Full Throttle

This edition of trivia involves the “number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9.”

And no, before you ask, I haven’t turned Full Throttle into a Beatles anthology blog.

A clue to the drivers name pictured can be found within the lyrics of the Beatles Revolution 9. In fact more than just a clue but his “actual” given name can be found there. Sort of, you’ll have to be foolish enough to trust me on that.

By day this driver was a florist from Long Island, New York.

By night he was at the wheel of the Geisha Girl #9 modified stock car at the now defunct Islip Speedway and reigned as a Modified Champ at the historic 1/5th mile bull ring.

His NASCAR Grand National career consisted of three starts as either the driver or driver/owner, a single start in 1960 at Charlotte and 2 starts at Daytona in 1961.

Your final clue are the initials DFD, they are not related to his name directly, meaning his name for example isn’t Dave Fred Daytona or something similar, but the acronym is very much in the news today and that’s where the connection is.

That’s it for clues, good luck, you’ll need it.

The title is about all you get for a clue.

Just who is that man in that race car? The driver attained so much fame that giving even the slightest, most obtuse hint may give the farm away. And hell, I’m on a roll, the last edition of trivia was so off the wall it scared the bejesus out of the lot of ya and had not a single guess attempted. (Bunch of wimps! -ed)

The driver of this car replaced someone who had a very short NASCAR career, but also attained a fair amount of stardom.

And finally, the owner’s surname is the same as a famous TV personality.

Lotsa luck, although I suspect this edition won’t be nearly as hard as the previous stumper. If your brave, you take a stab at that one also.

Your mission should you accept it is to name the NASCAR driver who drove the car pictured, what race it competed in and the year[s] and venue[s].

That’s it, that’s all you get for clues, ’cause I’m damn tired of posting what I think is the most trivial trivia in NASCAR Nation and having it thrown back in my face quicker than an undersized Bass at the Bassmasters Classic.

Assuming you’ve become stumped for an answer and your once thick mane is partially in a heap on the floor, here’s a bit of comical relief.

Are you Carl Edwards? And did you get a call recently?

Did you know Chad Knaus was Jimmie Johnson’s “second wife?”

Don’t say I never gave you anything. Aside from that pile of displaced curly locks on the floor of course.

If you had 10,000 people and they burned their way through 100 clutches, 800 cases of oil, more than 900 brake pads and more than 4000 tires in a single year, where would they be?

That’s it, I said it was the quicky version. You didn’t believe me.

Think ’60’s-’70’s driver.

Then think today.

With Daytona just around the corner I thought this week’s Old Timer’s Trivia would head to the opposite end of the country.

Just who is at the wheel of the #77 1956 Chevy, and what long dead dirt track is he blasting around?

This driver once held a record now held by F1’s Fernando Alonzo as the youngest man to win a Formula One Grand Prix.

His open wheel exploits include both the old AAA (both Sprint and Championship divisions) and USAC Championship Car series. In 12 Indy 500 starts he had one win with 2 top fives and 2 top tens.

In stock cars he competed in the NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) series finishing in the top ten 5 times with a best finish of third.

This drivers family tree has strong and deep roots in racing. A son was killed while testing an Indy car and a brother moved to the mid-west to first compete on Michigan short tracks and later moved on to have a distinguished NASCAR career.

The race track featured in the photo was originally built on the site of a city dump. While in operation the half-mile track featured tight semi-banked turns, long straightaways, and a tacky surface that was conductive to excellent sprint and midget racing.

Three NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) events were held at the track, the first won by Eddie Pagan. The second NASCAR event was a 500 lap event won by Parnelli Jones. In the final event Eddie Gray lapped the entire field for the win.

So… who’s the driver and what track is he racing on. And who’s brave enough to admit they’re old enough to remember any of this?

Present Old Goat excluded of course. I must admit I was lucky enough to have attended several events over the course of the tracks last nine seasons.

This edition of trivial trivia is all encompassing because the subject manufacture has produced race cars in so many different forms of racing.

With 2008 being it’s anniversary year as Great Britain’s longest-serving manufacturer it has produced winning machines in the club classes to Formula One, endurance sports racers and Indy Cars.

The most famous version of the marquee was produced between the years 1965 through the 1969 sports car season. If you must know the model depicted is not that version, it was produced in the late fifties. The most well known version would be a dead give away to many people.

The Marquee holds nine CART/OWRS championship titles, three Indianapolis 500 wins and one USAC Triple Crown, eight US/European/Tasman Formula 5000 titles, a victory in the Monaco Formula Junior Grand Prix, the Can-Am Challenge series, the Daytona 24 Hours, the European 2-litre Sportscar Championship, five successive Can-Am titles, eight Japanese Formula 3000 crowns.

A diverse line-up of drivers piloted this brand that including John Surtees, Roger Penske, the late Mark Donohue, Jo Bonnier, Brian Redman, Al Unser, David Hobbs, Jo Siffert, Hitoshi Ogawa. In later years they were wheeled to victory by Arie Luyendijk, Mark Blundell, Nigel Mansell and Ukyo Katayama.

There you have it. What manufacture is it?

The first person with the correct answer will win your choice of a 1975 AMC Pacer (origin unknown, condition unknown), or a luxurious 1950’s style bath tub.

If you happen to correctly identify both the manufacture and the correct model and year of the car pictured above you will be eligible to carry home both prizes.

(DISCLAIMER: For those that may happen to believe the prizes are redundant, that an AMC Pacer and a bath tub are too similar, to bad, get over it. Although similar in speed, looks, and shape, a ’50’s style tub came in a single color, the Pacer came in a wide variety of colors.)

Sorry Formula One Umbrella Girl fans - topless or otherwise - what you see pictured left, although topless in the broadest of senses, isn’t what the title suggests. Obviously.

But it is topless and for good reason, if it were an image of the fully skinned vehicle the color may be too much of a clue as to its heritage.

As for other clues, I ain’t got much other than to say a date plays a part in its identity. This car won an F1 event on 28 December, the year, driver and model of car is to be determined by you, my trusty readership.

Lotsa luck, you’ll need it!

(NOTE: Anyone using the IE browser let me know if the left sidebar has shifted below the content. It has on my end but I’m unsure if it is a local problem or site-wide. And another thing… why the hell are you using that piece of crapola for a browser!)

It has been a while since posting a trivia edition so in honor of one of the world’s legendary motor races being held this weekend I offer this image and the smallest of clues as to who is at the wheel and, where and when.

The driver is a living legend in the series having won the championship 4 times and this weekends event 7 times.

As you can see the car is of Japanese ancestry, Nissan specifically. The cars performance in the event led to a very ugly scene at races end. Although much larger in scope its reminiscent of some of these NASCAR morons who given the opportunity wouldn’t have nearly the guts to actually get as rowdy as the Nissan Haters.

So, there you have it, who’s the driver, the series and what year is it?

And for the record the title comes from the following video that shouldn’t give too much of a clue although the accents might.

And finally, and somewhat related, I’d be remiss if I didn’t add R.I.P. “Peter Perfect” on a weekend where he always put on a display of his enormous talent behind the wheel.

If any of you trivia masters can figure out what the hell this is in anything less than 5 attempts I’d be amazed!

And don’t go beggin’ for clues either.

All you get is the vintage, 1955, and confirmation it is in fact a race car that actually saw action on a real race track. (real as in REAL, like one of the most renown and classic tracks in the world) And it’s red, but you knew that.

Have at it and have fun.

UPDATE: Ding, Ding…. Ding, we have a winnah!

Congrats Bob it is in fact a 1955 Bisiluro designed by Carlo Mollino and raced but failed to finish the ‘55 24 hours of Le Mans. Here is an amazing image collection of the car.

(NOTE: Not sure why but for the last 12 hours or so I have not been able to view my index page or individual pages although from the comments coming in it appears to be isolated to myself.

Probably some kinda bad karma thing, I did shave a puppy and dump it in the freezer and then there was this bag of kittens which I won’t go into. Whatever it is I’m working on it.

Many stories have crossed the wires the last few hours noting Saturday’s 400 at Daytona will be the last restrictor plate race held on a super speedway. In a small way it’s a history making event as the CORN will reign supreme (or not) when Talladega rolls around for the next restrictor plate race.

Another historical milepost will also be laid down Saturday. Below is the entry list for the Pepsi 400. What’s missing from the list?

00 David Reutimann
1 Martin Truex Jr.
01 Mark Martin
2 Kurt Busch
4 Ward Burton
5 Kyle Busch
6 David Ragan
7 Robby Gordon
07 Clint Bowyer
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9 Kasey Kahne
10 Scott Riggs
11 Denny Hamlin
12 Ryan Newman
13 Joe Nemechek
14 Sterling Marlin
15 Paul Menard
16 Greg Biffle
17 Matt Kenseth
18 J.J. Yeley
19 Elliott Sadler
20 Tony Stewart
21 Bill Elliott
22 Dave Blaney
24 Jeff Gordon
25 Casey Mears
26 Jamie McMurray
27 Kirk Shelmerdine
29 Kevin Harvick
31 Jeff Burton
36 Jeremy Mayfield
37 Kevin Lepage
38 David Gilliland
40 David Stremme
41 Reed Sorenson
42 Juan Montoya
43 Bobby Labonte
44 Dale Jarrett
45 John Andretti
48 Jimmie Johnson
49 Larry Foyt
55 Michael Waltrip
66 Jeff Green
70 Johnny Sauter
78 Kenny Wallace
83 Brian Vickers
84 A.J. Allmendinger
88 Ricky Rudd
96 Tony Raines
99 Carl Edwards
104 Eric McClure
109 Mike Wallace
160 Boris Said

Here is the finishing order of the 1964 Firecracker 400 at Daytona. Compare it with the above list to find the correct answer.

The first person with the correct answer gets the “pleasure” of having a bottle rocket shot through your bathroom window while enjoying your morning constitutional.