THRILLING INDIANAPOLIS 500 1955 16mm film of historic Memorial Day Indy 500
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2019
- 29-year-old Bob Sweikert wins the 1955 Indy 500 driving a car built by Tulsa, OK industrialist Jack Zink. Actress Dinah Shore congratulates Sweikert in winners' circle.
During the race former Indy 500 winner Bill Vukovich was killed when his roadster flipped repeatedly in a 4 car wreck. One year later, Bob Sweikert would be killed in a sprint car race.
Film provided by Jack Zink 
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No corporate sponsors. Just men with the desire to win. Pure sport.
My Mom was born in Speedway, at the track hospital. She met Vukovich, and saw him die in the race. She said she cried for weeks. RIP Bill Vukovich. RIP Mom, the little girl who loved racing.
wow, saw the wreck, yipes, it was a cartwheel and flames and i believe the car landed on him or he probably would have survived. I believe he tried to avoid hitting someone from behind but he was going 140MPH and it was unavoidable.
I absolutely love to see the houses near the track in Speedway, all decorated. This year we walked by a house where they had used colored chalk to decorate their sidewalk with “welcome back home again”. IF we had been able to attend in 2020, this year would have been my 30th.
born at the track hospital, did she go in labor at a race or quals?
very sad day i remember hearing about this
How was your mom born at the IMS Hospital? Were her parents attending the race when your Grandmother went into labor? That is a cool thing to put on anyone's resume.
RIP to all who loved this sport enough to give their lives to it and to the people who's spirit they carried with them in their quest for speed.
Superb video, so glad this survived and is available. I was 11 years old, we were listening to this race on the radio in the garage. My brother and I lived and breathed anything about cars. Vuky was our hero. To have him die in this race was traumatic to say the least. Of course, back then, a fatality would not stop the race. These guys were straight up badass, to be sure!!
This was the BEST 1950's Film on the Indy 500 , I have ever seen !!...........Thank you very much for posting.....
I was 1 month old on this date. Thanks for the look back.
Hard to believe the risks that were acceptable back during this era. Those guys were gladiators.
16 of the 33 in this race did not survive their racing careers. Twelve of them were dead by September of '61.
@@TS-ev1bl Yeah, turns out that using your head for a roll bar isnt very good for your health.
Isle of Man…..
There were a LOT of safety rules. Advanced technology for safety was yet to come however.
It was when MEN were MEN !
The cars of the Fifties were beautiful!
The drivers during this era of racing had nerves of steel. Thanks for this rare look from the past.
OMG....My father, tall dark and handsome! Turbo Bob DeBisschop as in Turbo charged Offenhauser, is the guy with the pink shirt & white pants with the binoculars and pit board for Jack Zink's 06 pink car driven to the win by
Bob Sweikert.
My Mom just passed away a week ago and Dad had a heart attack the next day and still hospitalized...
Imagine my glory when I stumbled across the video!!
JACK FRANK THANK YOU!!!
I didn't expect to see this comment, but you should ask him what the heck 19.9 on the sign board meant 😉
My Grandfather was there as part of Bill's team, he was an aerospace engineer, who made parts for pretty much everybody.
@@bigharrykochenbauls4567 I would love to but he passed away last Saturday. Another Racing Legend gone.
@@bigharrykochenbauls4567 Dad was a Mechanical Engineer from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo , worked aerospace for years after he worked for Garrett and developed the Turbo Charged Offenhauser that took Bobby Unser to his first Victory Circle at Indy.
He built Unsers Sprint car in the 60's and I remember Billy Vukovich Jr from those days. I was about 3 or 4 riding on Dads shoulders at Ascot Park. Such memories.
@@mgrayfox59 sorry to hear that, the truly Greatest Generation is rapidly dissappearing. If you feel like investigating, the Nov. 1955 Hotrod Magazine centerfold is my grandfather.
His specialty was prototyping and pattern/tool making. He and my dad worked with Vesco/Caruthers/Roberts Yamaha, also building KR's Indy Mile bike, Don's 300+ mph streamliners. So he dabbled in all of it pretty much.
Bill Vukovich is STILL in the top 10(#8)in career laps lead at the Indianapolis 500. He achieved this in only 5 races. Let that sink in. Every one in front of him have at least twice as many starts except Parnelli Jones(7), with most having 3-7 times the number of starts.
His lead was 17 seconds when he crashed on the 57th lap and it's conceivable he could have lead the rest of the way. Which had he done so would've put him #2 ALL TIME in career laps led to only Al Unser....in really only 4 races as his start in '51 ended pretty quickly with mechanical failure on the 29th lap after starting 20th and working his way into the top 10...in an inferior car.
Imo He is Still the greatest driver to ever race there
I agree completely!
Bill Vukovich and Jimmy Clark might be the greatest drivers to run in the 500.
thanks for the info....open wheel racing is way too dangerous, i think Vuky is number 1
@@SBCBears , Jimmy Clark was the all time best race driver in the world. He would win against the world's best and by laps, using less tire and fuel. He drove away from the pack to simply win the 500. But he drove a formula 2 car set up so radically other drivers wouldn't drive it, and lost it and hit a tree and died.
@@phibber Yeah and so is life and we need to evolve it not run from it
And not a word spoken of Vukovich after he was gone.
He passed on, doing what he wanted to be doing, attempting what no other had ever done.
Three in a row.
RIP Vuci!!
Salute!
Wilbur Shaw won 3 races, 1937, 39, 40. 39 & 40 were in the Boyle Maserati, the last foreign made car to win until Jimmy Clark 1965 in a British Lotus, see my other comment here!
It’s amazing to think how, back in those days death was an accepted part of the sport so easily. Drivers knew what could happen but did it anyway. Brave souls.
@@mbbb9244 Yeah Im still not sure why they even bothered to wear helmets of any kind. Without the roll bar the helmet is practically useless.
Yeah it's crazy.
Back when people weren't so self-important and trying to drown out the thought of anything morbid happening to them with a false sense of security.
This was 1955. The following month, June 11, 1955 the most catastrophic accident in the history of motor racing would take place. The 24h of Le Manns, 83 spectators would be killed.
@@iflick7235 wow that’s crazy to think about.
I recall hearing this race over the radio with my Father. It was exciting as the announcer's voice punctuated by the sound of the powerful roadster engines sweeping past made for great mind theater. I recall all the names of the Indy immortals: Vukovich, Bettenhousen, Hanks, Rathman, Ward and the rest. The announcement of, "there appears to be black smoke rising from the backstretch and the crowd is up and standing ... " foretold an ominous feeling. Sadness from Father and the rest of the gathering of family. Even though none knew the Vukovich family, the name was synonymous with open wheel Indy racing as Eddie Sachs would be later.
I also remember my Father before each race turning on the radio awaiting Tony Hulman's strong voice intoning, "Gentlemen ... Start your engines!" The mighty roars, like lions as the engines began the full throated roar that would last for 3 hours and more. My Father, to the grin of the other men in the yard awaiting the start of the race would hear Father say, "The Indy 500 is about to begin; men only allowed. All sissies keep away." They weren't PC at all back then.
Regardless I still listen to the radio take of the race. It brings back cherished memories of a unique American tradition.
What a great driver Bill Vukovich was. The incinerated hulk of his vehicle was repaired and used by driver Jim Rathmann the following year. That was crazy, but it shows how the sport was run on a shoestring budget back in those days.
That's extraordinary. These cars must have been built like tanks. Thank you for that information.
Vucky was from Fresno, CA. My home town. Whenever I pass the building that was his gas service station, I think of how talented and brave he was. Respect.
These old school dudes were hardcore insane.
It's so wonderful to see the race in such lifelike colours! A very well-produced film, too. Thank you for posting that!
Does color change the course of events?
Of course not.
Do you often make brainless comments?
My uncle was a big fan of Vukovich. He and my dad listened to this race on the radio, while laying sod on our yard. Told to me by my mom. Her brother was heartbroken. My uncle Ed had met Vuky when he raced midgets near St Paul Minnesota.
Me and my dad were hoping Vukovich would win it. We’d been on a fishing trip and stopped for a hamburger when the wreck happened. A sad day but a good race overall. Great bit of film, thanks to all.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Pride of Fresno>
stopped for a hamburger in what city?
North Little Rock Arkansas, on the old Memphis Highway. I wrote a short story about that day but it won’t fit here. Driving out at 3:00 am and back then, you had to go through the heart of downtown. We were in a ‘53 Pontiac convertible an I am still able to recall, vividly, the events of the day. In 1961, we attended the race, had infield seats above pit row and the Eb Rose Special was right in front of us. I remember watching Jack Turners car twirling in mid air after hitting the wall opposite us…there was an oil slick from an impact just seconds before. I recall watching everyone pass Brabrahm in the Cooper on the front straight and then he’d return the favor in the corners. He was badly outgunned but still managed a 10th place finish. The rear engined car certainly out handled the beautiful but aging Indy Roadsters. Before the start, Ray Haroun took the Marmon from fifty years earlier on a demo lap. It had an elevated rear view mirror and was green. It still ran OK. That’s a whole other story though. I watched the ‘55 replay and the ‘61 too. Very well done and intensely realistic. Those we’re sure different times at 140 mph with 22 second pit stops. This year they cracked 240 mph and pit stops were instantaneous by comparison. I listened to my first race in ‘49, I was going on age 5 and heard it all on my grandads radio. He was a big fan and had been from day one. So was my dad and so am I. As races go, it’s unique. The cars are better and safer, the drivers are better too I think, but it’s just not the same. The sense of amateurism has been replaced by professionalism all the way. At 240 mph that’s probably a good thing.
@@paulschmolke188 wow, what a story, so awesome to hear things like this !!!!!! 240!!!! oh my goodness!!!
Thanks for the fine documentary. This was the most dangerous era of racing. You really had to be a daredevil to run these things.
The only time I saw my old man teary eyed, Vukovich was his man..
. . Amazing .. no protective clothing .. wearing tee shirts ..Bravery beyond words..May all the deceased Rest In Sweet Peace...♡
My company sponsored a car for while at Indy. Went 4-5 years and got to experience the races in the pits. Also was able to drive a Pace Car around the track. An experience I will never forget!!
I was only 3 years old. Where I lived you could hear the engines when they practiced especially the Offies those 4 cylinder cars were really loud. Thanks for the race.
Thank you take care 🙂
l remember these races...l am in my 80's....Thanks so very very much Jack.......Shoe🇺🇸
Grew up in Indy, that was my first "500", at least that I remember a little about, I was 8 years old. My dad and I went running across the infield toward Vukovich's wreck and I remember seeing the smoke rising from it. Went to a few more over the years, last good one for me was '72 when Donahue won it. It's amazing to see the lack of safety at the track at that time and with the drivers gear. It takes a few "incidents" to get the wheels in motion and Indy has had it's share!
Racers will race, no matter the risk. This film must have been restored, or wonderfully archived. A beautiful look at the old brick track, and the race cars of the time. Those machines had no roll bar, aerodynamic down force, and the car usually fared better than the driver in a crash. Very cool.
As a kid I grew up with the race on the radio and my dad used to have it blaring to hear everything out in the yard. I've been to Indy for the race twice and as soon as the flag drops the sound of the field coming to speed gives you the chills. I was at the infield turn watching Danny Sullivan do a 360 on the last lap to win the race. Nothing like the Indy 500 experience in the world.
I recommend that every American go see the Indy 500 at least once in their lives. My wife and I went in '94 and I'll never forget it. We got to our seats in the infield Turn 2 exit stands just as Jim Nabors started singing "Back Home Again In Indiana." Nothing can prepare you for the immensity of the place and I'm drawn to how it is a unique racing problem to solve (other than during the years OMS existed).
@@hubbsllc I must agree with you. " Speedway Indiana is an entity of itself and the track complex is unique. I've been there twice for the 500. You never get used to it regardless if you know what's going to happen. Getting a pit pass enhances the experience if you ever go back. You'll never expect the famous people milling about with the rest of the race fans. I've been to the Molson Indy race in Toronto which is fun even though they are racing Indy cars it's not the same experience.
'Spin and win' , yessir! Not being a smart ass, but that happened in the middle of the race, not the last lap.
Yeah, 1985... Danny Sullivan *spin and Win* happened on lap 120 in front of Mario Andretti. Sullivan passed Andretti again on Lap 140 to go on and WIN!
@@robertwarstler4603 Robert I was thinking of Sullivan all during the race yesterday. Wished I was back on the track for the race.
Driving 140+ mph on bricks. I see people wearing more safety gear driving a forklift these days
Bill was my Grandpa's best friend, he never stepped foot at Indy again after Bill's death. He watched all of his driver-friends die in front of him...
About the only friend he had left was Roy Richter
Who was your Grandpa?
My Dad was the tall dark and handsome guy with the pit board and binoculars on Sweikert's team,
Bob De Bisschop. He just passed away this weekend and my Mom a month ago. Vuki as Dad called him was a great friend to them all.
Bob Sweikert was killed the next year as well.
God Bless both you guys. Vuky was from my hometown which he literally put on the map and he is still reverred there by all us oldtimers. I just visited his gravesight this last weekend while visiting my relatives. The thing that has me bursting with pride is he is still in the top 10(#8)of total laps led in a CAREER there. In just 4 races.
@@plantfeeder6677 he was amazing, i will visit his little town if you could share with me where it is. is there a monument to him there? or some type of museum for him there in a little one room school-house converted to a Bill Vukavich museum? If not, get on it.
@@harpoon_bakery162 Fresno, California. Not a small town anymore. If you live anywhere in the west you'd be familiar with.
@@plantfeeder6677 great, thanks, sounds like a nice place for sure.
I used to race a car made by Ed Zink..It was fast and very well built!!..👍🗽🇺🇸
Just driving 500 miles is hard, I can't imagine doing it at high speed constantly going in and out of other cars!
They were the greatest generation!!!
Thank you for showing this, awesome men in a very dangerous time period of open wheel racing.
I remember that day very good. R.I.P. Mr. Vukovich. Really do miss the old roadsters on the track
You are welcome.
I was born May 21st, 1955 so I didn't get to see or listen to this race but my dad was a huge fan of Indy 500 racing. He recounted the story of Bill Vukovich and his greatness and tragic end many times to me as a child. It apparently made a big impression on me because I am a big Indy fan as well and I know how that 1955 race unfolded. Rest in peace Bill Vukovich. A great historical Indy 500 legend.
175,000 fans ? More than half of Indy was at this years 500 ! I was there and it was indeed, spectacular!
I'm going to estimate 215,000 because the entire back berm was full along with the golf course for overflow, the Speedway allowed more in that year due to popularity. They had to get approval, but they opened it up and 35,000 more fans poured in because there were so many superstar drivers that year.
@@harpoon_bakery162 I had no idea. I’m a race fan but not a devotee. I love the history of the race though. I’ve always been a big fan of the Andrettis !
This is the best footage I ever seen from back then. Thank You John Zink
Bill Vukovich was the best. His crew was waiting for him, that was sad. He never made it back.
The most unsafe race cars, ever.
I have watched the Indianapolis 500, on television, every year since 1973. I would have loved to have been near a radio listening to the race in the 1950's.
I was never much interested in the race, but oddly, I was listening and stricken when Vukavitch went over the wall. I was maybe 8th. grade.
Me too!! My dad would let me stay up late to watch the race. We'd build a couch fort, pop popcorn on the stove and watch the race together until I fell asleep. I was 5 so I usually made it to half-way. ABC wouldn't televise the race live. You had to wait until later in the day before they showed it. It was one of my favorite nights of the year!
you are a saint and must be my exact age.
@@perrysims3320 I listened to the Indy 500 on the radio in the 50's. It was very exciting, even on the radio......
Tony Bettenhausen, Bill Vukovic... I was 5 years old when this film was shot - and I remember those names! Look at the tyre tread. Half slick long before slicks were common! The brickyard surface all the way along the main straight and the wonderful safety features!
Awesome! My dad was a mechanic and every year some salesman or other would get ahold of the Indy 500 film. We'd have a movie night in the shop with folding chairs and everyone's families. I was 11 for this one, and Vukovich was my hero.... Great memories!
This is an incredible film. Thanks for sharing it.
Pure Racing, pure Spectators Immersion and Delight, pure Danger. This was the Real Thing.
I was 9 then, and at the first turn infield with my parents. I'm shocked nothing was mentioned of the people injured by the debris! I remember vividly that day, the eerie silence after the crash, and the piercing sirens of so many ambulances. A lot of fans sobered up quickly that day.
Outstanding restoration and remastering of this film.
Thank you.
Insane on every level
great film Jack!!!! Bob Sweikert was amazing in this race. too bad for Vuky tho, he went up in a cart-wheel of death that most there won't ever forget. It was by the bridge (famous bridge that used to be over the track). Some gave all , RIP Vuky
These drivers were insane! They were completely exposed and had pretty much no safety gear. Damn shame that Vukovich was in the wrong place at the wrong time - he was well on his way to becoming one of the all time greats.
So many memories, Anyone could win. Traditions and Voices. "It's a new track record"..."Back Home in Indiana...My home sweet home". RIP Bill Vukovich...age 37...was leading the race by 17 seconds when he passed away...INDY HEAVEN. To the winner was $76,000 for 5 hours and 53 minutes of racing...SWEIKERT
My parents were at this race exactly 2.5 years before I was born. From where they were sitting, they could see the smoke, and Vukovich's car was not coming around anymore.
Thank you very much for posting this rare race film!
1:15 5/29/23: Became a fan for a time after this race. Sorry Vucky died a horrible death. Always felt Sweikert was overlooked for his accomplishments though. And a year later he was dead. What more could he have done if he survived longer? He was headed up.
Really beautiful quality...would love to see more of this from other years!
lol the question mark on the pit board
Great to be able to watch film of what it was like to race back in the day when things were still in its infant stages with these race cars and didn't have anything close to what they have now a days with safety and these pioneers of racing paved the way for todays racers and cars.
Excellent Film,Amazing footage and color.Seeing these Cars and Drivers With Little to No safety Equipment. ANY ROLL CAGES ,THESE GUYS ARE TOUGH .THANKS FOR ALL THE RACING AND HARD WORK TO MAKE THIS
Possable
What an incredible picture quality!
Beautifull but dangerous racecars , what a era ! ❤❤❤
This was so awesome! Thank you!
god i love this honestly 1 of the best i've seen broadcast today should include footage during the races it would be so smart.
In 1955 I was not quite 5 years old, I didn't really become aware of Indy until AJ Foyt won in 1967. I was hoping for Parnelli Jones to win, that turbine fascinated me but with 3 laps to go the gearbox decided to take a poop. The drivers today look younger than the drivers in 1955.
I've been going to the Indy 500 since I was in a stroller, my first race was Rick Mears' 4th win, seeing Castroneves win his 4th a few years ago was magic. There's nothing like it in the world; truly the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
This was so fun to watch!!!
Thank You!
Oh, and that is the best film I have seen that is of something that old! Nice job Jack Frank Productions!
Five riders died at the Tourist Trophy in the last few days. We're no different than our ancestors.
Excellent!! Thank you!
I like how the tires squeal, even on the grass.
Lmao
This is a great looking film. In color and preserved! Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
Fantastic vid! Thank you very much for sharing, appreciate it a lot!
Greets from the Netherlands 🌷, T.
Priceless footage.
This is nuts. Happy month of May thanks for posting
Good thing, they were all wearing safety T-shirts ...
I have seen clips of the big accident but had no idea the race went on , different times for sure . Great Film , Thank you !
Yellow flags were not used. It wasn't until a driver who saw the crash pitted, that the deceased driver's team knew what happened. Reminds you of the old European racing of the time.
Great Film
I was 7 years old whenever I think of a race car I get a picture of the old front engine roadsters in my mind
The speedway looks like a deathtrap compared to today. It even had potholes.
Not to mention the low, easily vaulted outside walls, flimsy wooden guard rails, fully grown trees, a creek, crowds of people, and cars parked along the edge of the track, bridges over and under the track, pit row not physically separated from the track along the front stretch, etc. I'm surprised more people weren't killed there over the years back then. The speed of the cars had definitely outgrown the rules, safety equipment, and track configuration and condition.
The Roadster era. My father owned two and raced them as a sprint car in the 70's and 80's around the midwest. I learned about Dzus fasteners from the Roadster.
Lysle Roberts?
Fantastic film, great quality.
Glad you enjoyed it
Joel Wolfe Thorne's last attempt to qualify in the 500 was 1955. His car failed to qualify and in October he would die in a plane crash in LA.
How far we've come from those days. With the new car designs, and materials, plus the track improvements.Cars have gotten lighter, faster, and safer.
Did you notice Jimmy Bryan coming into the pits standing up on the head rest, shrugging his shoulders? Not a seatbelt in sight, and not much of a helmet? Racing in mostly short sleeves. You don't see that anymore anywhere?
In those days it was better to be thrown from the car than be trapped in the burning car
They didn't start using seat belts till the mid-'60s rear engine cars. Like someone else said, it was better to be thrown out of these roadsters than stay with the car.
Interesting clip thanks for sharing
Incredible..
Great documentary, enjoyed every minute, thanks alot.
The race must go on, come Hell, high water or death!
A harrowing accident. I knew that Bill Vukovich lost his life at Indy 500 in 1955. He was one of several great drivers who paid the ultimate price.
Love seeing the style of the times … they all like they are having fun
I remember as a kid, that as a family we would stop and listen to the Indy 500. Later when it became televised we would crowd around the TV. It was the only sporting event, besides Tiger baseball, that we would gather as a family for. I wanted to be a race car driver so bad, but my parents said no! I have been frustrated ever since! LOL This was back when racing was really racing, no attempt at parity or fairness, just racing! Not at all like today!
Vuky was on another level
The greatest driver ever at Indy
I have to agree Rob. If Vuky hadn't been killed in '55 no telling how many 500's he would've won. He was leading in '52 with 9 laps to go and had mechanical failure, won in '53 and '54, was leading by a lot in '55 when he was lapping the field again and got caught up in someone else's wreck. He conceivably could've won 4 in a row, totally unheard of even today. I saw a great documentary on Bill Vukovich and he truly was one of a kind. My first year at Indy was in '59, and still remember the first time I saw a roadster going down the backstretch as we drove under the tunnel. I was seven years old. Dad says my eyes were bigger than saucers and my mouth wide open. Greatest thing I had ever seen in my life, and still one of the greatest memories I'll ever have.
I started attending in 1988. This year, 325k or so attended. Imagine, 180 mph seemed so fast, and that is now the speed that a two-seater ride goes!
I used to go to Indy and was there when the cars were hitting over 240mph on the backstretch. Soon after the changed the rules to slow them down.
Great racing back when the brickyard was made of bricks and drivers were gladiators. 1955 was the year of the horrific Le Mans crash that killed and injured hundreds just a few weeks after this race. That tragedy led to some much safer conditions for both drivers and especially spectators. All the safety equipment I grew up around: seatbelts, roll cages, nomex suits, fuel shutoffs, were the result of brave racers who lost their lives racing in the fifties. Many tracks were redesigned for the higher speeds and most of the great European road races (i.e. Mille Miglia) were stopped entirely.
Mille Miglia and Targa Florio did stop but would stay active a bit longer. The first, if I remember correctly, ended after another big incident in '57.
Oh how I remeber the sound of those Offenhauser engines on the radio. No offense but I got a chuckle about the comment of watching it on TV. In 1955 there were still a lot of homes that didn't have a TV. It is amazing how much the track has changed. No pit road really took me by surprise. 2023 Indy 500 is tomorrow.
17:48 - I love the pit board message! :D
wonderful
I was wondering how there could be such a major race on a Monday (May 30th) but it was memorial day. Incidentally this race was held 4 months to the day before James Dean's fatal crash (Sep 30th). I wonder if he was there or watched it on TV?
Didn't watch it on tv I assure you. It wasn't broadcast live till the late '60s.
The number 130 on Dean's car was chosen from the average speed of the winner in 1954 - Bill Vuckovich at 130.84 mph. Oddly, both died in the others home state.
Wow
It was nice to see this
As somebody who has been at the race in the pits ('95--'98) and driven a pace car around Indy, I can't imagine driving a car that fast with an open and exposed cockpit. Those guys in those days had nerves of steel. The track looked to be in pretty bad shape also.
thanks
This was wonderful in all the good respects of racing that it is.
Wow this was more exciting then any new current race.