetheless it's a
good interview with the four times consecutive PWC champion, (2012-2015) who's
streak ended last year, thanxs to those Uber exotica McLaren 650s GT3 racecars.
As the longtime Flowery Branch, GA resident,
who's now 54 years young, went painfully out of his way not to mention his
previous employer, whoever that was? Hmm, may be the rival Blue Oval? Or
perhaps more likely skirtin' round that maligned debutant IRL season spent
behind the wheel of a Nissan Crapwagon! Along with mentioning he'd first raced
at Long Beach Wayback in '86, but didn't finish the event.
Funny how Johnny's
Bowtie affiliation runs so deep, as I always conjure up images of him kickin'
ARSE around the globe in those Fly yellow Corvettes with his good buddy Ron
Fellows, Mad Max Papis & Scotty Pruett amongst others at places like Le
Mans, Daytona, Sebring, etc.
Hence, I totally
forget he was Steve Millen's Wingman in the thoroughly dominating, Uber BAD
ARSE Nissan 300ZX's campaigned by Clayton Cunningham in IMSA GTO/GTS
competition, even having won the '94 Sebring 12 Hours overall as one of his
eight victories there...
Yet when I think 'bout Johnny O' and the travelin' PWC Circus, I immediately think of my lone outing of said Pirelli World Challenge as Indy Cars Sleepy Hollow' supporting cast, most notably standing along the fence line and listening to the rolling thunder saunter onto Sonoma's lepordskin Ash-fault! Most specifically those Uber Narly, BAD ARSE BOSS 302R Mustangs!
While I still
recall the overly Hilarious gyrations of Mwah, a Blind motor racing Aficionado
verbally filling out the "what Car I Drive" Questionnaire in order to
obtain a FREE Caddy' T-shirt for Thy late Awntie' Harriet...
Then whilst perusing Racer'com's temperamental
IndyCar page, I ran across R's', aka Robin Miller, thou 'Ol Curmudgeon of Indy
Cars article upon Scotty "Scooter" Pruett taking a Flyer at Long
Beach nearly three decades ago in a "One-off" outing in a Dick Simon Lola/Cosworth
mount.
As not sure what's worse? That for multiple
years I kept the torn out pages from Autoleak'; Err Autoweek's magazine
profiling Pruett's $70k gamble, or that I still recall doing that, as Pruett
was a Favourite 'O mine back then since he was kickin' ARSE in the Jack Roush
Stangs', along with those quirky Merkur X4Ti's.
Having come full circle, now at age 57, ARSE-Sumedly
finishing off his glittering Sports Car career behind the wheel of 3GT Racing's
Factory backed Lexus RC F GT3's...
As Pruett's gutsy gamble at Long Beach
ultimately led to a ten year run in Indy Cars, where I sought my very first
ever autograph from the rookie Truesports chauffer Wayback in '89 at Portland,
before he suffered massive foot/leg injuries in a pre-season training accident
when his brakes failed. Then soldiered along in the underpowered Truesports
chassis for two years, before re-invigorating his Open Wheel Racing career with
a most successful spell at Patrick Racing.
As Pruett
apparently liked the wide open spaces of Fontana's Oval, where he claimed Pole
for the wily 'Ol U.E. "Pat" Patrick behind the wheel of Thar' Reynard
98i/Ford XB at 233.748mph.
As Scooter' would
squeeze off Juan' more Hit; Err notch his final CART/IndyCar Pole position at
Fontana, with a Mega 235+ mph lap aboard the Arciero/Wells Reynard 99i/Toyota,.
Where Scott scored
the Japanese Auto Giant's maiden CART/IndyCar Pole, at the ill-fated Marlboro
500 season finale before lumberin' off to Taxicab land, in Cal Wells tide ride
the following season...
As ironically, or Karmically? Pruett's
current boss, Sheister Paul MEATHEADZ' Gentilozzi was busy winning
his first Trans Am race 29yrs ago when Pruett, who'd led the entire event's Mercury
Merkur ran outta petrol with one lap remaining!
While sadly, I was unawares' of the fact that
unheralded SCCA Pro Racing Trans Am local competitor Dan Kroft, 47yrs old from nearby
Bellflower,
CA, ultimately perished from serious head injury when crashing at the
start of said event...