In April of 1978, a chartered plane full of USAC officials crashed just outside of Indianapolis, killing everyone on board. With American open-wheel racing already in disarray as team owners began to demand greater accountability from their sanctioning body, the plane crash only served to accelerate a battle we've come to know as the Split.

What role did that plane crash play in the ultimate fracturing of CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) from USAC? And how did that crash unsettle the very foundations of American motorsport as we knew it? That's exactly what we'll find out in this episode of “Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys.”

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Episode Bibliography: 

• Indy Split: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing by John Oreovicz

• The IndyCar Wars: The 30-Year Fight for Control of American Open-Wheel Racing by Sigurd E. Whitaker

• https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/03/13/The-widows-of-five-US-Auto-Club-officials-killed/8257384843600/

• https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=169290

• https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2014/04/23/plane-crash-claims-usac-officials/8012327/

• https://oilpressure.com/2012/04/23/a-night-to-remember/ 

• https://www.usacracing.com/news/a-tribute-to-those-lost-in-the-1978-usac-plane-crash 

• https://static1.squarespace.com/static/583d8975cd0f686c5dea13d7/t/590dc64229687fab6af914f8/1494074952454/USAC-plane-crash-Article-2.pdf

• https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/03/13/The-widows-of-five-US-Auto-Club-officials-killed/8257384843600/ 

• https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a5cpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hckEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1079%2C1093218 

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/311499816/?match=1&terms=%22USAC%22&_gl=1%2ari34n%2a_up%2aMQ..%2a_gs%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds 

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/311988043/?match=1&terms=%22USAC%22&_gl=1%2a1hqof32%2a_up%2aMQ..%2a_gs%2aMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAqrG9BhAVEiwAaPu5zinarN6sTwRXIAG8BQ7n5kyw7AKyBsnsc1bFahJmRyS6Uh9Oub71ohoCHcgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds