Hal Olen~Racer-Hot Rodder~Vintage Photos

Hal Olen is a neighbor of mine who has cancer and is not expected to live much longer. I visited with him the other day and spent several hours listening to his tales of racing with some of the greats such as Jim Rathman, Pat Flaherty,and Herb Hill. Hal got involved in Hot Rodding after a stint in the Navy during WW2. He built the Track Racer shown here by himself. It was powered by a Chevy inline 6,with full pressure lubrication, milled head, bored .40 over, cam, and a rare Stellings quick change gear box. He campaigned the car at Anderson ,Ind "The little 500",this race was run two weeks before the Indy 500 then.He also raced at Rockford ,Ill and other tracks around the mid-west area. It was then he became friends with Rathman and Flaherty both who went on to eventually win the Indy 500. He told me how Andy Granetelli was instrumental in getting Drag Racing started in Half Day,Ill. Hal eventually sold the car to a fellow from Louisville ,Ky. It was raced in that area for several years. Where it is today is unknown if it still exsists. The highlight of my visit was seeing the smile on Hals face when i rolled him outside in his wheelchair to "visit" with my Track Roadster. The grin on his face was worth a ton of gold to me. Hal loaned me what pics he had left to scan for us to enjoy. So enjoy a bit of history, thanks to Hal !

 

Those are some really neat ol' pics & info..Thanks for sharing...

 

my pleasure deedster, by the way the 42 Lincoln pictured was used as a tow car and was bought used from the President of Coca Cola.

 

That shot of Hal giving the "O.K." sign brought a smile to this face.

 

Great pics and story! Thank you and Hal for sharing.

 

Thanks so much, Cruzr. I can only imagine how much it helped Hal to talk hot rods and to be able to "visit" with your car.
Medicine for the soul. Something that any modern medicine just can't do.

Malcolm

 

Cool............

 

it takes a lot to bring a tear to these old eyes, but seeing Hal re-live in his mind,his past, for that time we spent was a memory i will always have. I am going back next week and we are going to try and get him in my 31 coupe for his "last cruise" !!! His wife tells me he is in tremendous pain but never whimpers or complains. By the way Hal is 87.

 

Cruzr,
Please thank hal for sharing his memories with us. The picture of him with the o.k. sign is cool. I hope he enjoys his ride with you. Believe me it is something neither one of you will ever forget. God bless him and you.
G***er Girl

 

Very cool thread. Thank you.

 

ok trying to go back today for the "ride" , we'll see if he's up for it.

 

That's really cool, Randy.

 

If he is up for the ride..........help him in the car SLOW.....the ole' bones do not move as fast as the used to..........the thing that that makes me smile is "older hotrod guys" that are in a wheel chair smile from ear to ear when they see/ride in an old car/hotrod.......but, I think about what I will do when I get their age and I will want to hear the pipes on a motor and go for a ride also.

Chris

 

Tell him thank you from casey . for sharing his past.

 

Randy...you're a good guy. Nuff said.

 

What Kevin said.

 

thanks for posting up the pics,and thank Hal for sharing his hot rodding history with us

 

Thank you Randy for taking the time and telling a nice story ! It's heart warming !
Rob

 

Well Done Thanks.

 

Really cool Dude. You don't know how much small acts like that help people in those situations.It gives them something to fixate on and forget their problems.
Way to go.

 

Ride??? Hell, he's gonna wanna drive it! ha! Good for him and good on you. I've got a good friend in the final stages of Pancreatic cancer and the doctors just keep talking about "keeping him comfortable". That means a lot of different things to different people. I'm betting Hal is plenty comfortable in a hot rod.

 

set back......Hal is not doing well,so the "ride" is cancelled untill he is up to it. I am hoping {and so is he} that he will feel better in a few days. He is a trooper,never complains about the pain.

 

yo cruzr your are a good man. thanks for the story and pics would love to see more. and tell hal thanks for being a car guy


C-ya johnnyV

 

thanks for posting these and thanks to Hal for allowing you to do so
I sure hope he gets to ride in your 31 soon....i can imagine the joy that'll be on his face and how he'll forget whatever pain he's in whiles he's along for the ride!

you can never learn enough from these guys who really were there in the time we all wish we lived in

Zach

 

Thanks to you and Hal for sharing the history, and kudos to you for paying it forward by making Hals final time one of great memories.

So many people in Hals situation (and at his age) have outlived their friends and peer group and are forgotten. There is so much to be learned from those that have gone before, it's Americas most wasted resource.

Hope he gets to go for the ride.

GV

 

Thanks Randy!

 

That's a cool set of pix (love the one of the guy with fedora and tie sitting in the car) and I think it's really cool of you to spend time with him. Hope I get the same treatment someday.

 

thanks to hal for keeping hot rodding alive thanks randy your making his day was he from the midwest originally?