Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 May 1939 — Page 24

Page PDF (10.02 MB)

Back to issue view

‘

"MONDAY, MAY 29, 1939

WHAT A JAUNT Thousands AROUND IS TO & THE UNINITIATED

It's All Walls — And You Just Can't Escape, | He Discovers.

of Dollars

Goes Up in Smoke

| | | |

The following article wax written by a member of The Times’ staff who rode around the Speedway at more than 100 | miles an hour in the days of the two. man cars. His impressions are designed to give the layman a better understand. ing of how a “grandstand expert’ might ! feel riding beside a race driver.

Walls, Walls. Walls. The big-| gest walls in the world, Turning, | Twisting, Running. Walls. | That is just what a ride around | the Speedway is to the uninitiated. | You and me. The guys m the | grandstand taking our first] whirl arcund the bricks. | You first get that clammy feeling in the pit of your stomach when | you settle yourself into one of the | now obsolete two-seaters. You try | to make vourself comfortable in a space that you know wouldn't allow | a Singer midget to be comfortable, | N WW Ra % he a “ . . | ts IT n He mo: to sal dnd | Firemen pour water and chemicals on the burning Harry Miller four-wheel-drive speedster just after first gear, that vou want to call the | it had crashed into the wall on the northwest turn two weeks ago. Johnny Seymour, the driver, is still in . N City Hospital, suffering from second degree burns. The car hit the wall, burst into flames, Seymour was

whole thing off. But you start mov-| I : - . A y | » "08 » , ing You roll Slowly toward the thrown free but his clothing had caught fire and he was badly injured

south end and you wonder why the sass motor has to be so loud Around the Tum Around the south turn you RO, ! 3 riding along the bottom edge of the KI track. For the first time you realize how steep the banks are, As you slide through the south turn the motor suddenly hits a higher pitch. You feel the car jump. Instinctively | you reach for the sides. The wind whips at your face. There is a long picket fence along the side. But it's not a picket fence at all. Its’ a little §& white wall now. But you know that rather than see it. Because all you can really see is that big white wall | down at the end. Big and getting | bigger. It is roaring toward you.| Your breath goes out fast. | The wall grows so big you can’t! see the top. Just when you start to! shut your eyes in terror it starts to whirl. White stone—whirling! It is racing to keep up with you. The motor cuts out for a moment as you coast through the short north straightaway and you hope desperately that it won't start again. But just as the thought passes through your mind, the motor starts again This time with an earpiercing roar. You can see the whirling wall, Then your stomach starts to turn, Or is it the car that is turning? Over a giant hump.

NS SRE A

A closeup view of the wrecked car after the fire had been quelled. The Miller cars have the motors mounted behind the driver. Two other Millers were entered, one being driven by George Bailey, Zeke Meyer, | pilot of the other, had a narrow escape last Saturday when he went into a spin during a trial run.

Then the long, long awful stretch. It looks like a hundred miles long. vour head. But all you can see and think about is that wall down in It's getting bigger and bigger. | . There's no escape this time. It's| 2» » FANS DIFFER ON the biggest wall in the world. You l C Ad Ad Vel S, ace see is the wall. That huge wall.| The motors cuts out. But it's no use, | ¥ AY +18 » | 4 a . » ~ "ie ’ 3 ? y St at a AN iy in a Fate SHA, Pin) sO many tragic twists on them, you can't blame race on where to sit to enjoy the 500-mile ‘our throat. n ¢ uring rivers fr p as rstitious 1 8 rivers irom being a superstit ous lot, race best. mg, racing Then coming down to meet us. TO make it a practice to collect black cats and other bad-luck charms, but boxes and grandstand “A” this is just a form of superstition done in reverse English. | Those two spots are on the home that long stretch. And that awfully big wall down there at the other DePaolo had tied on the left spring tion and then he may not actually wheel changing, refueling, all the of his car. be forming the words aloud. You excitement that goes into the inner for a fast ride, while Tony Gulotta | 1 . RN { . . o t » v x on - “ "oe ” “" " “ » MATTER OF SECONDS refuses to have his picture taken at | OE HE I ON fT EC ni oe. E Sli through that turn.” {on the south turn and to “H” on When a competing car comes into Zeke Meyer, the oldest active who tie powder puffs, given them by io. c driver, and Lou Mever, only three- [their wives, to their steering wheels an ea time of the stop usually runs well over one minute. Last vear, Flovd who aren't reiated, have a fatalistic attitude about the business. Even if they don't win, they| “Cotton” Henning, who handles § and got out in the unusually good time of one minute and eight

The motor hits a high-pitched whine The wind bursts around front of you. The Biggest of the Walls know there's a stand down there, but you can't see it. All you can Pil Y “pt Are Superstitious lols Are dt stitious vou know, There's no escaping the wall | Opinions vary among race fans feeling again. And the wall, turmn- Most of them have superstitions—or at least believe in the power of |, 0 144 s like t to catch up with us. certain luck charms. Some, like Floyd Roberts, winner of last year’s race, any old-timers like the paddock . best. get us. Just as it has us, the motor tehes 'S roar pn ~ catehe It's roaring. And there's) The most famous good luck charm = | stretch, directly across from the pits. of all was the baby shoe that Pete this except in the heat of competi-| you can see the drivers pulling in, end. Rushing to meet us. The biggest wall in the world, ‘STOPOVERS’ AT PITS | Kelly Petillo always pats the can count on it that he is think- mechanics of the race. ack end 1 AAT AS i ' { ; back end of his car as he climbs In ing: But just as many fans take to the the track until he has been nomi- |Paby; get y \ : nated to drive a car. Then there are all the others, ue HO A a pny the pits during the 300-mile race, | 1 gee ? Bion Ve for tire changes or refueling, the time winner of the race, apparently [or stick pieces of chewing gum on have no superstitions. These men, | the side of the car, or always climb CAR LIFE 3 T0 6 YEARS Roberts, who won the race, made a in from the left side of the car. mee msn stop for a new right rear tire and gas seconds

his car while he is driving, but it is jomens and use them again in next says that the life of a racing car is an exaggeration to say that he does vear’'s race. | anywhere from three to six years.

&2 Swze YOURE RIGHT

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

They sav Wilbur Shaw talks to will retain their confidence in these | Mike Boyle's stable of racing cars, |

PAGE 23

DEATH HAS HIT EIGHT OF THE 24. 500" WINNERS

Few Retired, Some at Work In Auto Industry And Others Still Race.

Where are they now? Those 24 Speedway winners whose | names have run across the country | each Memorial Day since 1911? How has time and the fortunes of speed dgalt with men like Ray Harroun, Ralph De Palma, Tommy | Milton. Frank Lockhart and Billy Arnold? Those are questions prompted by the arrival of new faces, fresh heros to cheer, while the indelible thrills, brought by men who will never return, remain with the ever-re-turning Speedway fan. Of those 24 there are seven who have died at their chosen work, be-| hind the wheel of a racing car. An | eighth was Kkilled—only recently— in an ordinary highway traffic accident.

Bill Cummings of Indianapolis, winner in 1934, lost his life when his automobile skidded while he | was driving home. His car plunged | into a ditch and Cummings suffered | fatal injuries. Dario Resta, winner of the abbreviated 300-mile race of 1916, was [the first to be killed while at his) (profession. During the war vears| of 1017 and 1918 the race was post- | 'poned. But the following year en[thusiasm reached a new peak when {one of the classic’s most colorful] | champions, Howdy Wilcox, won at 88.06 miles an hour. Crash Ends Gaston's Career The Chevrolet brothers, Louis and | Gaston, were close behind Howdy | in that race and the next year Gas-| ton returned to win a spine-tingling match from Rene Thomas. A few weeks later Gaston's career ended | in a board track crash. Jimmy Murphy, rated by many as| the “perfect driver,” took the event] in 1922 and for the next two races continued in one of the top spots On Sept. 15, 1924, he was killed on| the Syracuse, N. Y,, dirt track. The 1924 first place was shared | by L. L. Corum and Joe Boyer, who relieved Corum and went on to win.| Less than three months later Boyer | met death at the Altoona, Pa., track. | When rain halted the race in 1926, | Frank Lockhart, an unknown dare- | devil from the West, was in front by | la wide margin. A few years later | [while attempting to set a straight-| [away record at Daytona Beach, Fla, | | Frank lost his life when his super-| [powered Stutz blew a tire. | None Killed Since 1929 | About the same time that Lock(hart was attempting the straight] {course record in Florida, Ray Keech | | was holder of that record. In 1929 he also won the 500-mile| spin only to be killed at Altoona | two weeks later. Since 1929 none of

the winners have lost their lives while racing and only two of the next eight victors have retired from active participation. Billy Arnold, now connected with the Chrysler Motor Co. on the West Coast, dazzled the track fans with the driving that won for him in 1930. The next two years, after leading the pack most of each race, he was involved in serious accidents, after which he retired. Scattered rain slowed the 1931 race so that Louis Schneider, former Indianapolis motorcycle policeman, was able to set no more than an average of 96.629 to win. Louis now is racing midget cars on the West Coast. One of the most thrilling finishes was that of 1927 when George Souders, former Purdue student, crossed the tape only 33 seconds ahead of Earl Devore and less than a minute and a half ahead of Tony Gulotta in third place. Souders now lives in Lafayette where he is connected with a garage. Corum Now Mechanic

Peter De Paolo, Ralph De Palma's nephew, sped over the bricks at an average of 101.13 to win in 1925 and to set a track record that remained unbroken for seven years. Pete is now engaged in writing and is also a consulting engineer, The 1924 cowinner, L. L. Corum, lives in Indianapolis and is a mechanic for the Miller team. The first two = time winner, Tommy Milton, piloted the first eight-cylinder job to victory in 1921 and came back for a repeat in 1923. Until April 15 of this year Tommy was connected with the Packard Motor Car Co. and now is a free lance consultant. Five former winners wid be back to try again for the coveted trophy this year. Fred Frame, a veteran who had been consistently dogged by bad luck, rode to victory in 1932. Kelly Petillo, the little California Italian, scorched the bricks at 106.240 miles an hour leading Wilbur Shaw and Bill Cummings to the tape, in 1935. Wilbur had to wait two years until 1937 and then turned the oval at 113.580 to set a new all-time record,

Harrounn Won First Race

In 1928 Louis Meyer, an unknown, earned his first share of Speedway

% Bear this in mind when choosing Gin:

ordon’s has

the

glory, taking the checkered flag less than a minute ahead of Lou Moore. He followed this up with two sensational wins in 1933 and 1936 to become the only three-time winner, Floyd Roberts, last year's winner who set a new record of 117 miles an hour, also is back to try again, Ray Harroun, who drove his Mar- | mon to victory in the first race more | than a quarter of a century ago, is | connected with the auto industry. Joe Dawson, the 1912 pace setter, lives in Philadelphia and is a salesman for an auto supply concern. The two French winners, Rene Thomas and Jules Goux have returned to their native land, where the latter is an official in the Bugatti automobile factory. Ralph DePalma, wh captured the admiration of thousands when his motor failed a few yards from the checkered flag in 1912, came back to score in 1915. Ralph today lives in New York City and has recently been working on Diesel engines. |

| | | 3

RN R

| |

The model illustrated is the Buick Spgciay mo Flint, Mi,

[2X

del 41 four-do

hh i A Sunshine Turret Top’ extra

Advantage

of LIQUEUR QUALITY & HIGH PROOF, 94.4

AMC? F | |

DIST n LO & Bory HE tc LED DSTLLRS Comput USA By Se at W teu MITED

® You're missing something very important if you

overlook Gordon's advantage of Liqueur Quality and

High Proof, 94.4. For, that advantage means velvety

smoothness. It means richer flavor. It means drinks

that never taste thin! So, ask for Gordon’s—next time

you order gin by the bottle or the drink!

DRINKS NEVER TASTE THIN WITH

Clordon'’s Glin

100% Neutral Spirits Distilled from Graln

TRY GORDON'S SLOE GIN, 60 PROOF

IRRRSRAR!

or touring sedan $996 delivered ar

AND UP delivered at Flint, Mich,

*Prices subject to

the gas treadle, right where it should be...

change without no- ; tice STATE and local taxes (if any) optional equipment accessories—

~4AST your eye just once on the § ' passing traffic and you spot this stunning Buick as the one car of the year you can instantly identify.

and extra,

So you ease down on the gas— and pronto, you've got rhythm! You fingertip the wheel—presto! there's control!

It's the pattern—no mistaking that— and you'll find plenty of admiring glances following wherever you

Springing. It isn’t simply the visibil-

You wing down the straightaway ity—though those extra 412 square

cruise around curves, swoop up the hill. Eagerly, instantly, amiably, vour car does what you want—it’s

almost a part of you, your wish is its y Now such a car is worth plenty,

action! a ‘ But this Buick actually costs less than a year ago, less than you think —less than some sixes.

travel. inches come in mighty handy.

It's the feel of this great car you'll go for, the way you feel at home!

But if attention had been all we were after, we might have got merely that with a lot less pains than we took.

LRN

mea DE SOTO BEFORE YOU BUY

YOUR NEW CAR!

JONES & MALEY, Inc.

2421 East Washington CHerry 0490

GATES MOTORS, INC. JOHN H. MORRISON, INC. SULLIVAN & O'BRIEN, INC.

3327 N. llinois Street 1133 N. Meridian Street * 501 Virginia Avenue A RR

AIR

So, you happily discover, here's where you belong!

What we were shooting for was something a heap more important than attention: a picture that does

. yw . S ry that leaves i g vou ;ustice—and mister, look how urely, that leaves nothing else to

It isn’t the big and powerful wallop in that big Dynaflash straight-eight alone. It isn’t only the level skimming comfort of soft-coiled BuiCoil

R. A. Flanagan 1 E. Monroe St., Franklin, Howard Holt 23-25 W. North St, Greenfield, Ind. H. R. Swaynie, Sth St., Noblesville,

gloriously we hit the bull's-eye! settle except when you can get delivery. Why not see your Buick

dealer and get the answer?

Buick!”

EXEMPLAR OF GENERAL MOTORS VALUE

You try out the driver's seat—it

fits. You take hold of the wheel —it seems molded 00 to your hand: There's y° CHOSEN TO SHOW THE WAYI Going to the Indianapolis races? Keep your eve on that Buick Roadmaster, chosen as the car to set the pace.

THOMAS E. MALEY

Sandman Bros. Shelbyville, Ind, Martinsville Auto Co. 37-99 W, Morgan St, Martinsville, Ind, Kincaid Garage Lizton, Ind.

MONARCH MOTOR CO. INC.

1040 N. Mer. St., Cor. 11th St. Indianapolis, Ind.

COMMUNITY MOTORS, INC.

87-57 West 38th St. Indianapolis, Ind.

Ind.

29 N. ind.

D CAR FROM A BUICK DEALER