Semi official cool old Indy car pics thread

[KevMcNJ]

Thanks for the comments. I agree. These photos do give a feel for what it would have been like to be there as a regular spectator. I look at them and put myself in the photographer's shoes and speculate about what he was thinking at the time... "This race has been going on for so long, I think I might wander over to the back stretch and check out the view from there", etc. The cars themselves are very small in the frame, but in a strange way that's a good thing because I often find myself instead looking at all the details of the track precinct, whether it be the firetruck, or the scoreboards, or how much empty space there was, or even just the other spectators, and that adds to the feel of "being there" through the eyes of this photographer. You generally don't get that kind of feel and insight from the pro photos of the day.

Exactly

[flatlander_48]

It's also interesting as to what passed for spectator safety. There was essentially nothing between the people and the track except for distance...

[Chris Paff]

Fender, those pictures are awesome!

[fasteddy]

I find old pictures of IMS that show alot of the track just as fascinating as the car themselves. Thanks.

[Stick500]

I knew the backstretch wall used to be quite rickety, but Fender's second shot shows it like I've never seen it before. Cool pics...

OK, so who is going to make a book out of this classic thread?

[indybigjohn]

Thanks, Fender. Those look a lot like photos my father used to take back in the late 30s and 40s after the war. I wish I still had them.

[jerrybush]

INDY...1961

[jerrybush]

INDY...1965

[indybail]

INDY...1965

Well, apparently Al was able to put enough lipstick on that pig for A.J. to be impressed and give him his rookie ride later that month.

[Frank Capua]

INDY...1965

There is a photo of that car in Jack Fox's book "the Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500" that shows those exhaust stacks trimmed about a foot shorter. Must have been a drag.

[Frank Capua]

Smokey's winged roadster. I don't think Rathman cared for it...

It probably wasn't to shabby having shade in the pits... somebody needs to send this to Sam Posey... he didn't think there was any aero devices at Indy until 1967 when Gurney fitted some flat plates on top of the exhaust pipes coming out and up at a slight angle and foyt had a little winglet spoiler on the nose of his coyote. Only Gurney had the plate on his car only in 1966 and the Harrison car had that rear spoiler. This wing didn't make it into the race but obviously made in onto the track in `62. While it posted never before seen speeds in the turns at Indianapolis it was a bit of a drag on the straights and actually produced lower lap speeds with it on.

[ZOOOM]

I think it did pretty good considdering that Rathmann drove it with his eyes closed!
ZOOOM

[Frank Capua]

I think it did pretty good considdering that Rathmann drove it with his eyes closed!
ZOOOM

That was the preferred technique with more than one of Smokey's creations that he brought to the Speedway... I'm thinking specifically about the sidecar.

[KevMcNJ]

Chet Miller from 1952 or 53. Dont know anything about him except that he died in the South Chute in 1953

[KevMcNJ]

I forget who this is. Sam Hanks maybe? Dad probably bought this photo when it was new. His stuff slowly became my stuff over the years

[ZOOOM]

That would be Jimmy Bryan. He took over the sidewinder after Sam retired in the winners circle after he won in '57.
ZOOOM

[Indy500Dude]

That would be Jimmy Bryan. He took over the sidewinder after Sam retired in the winners circle after he won in '57.
ZOOOM

Yep, from 99 to 1! I love that car.

[JThur1]

Chet Miller from 1952 or 53. Dont know anything about him except that he died in the South Chute in 1953

Chet Miller was a great veteran. He started 16 Indy 500s, which put him near the top of several 500 stat lists for years. He was originally from Detroit and began racing dirt tracks in the region by the late 20's. Eventually, he relocated to Glendale, California, which was the real hub of Indy racing during the 50's and home or hometown of many Indy racers from the 30's through 50's. In Johnnie Parsons' book, he tells of being a young midget racer and hanging around Chet's upholstery shop in Glendale, playing cards and asking any question he could think of about Indy. Parsons credited Chet's advice and info with helping him adjust quickly at IMS. Chet also was a regular at a golf course located in the hills between Glendale and Pasadena. There is supposed to be a memorial plaque to him at the course. I pass by that course quite often and I've wanted to call or check to see if it's still there. Kind of surprising he's buried in Indianapolis instead at Forest Lawn in Glendale, where so many racers are.

[pdas1996]

Chet Miller from 1952 or 53. Dont know anything about him except that he died in the South Chute in 1953

I love that picture!

[KevMcNJ]

I love that picture!

Thanks. Dad gets Indy. Always has.

[pdas1996]

BTW, that is from 1952.

He finished 30th, started 27th, and was out at lap 41 with Supercharger trouble.

[flatlander_48]

Yep, from 99 to 1! I love that car.

In '57, Sam Hanks won with the Salih car numbered as 9. 99 was on the Demler Special, an Epperly laydown, as I remember. Jimmy Bryan used #1 in 1958 as he was USAC Champion in 1957.

[Rick Mears 500]

Man back when the majority of the field was American. CART ruled back then, open wheel doesn't even hardly exist to me anymore...

Ticket brochure for 1982 CART race at Pocono. $175,000 cars, eh?

[Doctorindy]

Am I missing something....when you sit in those bleachers, where do your feet go...or do they just dangle? Or where just supposed to stand the whole time?

[Stick500]

Am I missing something....when you sit in those bleachers, where do your feet go...or do they just dangle? Or where just supposed to stand the whole time?

What about the kids?! By the end of the race they'd be down there with the cans and hot dog wrappers......

I've never seen stands like that. Maybe you just fit your feet between the people in front of you?

[drdisque]

Referring to the 1982 Pocono Program:

Interesting the mention of the Saturday "Non-Qualifiers race".

I'm inclined to believe that this race wasn't held as according to the results - nobody was sent home - 35 cars were entered, 32 showed up, 2 wrecked in practice, so 30 started.

Does anyone know if this was supposed to be a sort of winner-takes-all race for the handful of cars that were being sent home or was it sort of a "B-main" where, for example all qualifiers slower than 26th were going for the last 4 spots in the field?

Were these held at any other 70's or 80's races?

[impact]

Am I missing something....when you sit in those bleachers, where do your feet go...or do they just dangle? Or where just supposed to stand the whole time?

Turn three, probably when the bleachers were being constructed. Most likely a practice or qualification Sunday. No workers present, but it was assumed, back then, that you should be smart enough not to fall through. Therefore, folks could still search out a new vantage point. I think.

[ZOOOM]

Those stands are way cool!
You shoulda seen the contraptions that the folks made in the early years when anything you built was ok....
Fans spent the night before the race on 16th. St. parked fender to fender acros the entire street waiting for the bomb to go off so they could race in and get their favorite spot near the fence up in three. Then they built crazy scafolding that was an accident waiting to happen...
One year it did and several people were killed when one came down!
ZOOOM

[pandora]

ah beautiful photos guys. please post some more!

[KevMcNJ]

Then they built crazy scafolding that was an accident waiting to happen...
One year it did and several people were killed when one came down!
ZOOOM

1960
Some one built a two or three story tall scaffold and the way I heard it was charging people to watch from up there. It fell over before the race even went green. When the cars went by on the parade lap everyone shifted onto the same side to get a better view and the scaffolding sank in the soft, wet ground. Then gravity took over and it fell over and sent everyone tumbling. The two fatalities were the guy who built the scaffolding and his brother or son

My dad was there that year. He knew nothing of the tragedy like most people there I bet
I still have the Indy newspaper he picked up after the race.