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Gil de Ferran's Vanderbilt Cup winning Penske
Marlboro 2001 Reynard/Honda. (Image source: 500legends.com)
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As typical here in Nofendersville, your master 'O
the short story as done I-T again; Hooah! With the first draft clocking in at
five pages and still miles to go...
Borg Warner trophy
Yeah, know Y'all got this esteemed trophy on
your minds right now, but, as mentioned in part one, the Borg Warner trophy
didn't come into existence until 1936, some 32-years after the prestigious Vanderbilt
Cup's unveiling, with the inaugural Indy 500 winner's trophy being awarded to
Louis Meyer after then track owner Eddie Rickenbacker had had the trophy commissioned
by the Borg Warner automotive company.
An surely Y'all know, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and
Rick Mears are tied for most Borg Warner trophies at four apiece, which
hopefully some despised racer named singularly as 'HULIO here at No Fenders
will NEVER join that list! (Having
written these sentiments prior to this year's Indy 500 race...)
PPG Cup
With the advent of then America's premier
Open Wheel Racing sanctioning body USAC (United States Auto Club) being usurped
by the new rival Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series, a new
championship trophy was established, and dutifully named after the series
primary title sponsor PPG, i.e.; Pittsburg Paint & Glass, for which I know
the yearly champion was awarded the PPG Cup between 1979-99, albeit I cannot
find anything definitive upon this distinct trophy.
Vanderbilt Cup Returns
A new copy of the esteemed Vanderbilt Cup was
commissioned in 1996 to be awarded as the trophy of the winner of the U.S.500,
which was announced on April 25th.
The CART sanctioned race held at Michigan
Speedway would be in direct competition to Mother Speedway's epic 500-miler, as
that dastardly 'lil Napoleon, aka Tony George had started his rival Indy Racing
League, with the CART race being born out of the angst over George's infamous
25-8 Rule.
The U.S.500 would last for three years, albeit
four events being hosted, ironically being sponsored by Toyota; Hooah! As the
event would be known as the US 500 Presented by Toyota between 1997-99 after
the inaugural running of the U.S. 500.
Recall that 'Top Jimmy (Vasser) won the debutant
500-mile race at Michigan International Speedway in a backup chassis after
"All of the Stars," a pointed reference to the Indy 500's field that
year had managed to be collected in a multi-car first lap pile-up, reportedly
started by 'Yo Adrian! (Fernandez) With some ten cars involved...
After a lengthy break, Drivers were allowed
to re-start the race in backup chassis, a most Non-Indy 500-ish move then, (since
I'm pretty sure that competitors can now drag their chassis to their garages,
work on them and then return to the race...) as I can
still vaguely remember 'El Zorro, aka Alex Zanardi who'd been playing leapfrog
with team-mate Vasser for the lead, having his Ford/Cosworth XB V-8 turbo 'lump
DONE BLOWN UP!
Whilst I was unawares' that winners of the
Vanderbilt Cup had their faces adorned upon I-T, having read of Vasser's mug being
added in '96; Hmm? May be this is where the idea for the Borg Wagner trophy
came from?
The following year, CART moved its 500-mile
Indianapolis 500 alternative named race to July, running a competing Oval race at
Gateway International Speedway on Saturday, the day prior to the Indy 500
instead, which would be short lived. Alex Zanardi won the July 27th U.S. 500
for Cheep' Ganassi.
For '98, the late Greg Moore won the US 500
for Forsythe Racing on July 26th, ironically followed home by the previous two year's winners; Chip Ganassi's duo of
Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi respectively. As the CART Franchise teams,
sponsors, etc pondered the wisdom of the U.S. 500 race moniker which was shrinking
in popularity.
'TK "Follow-your-Schnoz!" Kanaan,
then only in his Sophomore B-I-G' CARZ (IndyCar) season won the final US 500
driving the No. 44 MacDougal's' Reynard-Honda for Forsythe Racing on July 25,
1999 before the US 500 moniker was retired...
Interestingly, Forsythe ran a three car team,
with two 'KuhNucks, nee "Pat-the-Carpenter" (Patrick Carpentier) and
Greg Moore both running Reynard-Mercedes, whilst Kanaan's mount was run in
conjunction with the folding Tasman Motorsports Reynard chassis powered by a Honda
turbo 'lump instead. As the win would be Kanaan's debutant IndyCar victory.
In 2000, interim CART President Bobby Rahal
re-introduced the Vanderbilt cup as the series championship trophy, which I’ve
seen presumably a replica several times at the Penske Racing Museum over the past
years. As The Captain was able to capture it two years in-a-row with Gil de
Ferran as his driver, who was the CART champion in 2000-01.
Thus, presumably, the Vanderbilt Cup was next
awarded to 'Shorty, aka Cristiano da Matta who won the CART championship in '02
for Newman Haas Racing.
Next, that Oh So 'LUV-able 'KuhNuck simply
known as 'PT, aka Paul Tracy put his mitts upon thee 'Ol Vandy' Mug in
'Twenty-oh-Three when driving for Gerald Forsythe, before the final Vanderbilt
Cup recipient claimed it a record setting consecutive four years in-a-row,
circa 2004-07, won by "The Thrill from the West Hill's Mr. Chrome Horn's"
chief protagonist le 'Hamburgular, aka 'SeaBass, nee Sebastain Bourdais driving
for Newman Haas Racing.
As Bourdais surpassed Ted Horn's feat of
winning three consecutive USAC National Championships between 1946-48, while
some may argue that Dario Franchitti also won four consecutive IndyCar titles
between 2007-2011, as the Scot departed for "Taxicab Racing" Down
South, i.e.; 'RASSCAR for the 2008 season before returning to Indy Cars in
2009...
Astor Cup returns...
Appropriately, the Vanderbilt Cup was once
again retired with the long overdue Mergification' of Champ Car and the Indy
Racing League in 2008, as apparently the Indy Racing League Cup became the de
facto championship trophy circa 2008-10 before a new tradition was begun prior
to the resurrection of today's IndyCar Astor Cup championship trophy IN 2011...
While Y'all might also enjoy my past IMS Hall of
Fame museum visits trilogy. (2010-12) For which 'Offical No Fenders
Photographer' CARPETS was kind enough to take me and serve as my museo guide
along with taking multitudes 'O pictures!
Vanderbilt Cup Incarnations
1904-06: Nassau County, New York
1908-10: Long Island Motor Parkway, New York
1911: Savannah, Georgia
1912: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1914: Santa Monica, CA
1915: San Francisco, CA
1916: Santa Monica, CA
1936-37: Roosevelt Raceway; Long Island, NY
1960: Roosevelt Raceway
1965-68: Bridgehampton Raceway; Sag Harbor, NY
1996-99: CART US500 trophy.
2000-07: CART-CCWS Championship trophy.
