History Back Home Again In Indiana. Indy 500 Stories, Photos, Please

Thanks guys for your input and pic's. Of all forms of auto "stuff" these are the best. I grew up around a full size sprint in the late 40' & 50's just south of Seattle in then country then. Two neighbors had it and constantly worked it over and drove it on our gravel roads, testing it I guess. They paid no attention to me. I hung out around their garage until they would turn out the lights at night, hundreds of times. I never knew them to race it, but just guessed they did. It was state of the art for its time. I of course took up the Indy car spectator hobby for a while then life came along. That experience did sit the lust for open wheel cars however, and that is why I built my hi-boy Ford. Pardon my intrusion on this thread without posting great Indy car pictures and or stories. It's just that Indy is real auto racing stuff.

 

1964 Smokey's Sidecar


Glenn "Fireball" Roberts was the first choice of Smokey Yunick to drive the car at Indy.
Ironically Fireball thought the car looked too dangerous and chose to run the Word 600 instead, where he was fatality burned.

 

The first Indy 500 winner was Ray Harroun driving a yellow Marmon Wasp. HRP

 

Robert, we're getting close to the race, but it just doesn't mean as much as it used to.
Outside of Castroneves no one holds my interest the way Wilbur Shaw, Mark Donohue,
Rick Mears and Dan Gurney did (and others).

 

I missed out on so much. I was not born until 1981

Everyone at work thinks I am nuts, I have be doing my best Jim Nabors for about the last two week!

 

I should say that Wilbur Shaw was way before my time but seeing photos of him in the
Boyle Special Maserati sure left an impression. I remember the '71 race when Mark
Donohue in the #66 car retired on lap 66. We started pulling for Peter Revson but Al
Unser took it. It was a long ride home.

By the way, does anybody have a good Jim Nabors?

 

As I said in my earlier post I lived in Indy not far from the speedway and when I was sixteen I set up my school schedule so I could have as much of the afternoons off as possible so I could go to the track and watch practice.

One day I went to the track and had turned off Sixteenth Street and was getting ready to go to the infield through the south tunnel. Just as I got to the road that led from the Speedway Motel to tunnel, here comes one of the garden tractors towing the sidecar back to the garage area after its press unveiling. The guard directing traffic got flustered and directed me to keep moving without realizing that the race car was still moving too. I ended up about four feet from the car before I could get stopped. Needless to say, Smokey got a little agitated about all this.

So I damn near killed the sidecar before it ever ran a lap.

 

I will admit that I am not interested in the 500 as much as I once was. The competition is still there, but there is little chance of seeing a driver that could be seen at a local short track, like a Roger Rager or a Larry Dickson, for example. There is still close, exciting racing, and loads of talent and bravery, so dont let me deter anyone from going. It is an experience, for sure.

 

It is almost here!!!

Let's not forget the snake pit!

 

On our way moving to Socal, we stopped there in 1961. At 14, I was impressed.
Visited again in the late 80's moving back to Canada.
Took in the fantastic museum and road the bus around the track....that was cool and I was still impressed!

 

I will be back in a few hours.

 

There is an excellent memorabilia show held at IMS on the Saturday before the race. I picked up this old flag, obviously inspired by the Belanger #99.

 

Lloyd Ruby?

 

Have had the same front row turn 2 seats for 32 years. My 3 adult sons attend with me. As long as there is a 500 we plan on the family tradition to continue to be handed down. One of the things that sticks out to me is that many of the folks sitting around you are doing the same. The older couple sitting next to us have watched my sons grow up. I've got to see a lot on the track, both good and bad.
The blast of air coming from two cars hitting squarely and directly in front of you at 225 is something that's hard to describe, especially when flakes of carbon fiber end up in your ear and down your shirt.
TV simply can not convey nor do justice to the crowd size nor the cars coming by you on the first lap. And the experience of hearing 350,000 people going dead silent during the playing of taps will leave you with goosebumps in 90 degree heat.
I could go on for hours. The 500 is more than a race to me. It's pure Americana.

 

I had lunch with a friend of mine at a local car show this past Memorial Day and we discussed the previous days Indy 500. He's a lifelong car guy and hot rodder that currently has a 32 Ford Roadster and 36 Ford Roadster that he just built a new flathead and installed a T-5 in it. The first Indianapolis 500 he attended was in 1940 and he saw Wilbur Shaw go on to win that year !!! It's hard to believe he will be 89 in August.

 

Tin,
Before they made the major changes to make room for NASCAR (desecration) they had box seats......nothing more than a piped off area behind the wall (which was lower) and you sat in metal green folding chairs. This older gentleman in his 80's who was a retired dentist would bring what seemed to be his entire immediate family, kids and grandkids included. The crazy thing was back then you could sit in the chairs and literally rest your hands on top of the wall.

 

That's the car. A real funky orange. Jim is beginning to sell some of his antique car collection and at some point I suppose the Indy car will be available. I will visit wit Jim in July and post some photos.

brasscarguy

 

A few years ago my wife and I were invited to visit the Ferrari Factory. The highlight of the trip was spending several hours in their restoration department. At that time they were finishing the restoration of the only Ferrari to run at Indy.

Sadly were were not allowed to take any photos but the memory still lingers. It was not as sleek and aerodynamic like the roadsters of the same era. Rottie must have a photo of that Ferrari.

just sayin'

brasscarguy

 

That would be the 52 Ferrari roadster driven by Ascari.

 

There were several Ferraris entered in 1952, one factory backed and the others independent/quasi factory backed. Here's Ascari's factory car and independent Johnny Mauro' car arriving at the speedway.


Alberto Ascari was the only one to qualify that year and lasted until lap 40 when the rr wheel broke and he spun out.

 

One of the more interesting Ferrari powered cars was this car. For 1956 the Bardahl company bought a Kurtis 500D chassis and sent it to the factory in Italy where a 6 cyl. Ferrari engine was installed and sent back, but in the end was a DNQ.

 

A friend i served with went to Indy since he was 3 years old. Will turn 76 this year and missed 6 races in all these years. has to be a record

 

I took a few days away from the H.A.M.B. great stuff!
Anymore?

 

1948 Indianapolis

 

You have no idea what Indy means.

-Al Unser Jr.​

 

I can't put a year on it but it sure isn't the event it once was, I'm a big fan of everything Pre WWII, and up till Jim Clark with the Lotus Ford. Sad thing today I can't think of three drivers by name. Bob

 

1992 the closest 500 finish.
I have watched every 500 since 1982 I was born December 1981.
My Dad (70 years old) has listened to every 500 on the radio or watched every year since 1962.