At the Brickyard Invitational: Old school garage alive and well

Long gone are the race team garages in the style of A.J. Watson, George Bignotti, and Clint Brawner – right? Wrong. As the world of vintage racing emerges as a legitimate spectator sport race fans checking it out for the first time will find the old school ways of getting the job of putting bad-fast racecars on the track are still best.

"In so many ways the vintage paddock is like top-level racing 30, 40 years ago," says Malcolm Mangum, co-owner of Apex Vintage, a racing garage in Apex, North Carolina. "It's a true community. Sometimes the right parts are hard to come by – we help each other even though we are very competitive on the race track."

Malcolm would know, too, not only was he a NASCAR Busch (now Xfinity) Series mechanic in the 1980s but he grew up in racing. Father Mac raced in the '60s and young Malcolm traveled with him to places like Trico Speedway in Roxboro, North Carolina. The racers were competitors; they were family.

More than the community, though, the nature of the cars of vintage racing requires the old school garage expertise. Most of the cars pre-date the age of ground effects that emerged in the 1980s. Here, mechanical grip rules and understanding how to get the most out of such machinery is paramount.

Jay Creech, owner of Creech Motorsports in Indianapolis paints the same picture as Mangum. The two have never met and are separated by some 500 miles but share a common culture.

Creech, who was mentored by former partner Bob Adkins and worked for Indy car giants like Ron Hemelgarn, Mo Nunn and Jerry Forsythe, paints a picture where the chief mechanic is the central figure in the team. As did the Bignottis in previous generations Creech has mastered a broad range of skills: fabricating parts, machining them, welding, working with composites and fiberglass. In a world of fast but aging cars parts can be scarce.

"We can fabricate everything," Creech says. "We remake parts that are identical to the original, only stronger because we can take advantage of improvements in metals."

Cecil Boyd, a former telecommunications executive who owns and drives race cars as well as flies airplanes, is the senior partner at Apex. Like Creech and Mangum he stresses safety and a commitment to the rulebook in vintage racing.

"Whatever the year of the car we have to put our minds in that time, say, 1963," says Boyd. "Since then in some cases we learn about engineering flaws. Or maybe the parts are old. A high percentage of our time is spent inspecting equipment for potential failure, not just trying to make the car go fast."

All three men agree that while the cars are vintage they are not untouched by 21st century technology. Advances in things like tire compounds and shocks produce more grip and higher cornering speeds. That means load is transferred to components like steering arms and uprights that were not designed for that stress. Boyd underscores that the car is a system and when a part breaks it could have implications throughout the car.

"There are 112 parts on a Brabham BT-6," Boyd says. "We can't just worry about swapping out a broken part. What does that break mean for all the others?"

Second to safety these mechanics agree the authenticity of the vintage race car is essential. Without that, they insist, you don't have true vintage racers. They become hotrods and the character of the sport is changed.

"Nobody wants to be 'that guy;' the guy who breaks rules," says Cecil. "What's the point? The moment someone does it, the paddock knows it. We have smart people in SVRA and integrity is everything."

With the safety and authenticity of the cars secure, it's still racing. Drivers still want to go fast. Consider that drivers like Indy 500 veteran Wade Cunningham races Creech-prepared entries and plans to do so at the Brickyard Invitational.

"We expect to win," Creech says. "That's the racer in me."

All the mechanics report that advances in tires, oils, fuels, shocks, allowed suspension upgrades, head gaskets and limited continued development to port designs as well as camshafts make cars faster than they were when new. In many cases today's vintage driver eclipses the lap times of the superstars back in the day.

"With the Web information is so much more accessible and organized," Mangum says. "Today people can learn techniques that just weren't available to previous generations mechanics."

Apex Vintage will field a 1965 Ford Falcon SVRA Group 6 racer and a 1983 Tiga SC83 Sports 2000 for customers at the Brickyard Invitational. Indianapolis 500 veteran Tyce Carlson will race the Falcon in tomorrow's (Saturday, June 13) Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am. Creech is preparing up to seven cars including an Edgar Elder roadster unique for its titanium components that Bob Veith drove in the 1962 Indianapolis 500.

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Here's a quick look at the Brickyard Invitational, especially what is on tap for, Saturday, June 13.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the SVRA are producing what is already one of American vintage racing's premier events. On Saturday the feature event of the weekend – the Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am – is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. The 40-minute contest features 33 veteran drivers of the Indianapolis 500. An hour-long fan walk along pit lane will precede the contest. Brickyard Invitational Grand Marshall and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Sr. will drive the pace car. Tom Sneva, the 1983 Indianapolis 500 champion, will serve as honorary starter and wave the green flag.

All of the SVRA's 11 groups of race cars spanning over 100 years of vintage machines will compete in features starting at 8 am and continuing to 5:30 pm. The exciting array of entries include exquisite examples of select pre-war machines, classic sports cars, Formula 1 and Le Mans prototypes as current as 2009.

While the SVRA cars hit amazing speeds and demonstrate exciting displays of car control as they break traction in corners, the real treat for car buffs is the chance to roam the paddock capturing pictures. The drivers and owners continue to impress with approachability and knowledge. It is Instagram heaven. Race fans can enjoy every minute of the action by taking advantage of overnight camping inside the Speedway.

Famous oval cars will be on display in the Garage Area between 10 am and 5 pm. A "Shine and Show" automobile display involving hundreds of cars from different clubs will also be presented on the golf course lakeside.

Saturday night will present a concert by the legendary Blood, Sweat & Tears band, complete with an informal banquet. During the banquet special trophies will be awarded to honor specific cars of the event for exceptional preservation and preparation. Among the awards will be the A.J. Watson Trophy and the Sir Jack Brabham Trophy that will be presented to the winner by Sir Jack's son, Geoff, who is one of the 33 Indianapolis 500 veterans competing in the Pro-Am.