1970 Rex Mays Classic (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)

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Program for the race.

Status: Partially Found

The 1970 Rex Mays Classic (also known as the 1970 Milwaukee 150) was the fifth race of the 1970 USAC Championship Car Season. Occurring on 7th June at the Milwaukee Mile, the race would ultimately be won by Joe Leonard in a Colt-Ford, climbing the field after starting ninth.

Background

The 1970 Rex Mays Classic was the 21st running of the race, the annual event being held in honour of Rex Mays, a two-time AAA champion who saved fellow racer Duke Dinsmore's life during the 1948 Milwaukee 100.[1] It was one of two 1970 USAC Championship Car Season races to be held at Milwaukee Mile,[2] the other being the 1970 Tony Bettenhausen 200, which occurred on 23rd August and was won by Al Unser in a Colt-Ford.[3] Lasting 150 miles,[4] the Rex May Classic would commence on an annual basis until it was renamed from 1988 onwards.[5]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Mario Andretti winning the pole position in a McNamara-Ford with a speed of 119.36 mph.[6][4] Directly behind him was Coyote-Ford's A.J. Foyt, with Al Unser lining up third in a Colt-Ford.[4] Joe Leonard started on the fifth row by qualifying ninth out of 24 competitors.[7][4]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1970 Rex Mays Classic commenced on 7th June.[4] Unser shot into the lead on the opening lap, holding it for 60 laps, while Foyt retired after 18 because of an oil leak.[4] On lap 61, Roger McCluskey assumed the first position in a Scorpion-Ford, maintaining it for the longest uninterrupted duration for this event at 81 laps.[4] However, Leonard climbed the order, and by lap 140, was able to challenge McCluskey for the lead.[7][4] He eventually achieved a lead change after 142 laps, edging out McCluskey and Unser to claim victory and $15,928 in prize money.[4][7] McCluskey finished second, while Unser held on to take third.[4][7]

Availability

According to IndyCar on TV, the full 2-hour race was televised live by the TVS Television Network, the network syndicating sports programs to 185 television stations across the United States.[8] But of twelve IndyCar races to have been televised by TVS between 1969 to 1972, none are currently publicly available. Nevertheless, photos of the event remain viewable.

On 10th March 2023, YouTuber IanPerez2000 uploaded a ten minute highlights package of the race. Said package was obtained from a Racing Classics film consisting of footage from the 1970 USAC Championship Car Season. This in turn was originally uploaded to YouTube by FormulaFox on 4th September 2022, which among other races also included highlights of the 1970 Tony Bettenhausen 100.

Gallery

Videos

Racing Classics highlights of the event.

nascarman History's Top 10 Lost IndyCar Broadcasts detailing TVS Television Network's IndyCar broadcasts (0:20-0:59).'

Image

See Also

References