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Vintage cars to race, parade at Pocono this weekend

Marty McFly's time machine went 88 miles per hour.

This weekend at Pocono Raceway, they'll go "back to the future" at nearly twice that speed.To celebrate the IndyCar race weekend, more than 100 race cars spanning the 20th century will be racing on three different tracks at Pocono.The Vintage Celebration at Pocono Raceway will run all day Friday and Saturday, wrapping up with some parade laps just before Sunday's Pocono IndyCar 500.More than 50 vintage IndyCars will run the oval on Friday and Saturday between practice and qualifying sessions for the big race. Others will be running an infield road course. Friday and Saturday night, sprint cars will be running on a small temporary oval set up at the exit of pit lane.On top of all of that, there will be a hot rod and other vintage street car show, with participants getting a chance to take pace laps on the big oval.The on-track action is included with a ticket to the IndyCar race. To get up close, an additional paddock pass is required.The event is the brainchild of West End resident Gary Mondschein, a lifelong racer who publishes his own magazine dedicated to preserving vintage race cars.The celebration is reminiscent of the origins of Pocono Raceway. When the big oval opened in 1971, it was built for IndyCar, not NASCAR. Richard Petty and his group wouldn't arrive for three more years."I wouldn't say we're taking it back, I would say we're celebrating the history of this grand facility," Mondschein said.The event has grown from about a dozen IndyCars to more than 50 in just four years. The only larger vintage IndyCar festival is, of course, in Indianapolis.It's not uncommon to see an IndyCar star stop by the paddock. Arie Luyendyk, Rick Mears, and Mario Andretti have all visited.Pocono Raceway CEO Nick Igdalsky, a former racer himself, has been a big supporter of the event according to Mondschein."Without a guy like Nick, this wouldn't happen. He gets it, and he wants it to go forward," Mondschein said.The drivers, who come from around the country and beyond, are happy to talk with fans about their cars. Tonie Brandel, who traveled from Alabama, said one experience at the track can hook you."We love to have new people involved," she said.The oldest vintage racer that will be on track was built in 1913 and looks closer to a horse and buggy than a modern vehicle. It is pitted next to a Space Age car driven by Mario Andretti's in the 1980s.Back in the day, many Indy drivers raced sprint cars as well. This year, Mondschein invited three-quarter midget racers, and more than 50 responded. They will race at 6 p.m. on a makeshift oval on the front straightaway."We're going to fill this place with three-quarter midgets," he said.The Vintage Celebration at Pocono runs all day Friday and Saturday. The ABC Supply Pocono IndyCar 500 is Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Gary Mondschein of Brodheadsville, organizer of the Vintage Celebration at Pocono, instructs Brad Plainfield as he sits in a Cale Yarborough 1971 IndyCar. CHRIS REBER/TIMES NEWS
The vintage celebration will include everything from a 1913 Buick to a car driven by Mario Andretti and owned by Paul Newman. CHRIS REBER/TIMES NEWS
The 1960s IndyCars bring back memories for a lot of fans.