Art pollard race car driver

The turbine moved from alongside the driver to just behind, and the wedgeshaped aerodynamic body pioneered the basic overall body shape minus wings that openwheel. Its astounding to think that pollard rose through the ranks of shorttrack supermodifies, to end up driving the most advanced openwheel oval track race car of its era, the stp lotus56 turbine, in the 1968 usac champ car season. He qualified 12th, but due to mechanical trouble on lap 7, he finished 31st. Art pollard in the 1969 plymouth superwedge, which used a stockblock passenger car engine. Nov 21, 2012 art pollards fatal crash at indy 500 practice. Indianapolis indy 500 vintage 1980s 35 drivers signatures rally flag. He participated in 37 formula one world championship grands prix, debuting on 8 september 1963.

Nov 30, 2017 michael henderson mike spence 30 december 1936, croydon, surrey 7 may 1968, indianapolis, indiana, usa was a british racing driver from england. Pollard also finished a tantalizing runnerup to jim mcelreath at ontario in 1970 after leading. The one stop shop for all of your weekly p7 racing updates. Brickyard vintage racing invitational the pedigree of the brickyard vintage racing invitational june 2021 at the indianapolis motor speedway is elite, for both machines and drivers. Art pollard s crew, 1966, indianapolis motor speedway. Car owner andy granatelli, center left, and driver art pollard, center rear, examine granatellis newest car at the indianapolis motor speedway in 1969.

No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Art pollard fatal accident at indy 500 may 12, 1973 all angles. Andrew bubba pollard is one of the most successful short track racers this decade. He is the father of nascar driver and commentator, wally dallenbach jr. The car was uncompetitive and art switched to a new lotus offy. This is an optimal model of a indy car racing, indy cars, grand prix.

Kind, generous, friendly, outgoing, persistent, honest, gentlemanly, optismistic, competitive, eventempered, vibrant these words describe a few of the qualities of this exceptional person who was also a great race driver. From the rivers and short tracks of oregon to the speedways of the usac championship trail. He got killed, and im there with his wife when the doctor came in and said hed died, and i was 22. All during practice he was saying that this might be his best year. Art pollard 1973 indy 500 fatal crash hq alternate angle. He missed the race as wally dallenbach took over his car at the back of the field and finished fifteenth. More than 300 of the worlds most exceptional vintage race cars will compete in 12 different sportscar vintage racing association svra classes on the 14turn. Born in dragon, utah, and a grandfather, pollard drove in the usac championship car series, racing in the 19651973 seasons, with 84 career starts, including the 19671971 indianapolis 500 races. Art pollard fatal accident at indy 500 may 12, 1973 all. May of 1973 was deadliest month at indianapolis motor speedway since 1937. He qualified well, but crashed in practice after qualifying and broke his leg. He was one of the few men on the championship trail who could explain, in clear, human terms, exactly what was happening inside a race car, and inside a racing driver. Andy granatelli watches stp driver art pollard depart pit. Painted in the stp color dayglo red and number 20, pollard dropped out of the first two races of the season at phoenix, az an hanford, ca.

Art pollard was 46 years old, a veteran driver but not yet beyond his potential. Driver salt walther suffered disfiguring burns in a fiery firstlap crash that injured spectators. He finished in the top ten 30 times, with 2 victories, both. The 1970 season saw a juggernaut a fourwheel drive, rearengine car.

Born in dragon, utah, and a grandfather, pollard drove in the usac. Also in that race, was the team car, stp lotus turbine nr. May 21, 20 memories of deaths in legendary race still linger 40 years later. The car clipped the wall coming out of turn one and did a halfspin as it headed to the grass on the inside of the short chute. Active drivers career stats nascar cup series xfinity series gander outdoor truck series pintys series. May 28, 2016 driver art pollard was killed in a horrific poleday qualifying crash.

Gordon johncock getting out of car, tossing gloves driver. Pollard followed up the 1968 season with competitively driving champ cars for two victories in 1969. Fletcher warned smiley that he should seek experience from more experienced, older drivers. Swede savage, driver of another patrick racing, stpsponsored car, and armando teran, mechanic on a third patrickstp car, also died. He was much more than that, as bob kehoes book shows. Andy granatelli watches stp driver art pollard depart pit road during an open wheel championship car race. Kind, generous, friendly, outgoing, persistent, honest, gentlemanly, optismistic. Indy car racing indy cars road racing f1 crash nascar crash flat track motorcycle old race cars sprint cars car and driver more information. Twentyfive days later he started in his first indianapolis 500mile race. Art pollard was a topnotch racecar driver, but there was more to him than that.

Art pollard, another camra driver who would soon be racing indy cars, finished seventh in 1964 points. Mike spence fatal accident at indy 500 may 7, 1968 michael henderson mike spence 30 december 1936, croydon, surrey 7 may 1968, indianapolis, indiana, usa was a british racing driver from england. Dallenbach was hired to fill the seat, and the car was moved to 33rd starting position. Get the best deals on indianapolis 500 souvenir when you shop the largest online selection at.

The milwaukee mile is the site of art pollard s first indy car triumph in 1969. Jerry unsers car after his 1959 crash in qualifying at indy. For 1972, art pollard returned to andy granatellis team at indianapolis. As art left the racing arena way too early with 83 usac champ car starts and two indycar victories which george notes that occurred in 1969 at milwaukee and dover, along with a second place finish at langhorne that year. Art, a graduate of the hardtops and the modifieds in his native oregon, actually went to indianapolis first in 1966 when he was only 39. To learn more on the life of art pollard, please visit the website set up. This was pollard s first year at indianapolis, but he ended up not qualifying for the race. He got killed, and im there with his wife when the doctor came in. Starting 32nd he quickly clawed his way to the front of the torrid labor day race and led most of the race.

Born in dragon, utah, pollard died in indianapolis, indiana, as a result of injuries sustained in practice for the 1973 indianapolis 500. Camra played key role in openwheel racing history speed. Some of the worst crashes in indianapolis 500 history the. Art pollard crashed his qualified car on may 16, and was too injured to drive on race day. May 21, 2016 driver art pollard was killed in a horrific poleday qualifying crash. View of the fatal race car crash of american driver art pollard during a practice race for the indianapolis 500, indianapolis, indiana, may 12, 1973. When most people think of art pollard they think of him driving the lotus 56 turbine in the 1968 indianapolis 500. Get the best deals on indianapolis 500 souvenir when you shop the. Unique art pollard turbine indianapolis 500 8x10 photo indy car. Originally captured and posted by tbkspirit of america sonic arrow formula shell lsrv craig breedloves supersonic challenger duration.

Click on the number of races to see individual races for that year. Mike spence fatal accident at indy 500 may 7, 1968 video. At a time when most professional athletes have retired or are thinking about it, this native of medford, oregon was just getting started. Enjoyable and informative look at art pollard s life, both on and off the track. During the course of the hanford race tragedy struck the team when the car caught fire during a pit stop.

For which it was george phillips of oilpressure fame, ye elder statesman of indycar bloggers who introduced mwah to him posthumously many years ago. The book was released this year by bob kehoe of hillsboro. View of the fatal race car crash of american driver art. Profile for racing driver art pollard from united states. Jim hagar sponsor, jim soukup, ron maxwell, gary brown. Art pollard profile with all the results,graphs,team mates and stats. Mar 01, 2014 originally captured and posted by tbkspirit of america sonic arrow formula shell lsrv craig breedloves supersonic challenger duration. He qualified a rear engined offenhauser car at 157. Pollard raced a wide variety of both cars and other machinery. Pollard, a 1945 graduate of roseburg high school, began his racing career in roseburg. He was a close friend of art s poker games and all, and he says that his saddest day in racing was the day that art pollard died. May 5, 1927 may 12, 1973, was an american racecar driver. In the saturday morning practice session on may 12th, pollard was running 191. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.

The unser car spun coming out of turn four hit the wall and flipped end over end down the front straight catching fire. See more ideas about indy cars, indy car racing and racing. The innaugural ontario 500 was nearly won by pollard in this car after an unbelievable performance. Driver art pollard was killed in an accident during a. Michael henderson mike spence 30 december 1936, croydon, surrey 7 may 1968, indianapolis, indiana, usa was a british racing driver from england.

Art pollard fatal accident at indy 500 may 12, 1973. The life and career of art pollard, the southern oregon race car driver who graduated from local tracks to become a fixture at the indianapolis 500, will be celebrated with a special day today at. For the 1973 race art pollard had a new eagle, two good mechanics, and a new. August 1969 racing magazine article pollardssiteorg. Driver art pollard was killed in an accident during pole day practice.

Click on the site to see art pollards career results at that track. He drove in 180 indy car races between 1965 and 1979, winning five times. For the 1973 race art pollard had a new eagle, two good mechanics, and a new sponsor. May 16, 1982 an accident had not killed a driver here since 1973, when art pollard died on the first day of qualifications and swede savage died of injuries sustained in an accident during the race. Apr, 2014 unique art pollard turbine indianapolis 500 8x10 photo.

After four years in the navy, he went to work at hansen chevrolet, where art was a mechanic. Art pollard book touches on racecar drivers kindness. It didnt make the race, although pollard did in a lotus offy. Indy 500 deadly accidents, 1973 indianapolis motor speedway. Built by jim tipke and driven by a young man from the spokane area, tom sneva, the. Find this pin and more on indy or champ car by mustang mike. The first person i got close to was an indycar driver named art pollard. Art shook down a pushrod plymouth v8 in one of last years wedgeshaped loutus cars that wears new aero features. Life begins at 40 may be a trite, time worn expression, but it fits race driver art pollard to a t. Died after a huge crash in a practice session for the 1973 indy 500. Granatelli had a turbocharged offenhauser engine installed and named art pollard as the driver. In 1948, green and caskey traveled with pollard to race tracks all over the west coast and canada to compete in micromidget and hardtop events. Gordon smiley, a driver, killed at indy the new york times.

Pollards father, sonny, also spent time behind the wheel at their home track, winning many races and further immersing his son in the sport of racing. In 2005, pollard caught the eye of legendary nascar team owner jack roush, who invited him to be a part of roush racings driver x tryouts aired on the discovery channel. Driver bobby unser racing eagleoffy indy car 3 driver lloyd ruby racing mongoose offy indy car 25 art pollard racing lotus indy car 20 bobby unser racing car 3, joe leonard racing lotus indy car 60 driver carl williams pulling indy car 84 into pits driver gordon johncock pulling indy car 4 into pits. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Pollard also finished a tantalizing runnerup to jim mcelreath at ontario in 1970 after leading the race by 1lap before victory slipped away due to a slow tire leak and for reference, arts win tally is double somebody named danicas output. Usac champ car results races in bold indicate pole position. Art pollard book touches on racecar drivers kindness, humor. He also participated in numerous nonchampionship formula one races, as well as. Antsy drivers made for a haphazard field, with four cars across the narrow. Click on the site to see art pollard s career results at that track glossary. Deadly may of 1973 still resonates at indianapolis motor speedway.

Indy car racing indy cars 500 cars indianapolis motor speedway old race cars vintage race car car and driver big trucks le mans. In late 1970 brawner teamed with the up and coming ex stock car driver art pollard. He finished in the top ten 30 times, with 2 victories, both in 1969, at milwaukee and dover. Art pollard 1973 indy 500 fatal crash hq alternate angle extended footage slomo. The next year, granatelli teamed with lotus to create the even more radical lotus 56, and brought in formula 1 ace graham hill in to drive alongside joe leonard and art pollard. The turbine moved from alongside the driver to just behind, and the wedgeshaped aerodynamic body pioneered the basic overall body shape minus wings that openwheel cars would take and. Click on the year to see the standings for that year. Born in dragon, utah, pollard died in indianapolis, indiana. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 27 championship points. Mike spence fatal accident at indy 500 may 7, 1968. Pollards grandfather, hence pollard, built and managed senoia speedway, a 38mile dirt oval in pollards hometown of senoia, georgia, up until his death.

Art pollard fatal accident during practice for 1973. Famous racing automobile drivers birthdays, may 05. Art pollard, date of birth, place of birth, date of death. Art pollard in 1973 art pollard lived in medford oregon during the 1960s and early 70s and was killed during the indianapolis 500 time trials on may 12, 1973. He is the father of nascar driver and commentator, wally dallenbach jr contents. Pollard competed against 25 of the best drivers in the country for a shot to drive in one of the big three series. Swede savage, driver of another patrick racing, stpsponsored car. Ken glass, a longtime roseburg resident, sponsored arts car until indianapolis came calling and the rates simply got too expensive. Green, who lives in eugene, was once pollard s body and paint man. For the 1970 indy 500 brawner obtained sponsorship from jim hayhoe of hayhoe racing for his new design scorpion. An almost forgotten driver who made it to the top level of american auto racing later in life. Art pollard had a fast car for indianapolis in 1973. Driver art pollard 1965 usac champ car series results. Sep 03, 2015 the first person i got close to was an indycar driver named art pollard.

Not to mention all of the other various onehit wonders. Pollard s victories, which have come frequently throughout his career, plus championships and track records are accomplishments that few drivers, past or present, have equaled. The eulogy written by robin miller is the one that art s family feels is righton about who he was as a person and driver, and according to them, one of the most meaningful pieces. Deadly may of 1973 still resonates at indianapolis motor.