J.C. Agajanian was a legendary race promoter and car owner - particularly out west. He owned the famed Ascot Park track in Gardena, California, and he fielded the #98 roadsters for Troy Ruttman and Parnelli Jones in their 1952 and 1963 Indianapolis 500 wins. (The #98 Calhoun is Russ Thompson's favorite race car.)
In January 1968, Agajanian promoted the first stock car race at Phoenix International Raceway. The track opened in 1964, but a few years rolled by before the full size sedans came to race. Today, NASCAR's Cup series runs at Phoenix twice a year. But on January 28, 1968, it was USAC's stock car division that took center stage in the desert.
Race preview from Prescott Evening Courier .
A week earlier, NASCAR's Grand National drivers competed to see who'd finish 2nd to perennial winner Dan Gurney in the Motor Trend 500 on Riverside's road course. A few of the drivers stayed out there and ran the following week in the 250-mile USAC race on Phoenix's 2.7 mile road course layout. Drivers who ran the double included Al Unser, Parnelli Jones, Ray Elder, A.J. Foyt, Don White, and David Pearson.
Though I haven't found a record of the car numbers for each driver, I did some comparison of numbers to those used at Riverside.Al Unser ran #3 and Parnelli used #115 on his Bill Stroppe Ford at Riverside. Stands to reason they'd use the same numbers (and likely same cars) at Phoenix. Jones likely removed the "1" that was needed at Riverside.
Don Noel ran #38 at Riverside and raced at Phoenix, so he may be in the 38 below.
Parnelli was the early pace letter. After starting from the pole, he stayed out front and was the lap bully. He paced the field for the first 50+ laps. Then it happened. Jones' dominant Ford lost an engine, and he was done for the day. Al Unser took over the lead for a few laps but surrendered it to Don White following a pit stop. White was seemingly in control of the race when he too had a problem - though not as problematic as the loss of his engine. White popped a tire with only about 20 laps to go & had to crawl to the pits to have it changed. Unser went back to the point where it looked like HE would win. But as happened to Jones, Unser also lost his engine and saw the win slip through his fingers.
White got the lucky break he needed, and he re-inherited the lead with less than 5 laps to go. He was able to tour the serpentine circuit over the remaining laps to take the win. He finished a full lap ahead of the second and third place cars of McCluskey and Pearson.
I believe this photo in Vince Pepple's collection is of White in victory lane following the race - along with Agajanian.
Race report from Prescott Evening Courier
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | DonWhite | 1968 Dodge Charger |
| 2 | RogerMcCluskey | 1967 Plymouth |
| 3 | DavidPearson | 1968 Ford |
| 4 | A.J.Foyt | 1968 Ford |
| 5 | AlUnser | 1968 Dodge Charger |
| 6 | DonNoel | Ford |
| 7 | ScottyCain | |
| 8 | JimCook | Oldsmobile |
| 9 | BobLink | Ford |
| 10 | DaveWhitcomb | Plymouth |
| 11 | GuyJones | |
| 12 | WendellParnell | Chevrolet |
| 13 | GlenBradley | Dodge |
| 14 | MartyKinerk | Pontiac |
| 15 | PaulFeldner | Ford |
| 16 | MelLarson | |
| 17 | FrankFreda | Plymouth |
| 18 | BobHale | Pontiac |
| 19 | ParnelliJones | 1968 Ford |
| 20 | RayElder | Dodge Charger |
| 21 | DaleKoehler | Chevrolet Chevelle |
| 22 | ArtPollard | Ford |
| 23 | SamRose | Mercury |
| 24 | BoReeder | Ford |
| 25 | TomKlippel | |
| 26 | RoyTyner | |
| 27 | BobbyWawak | Plymouth |
| 28 | JackBowsher | Ford |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/28/19 09:53:41AM
