The stars come out at Coronado Speed Festival

On Saturday, two-time Indianapolis 500 champion (1990 and '97) Arie Luyendyk arrived to hang with his buddies the Arciero brothers Al and Frank Jr., along with their family. While Arie isn’t racing two other prominent personalities are: comedian and all-around car guy Adam Carolla as well as FOX TV’s renowned NASCAR broadcasting personality Mike Joy.

Luyendyk is fresh from last week’s Goodwood Revival, one of the world’s most remarkable celebrations of not just automobiles but also aircraft. Arie drove a John Goodman-owned 1964 Shelby Cobra in his event to finish sixth.

“Really, Goodwood is phenomenal,” Luyendyk says. “You literally step back in time, especially at the Revival. It’s very charming but you need to take it seriously. You are dealing with the conditions of the early 1960s. That means the safety of the track is much the same as it was in that era. You have to use good judgment.”

Luyendyk (RIGHT) likes what he sees at the Coronado Speed Festival and this is his second visit to the event. Despite offers to drive some great cars he decided after a weekend at Goodwood he had enough racing for a while.

“I think vintage racing is about the cars, guys having fun,” Arie says. “I think the fans like to hear the older car engines when they are really running fast again. People think the old engines sound louder, better. It’s great to see old friends and enjoy being part of a more relaxed paddock. Historic racing as a sideshow to top-level professional racing could add a lot of appeal to event weekends.”

Carolla (LEFT), who was instrumental to producing, writing and directing the acclaimed 2015 documentary, “Winning: the Racing Life of Paul Newman,” is racing this weekend at Coronado. His mount is a white with blue trim 1968 Datsun 2000 Roadster (TOP) formerly driven by sports car champion John Morton.

Carolla races with some regularity, having competed in high-profile historic and vintage events, especially on the West Coast such as the Monterey Historics and others at Sonoma and Fontana. He can be typically seen at the wheel of one of Paul Newman’s old rides, among his favorites being an Olds Cutlass GT-1 Trans-Am rebodied as a Camaro. He agrees with many observers that vintage racing is on the rise.

“I’ll give you one measure of that you don’t hear talked about,” Carolla says. “Go check the price of some of these cars and compare it to 10 years ago, even five. You chart those prices and it is clear evidence this sport is growing.”

Another high-profile personality in the Coronado paddock this weekend is FOX announcer Joy, who loves the Historic Trans-Am Series which is appearing at Coronado in collaboration with the SVRA. As a friend of Ken Epsman, a regular in the Historic Trans-Am Series and owner of several cars, Joy jumps at the chance to race when his schedule allows.

The presence of high-profile personalities is part of the character of top-level vintage racing. More than their involvement, it is the fact that they blend in as racers instead of celebrities – even if they are an Indianapolis 500 champion, a prominent entertainer and comedian or a major television network personality. They are racers. Paul Newman would be proud.

Sunday is the final day of action at the Coronado Speed Festival. Qualifying complete, today is race day for all the SVRA run groups. Other highlights include the Military Pit Crew Challenge finals, the last run for the 1915 Pamama-America tribute and the continued military displays.