SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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This race was an exciting one that illustrated the various things that go into deciding the winner of an auto race. Roger Ward’s brain trust had decided the best idea for him was to drive conservatively, (they knew he had a car that could contend), and try to limit the pit stops to three and avoid the mechanical problems or crashes that would eliminate other contenders. It worked.
Jim Bryan, the defending champ, was in the same car that had won it for him the year before and for Sam Hanks in 1957. No car had won three straight Indy 500’s. This one wouldn’t either. They couldn’t get it started and Bryan went from first to last. Bryan is shown marching away from the pits in total disgust. Dick Rathman comes into a pit stop and gas gets spilled over him and the car, setting both on fire. They get it out quickly and Rathman is singed but OK. He too, marches away from the pits, pushing people trying to consol him to the side.
Len Sutton hits the wall. So did Frank Crawford, Chuck Weynant, Jud Larson, Mike Magill and Red Amick get involved in a serious crash. Magill, like Pat O’Connor the year before, winds up upside down with his car burning but gets out of it OK. Eddie Sachs takes a wild spin crossing the track twice without hitting the wall or being hit by anybody. He limps back to the pits, out of contention. Pat Flaherty, the 1956 champion, moves form a starting position of 18th to contend for the lead but hits the wall on the 163rd lap.
Johnny Thomson and Roger Ward had an amazing lap where they were side by side trying to grab the lead the whole time but Thomson had to make four pit stops to Ward’s three and fell behind. Ward’s final competition was Jim Rathman but Ward held him off to win the first of two Indy 500’s- he would win again three years later.
Here is the U-Tube Highlight film. Again, you can expand it to full-screen by clicking on the box with the arrows in it.
Part One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147A0w595lI&NR=1
Part Two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIBodX_hFgE
Jim Bryan, the defending champ, was in the same car that had won it for him the year before and for Sam Hanks in 1957. No car had won three straight Indy 500’s. This one wouldn’t either. They couldn’t get it started and Bryan went from first to last. Bryan is shown marching away from the pits in total disgust. Dick Rathman comes into a pit stop and gas gets spilled over him and the car, setting both on fire. They get it out quickly and Rathman is singed but OK. He too, marches away from the pits, pushing people trying to consol him to the side.
Len Sutton hits the wall. So did Frank Crawford, Chuck Weynant, Jud Larson, Mike Magill and Red Amick get involved in a serious crash. Magill, like Pat O’Connor the year before, winds up upside down with his car burning but gets out of it OK. Eddie Sachs takes a wild spin crossing the track twice without hitting the wall or being hit by anybody. He limps back to the pits, out of contention. Pat Flaherty, the 1956 champion, moves form a starting position of 18th to contend for the lead but hits the wall on the 163rd lap.
Johnny Thomson and Roger Ward had an amazing lap where they were side by side trying to grab the lead the whole time but Thomson had to make four pit stops to Ward’s three and fell behind. Ward’s final competition was Jim Rathman but Ward held him off to win the first of two Indy 500’s- he would win again three years later.
Here is the U-Tube Highlight film. Again, you can expand it to full-screen by clicking on the box with the arrows in it.
Part One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147A0w595lI&NR=1
Part Two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIBodX_hFgE
