Cal Niday (April 29, 1914 in

Turlock, California Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its estimated 2019 population of 73,631 made it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. History Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer Jo ...

– February 14, 1988 in

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United ...

) was an American

racecar Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

driver. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident after high school, but it did not affect his race car driving career. Cal is also noted as the first racer to wear a modern style Bell helmet in the Indy 500. Niday is one of three drivers to have participated in the Indianapolis 500 with a

prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

."The Talk of Gasoline Alley", WIBC, May 13, 2003 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. During his racing career, Niday travelled to Australia to race Midgets (known as Speedcars in Australia). In 1948 Niday won the 3rd running of the

Australian Speedcar Grand Prix The Australian Speedcar Grand Prix is an annual dirt track racing meeting held in Australia for Speedcars. The meeting has traditionally been held in Sydney, but on occasions has been held on tracks in Victoria and in 2000 the race was held a ...

at the famous Sydney Showground Speedway. Cal Niday participated in three World Championship races but scored no World Championship points. He was killed by a heart-attack after being thrown from a vintage open wheeler at Willow Springs raceway.

Indianapolis 500 results

References

1914 births 1988 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers People from Turlock, California Racing drivers from California {{US-autoracing-bio-stub