Langhorne, May 1, 1955

[Littleman]

Not a very good day for racing. Mike Nazaruk, one of the great ones, took his last laps in a race car. I can still visualize him coming past the stands on his last lap, wiping off his goggles, then right after "Puke Hollow" it was all over. I guess e often wonder - "What if"?

[Pelican Joe]

He was a Marine who saw extensive service in the Pacific during WW2, correct?

[KnockOff]

Thanks for the reminder.

R.I.P.

[impact]

He was a Marine who saw extensive service in the Pacific during WW2, correct?

Yes. Mike Nazaruk, as a marine, saw action at Guam, Bougainville Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Mike and many of his peers had been through so much by the time they took up racing that they had nothing in life left to fear. I was a friend of car owner, Lee Elkins; Lee always said that Mike was his favorite driver. Of course they were good drinking buddies also and more than once would physically clean out a bar after a night of sprint car racing. Mike was to drive Lee's car at Indianapolis, again, in 1955. Lee never did forgive him for going off to Langhorne and getting himself killed.

[Indyote]

Not a very good day for racing. Mike Nazaruk, one of the great ones, took his last laps in a race car. I can still visualize him coming past the stands on his last lap, wiping off his goggles, then right after "Puke Hollow" it was all over. I guess e often wonder - "What if"?

And then to imagine that it was only the start of what were possibly the two darkest months within motor racing history, the effects of which we still deal with.....

indyote

[ensign14]

And Crash Crockett had already been killed...