T
urn that dial back to 1972
for the opening round of
the AMA's Grand National
Championship series, where
some of the greatest names of
AMA dirt track racing, past and
present, are on the track togeth
-
er for the first and perhaps final
time. Dick Mann, Cal Rayborn,
Bart Markel and Skip Van Leeu-
wen are here, battling to get into
the main event with a group of
youngsters that includes John
Hateley, Gary Scott and Kenny
Roberts. Stars of the 1960s, tak-
ing on the up-and-coming mav-
ericks of a new decade. It is like
seeing Sandy Koufax throwing
a rising fastball against Reggie
Jackson, or Richard Petty trad
-
ing paint with Jeff Gordon. Dick
Dale vs. Eddie Van Halen.
The season kicked off with
the TT and short track at the
Houston Astrodome, the indoor
sporting facility once known
as "the eighth wonder of the
world." Houston usually offered
up plenty of surprise winners,
some of whom would go on to
win National and World Cham
-
pionships, but also many others
who would never again stand
atop the victor's podium to spray
the winners champagne. There
was enough Astrodome build-
up and hype to fill up Houston
Oilers' coach Bum Phillips'
10-gallon cowboy hat, and the
event didn't disappoint. "As can
be expected," wrote CN, "the TT
and Short Track Nationals at the
Astrodome in Houston, Texas,
was a mind-boggler. No one was
CNIIARCHIVES
P122
BY KENT TAYLOR
1972
HOUSTON
TT & SHORT
TRACK
ROOKIES
RULE
Rookies Kenny
Roberts (left)
and John Hately
surprised the vets by
winning the Houston
TT and short track,
the opening round of
the GNC, in 1972.
