How do you stop a racing runaway? Well, you might try throwing more races in its way. Ending McLaren Can-Am domination—that may have been one goal of series officials when they scheduled their fourth season, 1969, with nearly twice as many rounds as before. You remember the Canadian-American Challenge Cup. “The Bruce & Denny Show” we’re still calling it all these decades later. That intentionally uncomplimentary nickname was coined by Can-Am critics soured during the preceding two seasons, when McLaren…

The Bruce (4) and Denny (5) Show leads the field of assorted challengers around on the pace lap at Road America. They’re followed by the Lola T163s of Peter Revson (31) and Chuck Parsons (10), Chris Amon’s Ferrari 612P (16) George Eaton’s customer McLaren M12 (98), Jo Siffert’s Porsche 917PA, George Follmer in the Ford G7A, and John Surtees in the Chaparral 2H (7).
Photo: Pete Lyons / www.petelyons.com