This was the first Indianapolis 500 for two future 2-time winners, Rodger Ward and the legendary Bill Vukovich, as well as the last for 3-time winner Mauri Rose. Of special note, this race also marked the first appearance for Roger Penske at the Indianapolis 500. Penske watched this race from the stands.
@@musicstewart9744 Penske would've been fourteen years old at the time. After that '51 race, I wonder if he ever went back to Indy again, or decided that once was quite enough...
My grandparents were here too! This was actually just a few weeks before they got married. They had to have their wedding much sooner than anticipated as Grandpa was drafted as an engineer into the US Army.
Thanks for posting this video. It was a treat to watch the Indy roadsters. I shared this video with my friend who owns Andy Linden's No. 57 Indy car, Leitenberger Special, that finished in 4th place.
@buckzx12r Hi James! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this film. I am glad that so many have enjoyed them, including yourself and yours truly. These films are of days long gone....a special era in the Indianapolis 500 history. Thanks for watching!
Knew a man named Ray Hart who was a friend of Lee Wallard's. Seems Lee never forgot his friends after wining the Indy 500. He must have been quite a person.
Check out Mauri Rose's crash at 6:04. The guys in the infield react like "oh, yeah, that's right - the Indy 500 is going on all around us, maybe we should pay attention". And they couldn't even blame checking Facebook.
A week later in reading, Pa. Wallard's car suffered a fuel line break and caught fire. Lee steered the car around a turn to avoid an explosion in front of the grandstand before exiting the car, on fire. He suffered burns over half his body, basically ending his career. it may also have contributed to his early death a dozen years later at age 52. I'm glad he had this moment of triumph.
Good old Indy - when the rollcage was your head. And the stretch of bricks at the start/finish - every lap must have been like "hmmmmm YUH YUH YUH YUH hmmmmm".
Midway into the "West Coast" driver domination era at Indy, tho Wallard was not one of them. McGrath, Faulkner, Ruttman, Parsons, Hanks, Agabashian, Vukie and Ward were all big names at places like Gilmore, Orange Show, Culver City and Carroll Speedways. Four of them had been or would be 500 winners; seven would sit on the pole.
Lee Wallard from Altamont n.y on the race had a bad crash and fire and had to retire became a steward at my home track and here i grew up Fonda Speedway "The Track of Champions"
The roadster/ Offy 270 era was the greatest of all time. Man that was racing! I wish it was still like that and I wish the Brickyard still looked like that! I was growing up in Indiana during that time and the Indy 500 was the absolute Mecca of the racing world. It was one of the truly big events of the year for our family and the atmosphere there was so festive and at race time was positively electric!
unixd0rk My grandfather and father also worked on that car. I have pictures of them around it during the development. My grandfathers name was Clarence "Chick" Pearson.
@canals22 I'm glad you enjoyed this and thanks for watching and your comment! Videos such as this are meant to be shared. They don't do anyone any good hidden behind copyrights where no one can enjoy them!
Attrition was high in this race as only eight cars finished. 5th place finisher Bobby Ball was from my home state of Arizona and is still remembered there. He died in February, 1954. A number of others who were in this race would not be around before the decade was over.
Yet further proof that you don't need to have artificial parity to keep fans and viewers interested: you just need to allow the drivers to push their (different!) machines to whatever their max is.
@buckzx12r Damn you're gettin old ain't ya. I may have heard this race, probably sittin on a brand new father's lap. I was his first kid and he was my first dad too, coincidence, I don't think so LOL . This particular race always kinda bumed me out, Lee Wallard was badly burned the very next week at Reading Pa, his celebration was short, then 27 skin grafts began. On the 27th I'll turn another decade, I thought by now I'd be grown up. Welcome to the 60s, I just sold my last race car, shit.
@buckzx12r You'd have been in paradise at Graham Heath's then. He and Bill Cantrell, who ran Indy in the Twin Coach Special, had a drive-line shop togeather in Madison Indiana. Bill ran thunderin unlimiteds also, plus was a pro rassler and game warden, kind of an intresting fellow. Graham had tons of stuff, and an Offy midget, lots of Allison/Merlin parts, stuff , great stuff. I ate in Madison one morning and followed two V-12s on a trailer till I met Graham and got to know him over time.
Ive been a HUGE Indianapolis 500 fan for most of my life.Ireally loved the roadster era,and I try to collect as much of Indy memorabilia as I can.
This was the first Indianapolis 500 for two future 2-time winners, Rodger Ward and the legendary Bill Vukovich, as well as the last for 3-time winner Mauri Rose. Of special note, this race also marked the first appearance for Roger Penske at the Indianapolis 500. Penske watched this race from the stands.
cjs83172 Wonder how old Penske was.
@@musicstewart9744 Penske would've been fourteen years old at the time. After that '51 race, I wonder if he ever went back to Indy again, or decided that once was quite enough...
My grandparents were here too! This was actually just a few weeks before they got married. They had to have their wedding much sooner than anticipated as Grandpa was drafted as an engineer into the US Army.
Thanks for posting this video. It was a treat to watch the Indy roadsters. I shared this video with my friend who owns Andy Linden's No. 57 Indy car, Leitenberger Special, that finished in 4th place.
You're welcome!
2013
@buckzx12r Hi James! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this film. I am glad that so many have enjoyed them, including yourself and yours truly. These films are of days long gone....a special era in the Indianapolis 500 history. Thanks for watching!
This was really awesome watching
Knew a man named Ray Hart who was a friend of Lee Wallard's. Seems Lee never forgot his friends after wining the Indy 500. He must have been quite a person.
Check out Mauri Rose's crash at 6:04. The guys in the infield react like "oh, yeah, that's right - the Indy 500 is going on all around us, maybe we should pay attention". And they couldn't even blame checking Facebook.
A week later in reading, Pa. Wallard's car suffered a fuel line break and caught fire. Lee steered the car around a turn to avoid an explosion in front of the grandstand before exiting the car, on fire. He suffered burns over half his body, basically ending his career. it may also have contributed to his early death a dozen years later at age 52. I'm glad he had this moment of triumph.
After he had to retire he became a steward at my home track Fonda Speedway n.y "The Track of Champions"
Nice film,
Reminds me of my first Indy 500 in 1982 when they had the old garages there.
Gasoline Alley burned in 1941..
THOSE were the sheds from 1911...
2014
Great stuff..!
Many thanks for posting !!
Good old Indy - when the rollcage was your head. And the stretch of bricks at the start/finish - every lap must have been like "hmmmmm YUH YUH YUH YUH hmmmmm".
Midway into the "West Coast" driver domination era at Indy, tho Wallard was not one of them. McGrath, Faulkner, Ruttman, Parsons, Hanks, Agabashian, Vukie and Ward were all big names at places like Gilmore, Orange Show, Culver City and Carroll Speedways. Four of them had been or would be 500 winners; seven would sit on the pole.
And Flaherty from Modesto
Second race in the 1951 formula one season
Lee Wallard from Altamont n.y on the race had a bad crash and fire and had to retire became a steward at my home track and here i grew up Fonda Speedway "The Track of Champions"
Are they using their head as a roll bar?
grigsolve pat O'Connel did.
2011
2012
Fun fact : This is the 10th overall Formula 1 race
esos autos cuando era un niño para la navida me regalaban un modelito de competicion tipo coete eran extraordinario..............
8:28 Look at that guy being salty af. Real pro gamer move.
It blows my mind that my parents are in the crowd.
1957 - 2018
Pit stops were a tad slower back then.
Cars go fast.
Lee Wallard wins with a average speed of 126 m.p.h.
This was the first time that current IMS Owner Roger Penske attended the Indianapolis 500.
Essa velha fórmula 1
INDYCAR.
Não tem nenhum carro de F1 aí.
like a rabbit xD
The roadster/ Offy 270 era was the greatest of all time. Man that was racing! I wish it was still like that and I wish the Brickyard still looked like that! I was growing up in Indiana during that time and the Indy 500 was the absolute Mecca of the racing world. It was one of the truly big events of the year for our family and the atmosphere there was so festive and at race time was positively electric!
my grandfather helped build the leitenberger special out of an old midget racer. his name was robert e. stewart.
unixd0rk My grandfather and father also worked on that car. I have pictures of them around it during the development. My grandfathers name was Clarence "Chick" Pearson.
Randy Pearson Wow, I know a few people who would love to see those pictures and I'm one of them!
This is a really great video.From the year I was Born!Thanks for sharing!
James Becker
@canals22 I'm glad you enjoyed this and thanks for watching and your comment! Videos such as this are meant to be shared. They don't do anyone any good hidden behind copyrights where no one can enjoy them!
Wallard's career effectively ended just one week later, when he was severely burned in a crash.
Attrition was high in this race as only eight cars finished.
5th place finisher Bobby Ball was from my home state of Arizona and is still remembered there. He died in February, 1954. A number of others who were in this race would not be around before the decade was over.
Damn..no wall between the pits and the track....some lucky bastards
Yet further proof that you don't need to have artificial parity to keep fans and viewers interested: you just need to allow the drivers to push their (different!) machines to whatever their max is.
@buckzx12r Damn you're gettin old ain't ya. I may have heard this race, probably sittin on a brand new father's lap. I was his first kid and he was my first dad too, coincidence, I don't think so LOL . This particular race always kinda bumed me out, Lee Wallard was badly burned the very next week at Reading Pa, his celebration was short, then 27 skin grafts began. On the 27th I'll turn another decade, I thought by now I'd be grown up. Welcome to the 60s, I just sold my last race car, shit.
@buckzx12r You'd have been in paradise at Graham Heath's then. He and Bill Cantrell, who ran Indy in the Twin Coach Special, had a drive-line shop togeather in Madison Indiana. Bill ran thunderin unlimiteds also, plus was a pro rassler and game warden, kind of an intresting fellow. Graham had tons of stuff, and an Offy midget, lots of Allison/Merlin parts, stuff , great stuff. I ate in Madison one morning and followed two V-12s on a trailer till I met Graham and got to know him over time.
I love nurburgring , spa , motegi , and le mans , but nothing fascinates me more than indy
AHAHAHAHAHAHAH THE BIT STOP IS AWESOME.. ITS LIKE 4 EVER
It would take Colin Chapman and The Woods Brothers NASCAR crew to get Lotus pit stops down to c.30 seconds.
About 1965..
Not really. Not that impressed
👍
8 cars finished! Man