SWC75
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The “Rookie of the Year” award in 1961 had been shared by Parnelli Jones and Bobby Marshman. Marshman was a handsome kid with auto racing in his blood. The son of a midget car driver, he bought his first car at age 14 for $50. He wasn’t only enough to race it himself so he became chief mechanic and hired older drivers to drive it for him. But he eventually got behind the wheel himself and proved to be one of the most promising young drivers. By 24 he was ready for Indy and finished 7th in the 1961 race after starting 33rd- last in the field. He was in the front row the next two years but broke down with 10 miles to go in ‘62 and crashed on the 97th lap while leading the 1963 race. On December 3rd, 1964 he was testing a car at Phoenix and crashed. Trapped in a burning car, he was finally extricated but died in a hospital six days later, leaving people wondering what he might have accomplished.
Parnelli Jones was a cautious man who was offered Indy rides for three years before he actually agreed to run in the race, instead preferring to observe. When he finally got in a car, he proved one of the fastest racers and was a perennial contender until the end of his career. But he always seemed to be plagued by mechanical problems. He led early in the 1961 race before being nearly blinded by a flying stone. He still managed to finish 12th. In 1962, he set a qualifying record- the first man to qualify at over 150 miles per hour, (the 2011 pole sitter averaged over 227). He led 123 of the first 125 laps before his brakes went. He actually finished the race without them, but slowed down and finished 7th. He won in 1963 despite a crack in his oil tank. Eddie Sachs claimed at the banquet afterwards that he spun out on Parnelli’s leaked oil and Jones decked him. He was leading in 1964 when he got burned when a fire broke out during a pit stop. In 1965 he was second. In 1966 he avoided the big first lap accident but a wheel bearing failed just as he was making his move toward the lead. In 1967 he had a huge lead with Andy Granatelli’s turbine car when his gearbox broke on the 197th lap.
At that point the decided to give up being a driver and become a businessman and car owner. He was quoted as saying "If I hadn't already won Indy, they could never have kept me out of that car." Al Unser won the 1970 and 1971 races in Jones’ cars. With the death of 1960 winner Jim Rathmann, last November, Parnelli Jones is now the oldest living Indy 500 champion at age 78.
Roger Ward won his second Indy 500 with this race, part of his incredible 1-2-3-1-4-2 stretch from 1959-1964. Len Sutton finished second this year and retired in 1965 to become a commentator for Indy broadcasts. Eddie Sachs wasn’t on the pole this year but charged from 27th to 3rd in his continuing quest to win the race so he could retire. Jimmy McElreath was a 34 year old rookie from Texas. He was a big strong guy who had had success racing stock cars. “He won regularly because he could physically overpower an automobile and ride it like a bronco that needed taming”.
Defending champ AJ Foyt pits, thinks better of it and drives back out. Then he loses a wheel, which stops his car but the wheel seems determined to finish the race. AJ gets out of his car, runs back to the pits and takes over a Paul Russo’s car but to no avail.
Bobby Grim had first run at Indy in 1959. His race ended when he raised his arm to signal the pit crew and a gust of wind dislocated his shoulder- a football injury on the race track. He never had much lick at Indy, his best finish in nine races being 10th. Bob Christie had a similar record, also never finishing above 10th in eight races. Ditto Jack Turner, who never finished above 11th in six races. Alan Crowe didn’t have so many races, dying in a 1963 crash in Ohio. But they all survived the lone serious crash in this race, which “turned turn 4 into a parking lot”.
Here is the two part highlight film of the 1962 race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PulrtYTyr_A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=qwd-7QpKayY&NR=1
Here are interviews with Ward and Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_an3SHoWTE8
Parnelli Jones was a cautious man who was offered Indy rides for three years before he actually agreed to run in the race, instead preferring to observe. When he finally got in a car, he proved one of the fastest racers and was a perennial contender until the end of his career. But he always seemed to be plagued by mechanical problems. He led early in the 1961 race before being nearly blinded by a flying stone. He still managed to finish 12th. In 1962, he set a qualifying record- the first man to qualify at over 150 miles per hour, (the 2011 pole sitter averaged over 227). He led 123 of the first 125 laps before his brakes went. He actually finished the race without them, but slowed down and finished 7th. He won in 1963 despite a crack in his oil tank. Eddie Sachs claimed at the banquet afterwards that he spun out on Parnelli’s leaked oil and Jones decked him. He was leading in 1964 when he got burned when a fire broke out during a pit stop. In 1965 he was second. In 1966 he avoided the big first lap accident but a wheel bearing failed just as he was making his move toward the lead. In 1967 he had a huge lead with Andy Granatelli’s turbine car when his gearbox broke on the 197th lap.
At that point the decided to give up being a driver and become a businessman and car owner. He was quoted as saying "If I hadn't already won Indy, they could never have kept me out of that car." Al Unser won the 1970 and 1971 races in Jones’ cars. With the death of 1960 winner Jim Rathmann, last November, Parnelli Jones is now the oldest living Indy 500 champion at age 78.
Roger Ward won his second Indy 500 with this race, part of his incredible 1-2-3-1-4-2 stretch from 1959-1964. Len Sutton finished second this year and retired in 1965 to become a commentator for Indy broadcasts. Eddie Sachs wasn’t on the pole this year but charged from 27th to 3rd in his continuing quest to win the race so he could retire. Jimmy McElreath was a 34 year old rookie from Texas. He was a big strong guy who had had success racing stock cars. “He won regularly because he could physically overpower an automobile and ride it like a bronco that needed taming”.
Defending champ AJ Foyt pits, thinks better of it and drives back out. Then he loses a wheel, which stops his car but the wheel seems determined to finish the race. AJ gets out of his car, runs back to the pits and takes over a Paul Russo’s car but to no avail.
Bobby Grim had first run at Indy in 1959. His race ended when he raised his arm to signal the pit crew and a gust of wind dislocated his shoulder- a football injury on the race track. He never had much lick at Indy, his best finish in nine races being 10th. Bob Christie had a similar record, also never finishing above 10th in eight races. Ditto Jack Turner, who never finished above 11th in six races. Alan Crowe didn’t have so many races, dying in a 1963 crash in Ohio. But they all survived the lone serious crash in this race, which “turned turn 4 into a parking lot”.
Here is the two part highlight film of the 1962 race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PulrtYTyr_A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=qwd-7QpKayY&NR=1
Here are interviews with Ward and Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_an3SHoWTE8
