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1953 Indianapolis 500
The 37th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1953. The event was part of the 1953 AAA National Championship Trail, and was race 2 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers. Bill Vukovich, after falling short a year before, earned the first of two consecutive Indy 500 victories. With the temperature in the high 90s (°F), and the track temperature exceeding , this race is often known as the "Hottest 500." Driver Carl Scarborough dropped out the race, and later died at the infield hospital due to heat prostration. Due to the extreme heat conditions, several drivers in the field required relief drivers, and some relief drivers even required additional relief. Vukovich, however, as well as second-place finisher Art Cross, both ran the full 500 miles solo. Race details Practice Sixteen-year race veteran Chet Miller died in an accident in practice on May 15. Qualifying Time trials were scheduled for four days. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United States Grand Prix. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately west of Downtown Indianapolis. Constructed in 1909, it is the second purpose-built, banked oval racing circuit after Brooklands and the first to be called a 'speedway'. It is the third-oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, it is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world. Considered relatively flat by American standards, the track is a rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its construction. It has two straightaways, four geometrically identical turns, connected by two short straightaways, ter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene Hartley
Leslie Eugene "Gene" Hartley (January 28, 1926 – March 13, 1993) was an American racecar driver. He was born and died in Roanoke, Indiana. Hartley was the son of midget car driver Ted Hartley, who competed into his 60s.Biography at the "Auto racing is all I’ve ever known," Gene once said in an interview at the . Racing career He drove in the[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Hoyt
Gerald F. Hoyt (January 29, 1929 – July 11, 1955) was an American racing driver from Chicago, mainly competing in the National Championship. He died on July 11, 1955 after crashing in a sprint car race at Oklahoma City. Indy 500 In the 1955 Indianapolis 500 Hoyt surprised many, including himself, by winning the pole (first starting position) in qualifications. His average speed for the run of 140.045 miles per hour was at the time the second fastest ever at the speedway. However an oil leak would force him to retire from the race after 40 laps. As the 500 was part of the FIA World Championship at the time, Hoyt was credited for being the youngest pole sitter in the history of the series to that point. In his four races at the speedway, he would never complete more than 130 laps in the 200 lap race. Death On July 11, 1955, two months after winning the pole at Indianapolis, Hoyt was entered into a sprint car race in Oklahoma City. On the first lap, his car made contact with a fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Travis Webb
Travis Webb (October 8, 1910January 27, 1990) was an American racecar driver from Joplin, Missouri. He was the 1948 American Automobile Association (AAA) Midwest Sprint Car champion. He raced in numerous AAA Champ Car races including six Indianapolis 500. Webb was known to his friends as "Webbie" and nicknamed "Spider". He had a portable bar in the trunk of his car at all times and was known for his free spirit and his humor. Background Webb was born in Joplin, Missouri. His father made cabinets. Webb's parents moved the family to Los Angeles in 1923. Racing career Webb began racing on the Muroc Dry Lake (now known as Rogers Dry Lake) in 1928. His car owner gave him the nickname "Spider". Webb decided to stop racing on the long straightaways and decided to focus on dirt oval racing of Southern California. One of the tracks that he raced was Legion Ascot Speedway where he raced in the "B" class. Sprint Car Racing In 1936, Webb and Jimmy Wilburn were offered rides in "Big Cars" i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Thomson
John A. Thomson (April 9, 1922 – September 24, 1960) was an American racecar driver. Thomson was nicknamed "the Flying Scot." He won several championships in midgets and sprint cars before competing in Championship Car (now IndyCar) racing. He won the pole position for the 1959 Indianapolis 500. Background Thomsom was born on April 9, 1922 to William and Marion Ross Thomson. He graduated from Lowell High School then the New England Aircraft School. He served in the United States Air Force as a crew chief during World War II in Corsica and Italy between 1942 and 1945 on a B-25 bomber. Thomson was awarded five service stars and the Distinguished Air Force Medal. Thomson met his future wife Evelyn Peterson in 1951. He moved from the Springfield, Massachusetts area to a five-acre ranch that he built near Boyertown, Pennsylvania in the mid 1950s. Midget cars Thomson began watching races at a track across the street from his home in 1937 and 1938 in Lowell. He began racing at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackie Holmes
Jackie Holmes (born ''Marion Holmes''; September 4, 1920 – March 1, 1995) was an American racecar driver from Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of .... Indy 500 results World Championship career summary The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Jackie Holmes participated in 2 World Championship races but scored no World Championship points. 1920 births 1995 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers Racing drivers from Indianapolis {{US-autoracing-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walt Faulkner
Walt Faulkner (February 16, 1918 – April 22, 1956) was an American racing driver from Tell, Texas. He moved to Milledgeville, Georgia at the age of two-and-a-half, and to Lake Wales, Florida at the age of eight. He then moved to San Diego, California in 1936. Faulkner competed mainly in the National Championship and in stock car races. In 1950 Faulkner became the first rookie to win pole position at the Indianapolis 500. He died in 1956 after a qualifying crash at a USAC Stock Car event in Vallejo, California. Earlier in his career, Faulkner raced motorcycles, then switched to midget cars, later driving for the Edelbrock dirt track racing team. He had great success in midget car racing and was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2007. Faulkner was also inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame The West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame is a Hall of Fame for people associated with late-model stock car racing on the West Coast of the United Stat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Mantz
Johnny Mantz (September 18, 1918 – October 25, 1972) Accident takes life of first "500" Champ, THE SPARTANBURG HERALD, October 26, 1972, page C4 was an American . Champ car He made 17 starts in the AAA series from 1948 to 1952, capturing a victory in his rookie season at the as well as winning the Indianapolis Sweepstakes at |
Rodger Ward
Rodger M. Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was a World War II P-38 aviator in the United States Army Air Forces, and an American race driver with 26 victories in top echelon open-wheel racing in North America, two Indianapolis 500 victories, and two USAC National Championships, who conceived the classic tri-oval design and layout of Pocono International Raceway, modeled after his three favorite signature turns, at Trenton, Indianapolis and Milwaukee. Early history Ward was born in Beloit, Kansas, the son of Ralph and Geneva (née Banta) Ward. By 1930, the family had moved to California. He died in Anaheim, California. Ward's father owned an auto wrecking business in Los Angeles. Rodger was 14 years old when he built a Ford hot rod. He was a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot in World War II. He enjoyed flying so much he thought of making it his career. He began to fly B-17 Flying Fortress and was so good he was retained as an instructor. After the war he was statione ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Linden (race Car Driver)
Andrew Logan "Andy" Linden (April 5, 1922 – February 11, 1987) was an American racecar driver. Early life and military service Linden was born on April 5, 1922 in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He served in the United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ... and the National Guard. Career He raced with great success until a 1957 crash caused a piece of metal to break his helmet, causing career ending brain damage. He is also technically a former Formula One World Championship driver, as the Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960, meaning that drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Linden thus participated in 7 World Championship races, accumulating a to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duke Dinsmore
J. Carlyle "Duke" Dinsmore (April 10, 1913 – October 13, 1985) was an American racecar driver. Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results Indianapolis 500 results * Shared drive with Rodger Ward and Andy Linden. Dinsmore drove ten laps of the 177 completed by Ward (138), Linden (29) and Dinsmore. Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) : ''* Indicates shared drive with Rodger Ward Rodger M. Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was a World War II P-38 aviator in the United States Army Air Forces, and an American race driver with 26 victories in top echelon open-wheel racing in North America, two Indianapolis 500 v ... and Andy Linden.'' References External linksDuke Dinsmore sharing his Milwaukee memories* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dinsmore, Duke 1913 births 1985 deaths People from Williamstown, West Virginia Racing drivers from West Virginia Indianapolis 500 drivers AAA Championship Car drivers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Holland
Willard Holland (December 18, 1907 – May 19, 1984)) was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949 and finished second in 1947, 1948 and 1950. He also was runner up in the 1947 American Automobile Association (AAA) National Championship. Background Holland was born on December 18, 1907, the son of major league baseball player Willard Holland. He was excellent at skating and tried out for the 1932 Olympics. Racing career Holland was getting better results in big car (now sprint car) in 1937. He recorded his first win on July 30, 1938 at Mineola, New York. He won three times in 1939 and nine times in 1940. Holland finished second to Joie Chitwood in the 1940 AAA Eastern championship and he won the championship in 1941. No racing happened in the United States between 1942 and 1945 due to World War II. In 1946, Holland won 15 Eastern and 1 Midwestern "big car" (now sprint car) races to finish fourth in the AAA national ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
