Many fans will tell you the late ’60s was the golden age of road racing in America. Watch this great footage from the legendary Trans-Am series in 1969 and you’ll get some feel for what they’re talking about.
Since there’s a spirited musical score but no narration in this artfully directed film clip, we’ll try to fill in some details. The winner of this Trans-Am event at Donnybrooke International Speedway in Northern Minnesota (known today as Brainerd International) on July 6, 1969 was the great Parnelli Jones driving a Bud Moore-prepared Mustang. Ed Leslie was second in a Penske Camaro, while Peter Revson came home third in a Team Shelby Mustang.
Donnybrooke would be the final Trans-Am triumph for Jones that year, as Mark Donohue and his Penske Camaro claimed six of the next seven races. The Mustang vs. Camaro matchup in the original Trans-Am series was one of the great manufacturer battles in American racing. The cars were pleasingly stock in appearance, the action was ferocious, and the drivers were the major stars of the day. Donnybrooke, about 100 miles north of Minneapolis, was the scene of many memorable Trans-Am, Can-Am, and SCCA battles.
While the five-minute clip is light on facts or commentary, it does an awesome job of capturing the atmosphere of American road racing in the late 1960s, with great on-track action and plenty of people watching. The American road racing scene in those days attracted a smart, young crowd that liked to have fun, as you will see. Please enjoy the film.
The film threw a rod or something. I was just rolling along loving the whole thing and it stopped short. Blowed up real good. I notice the Porsches in the back of the field had no competition. I thought they were running the 2 Liter class but there were no Alfas or BMWs to keep them company.
I got a lot more enjoyment out of racing when all the cars looked stock. Trans-Am, NASCAR, SCCA; I agree it was the golden age. I was too young to see races in the 50s but those were probably even better. The cars were still primitive enough that you could drive to the race, compete, pull off the numbers and drive home.
Again… Thanks for this really neat time capsule in our American automotive racing history. It’s a true adrenaline rush just to watch it.Those were to golden days as you have pointed out .
The film really has all the commentary I need. A symphonic melody it was too.