RACER: Robin Miller on Jerry Sneva
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- He may not have been the most accomplished member of his fast family but Jerry "Giles" Sneva made the most out of his opportunities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In 1977, he qualified a five-year-old McLaren for his initial Indy 500, finished 10th and earned rookie-of-the-year honors. The next May he stuck an even older McLaren in the field with a banzai run in the closing minutes of time trials but he saved his real magic for 1979.
After his assigned car had blown its fifth and final engine of the month, Sneva was walking down pit lane and saw a car with no driver. Informed that NASCAR's Neil Bonnett was stuck in Dover waiting out the weather, Giles offered his services. Following a couple practice laps he went out to qualify and was presented with a stuck throttle as he barreled into Turn 1. He didn't crash, adjusted his line and braved out four laps with a jammed throttle to make the starting lineup.
In 1980, he qualified a two-year-old Lola fifth fastest, prompting a compliment from Jim Hall about his old car.
His last Indy 500 start came in 1982 and, following a couple of spins and another stuck throttle during practice in 1983, Jerry called it a day.
Brother Tom won Indy and a pair of national driving titles but Giles earned a lot of respect and five starts at Indy with talent and balls.
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Fascinating Robin, so glad I found this channel. I can listen to these stories for hours. I'm not even a huge IndyCar fan
Excellent tribute to Jerry Sneva! Always something to learn from you, Robin.
Hell, I didn't know Neil Bonett was gonna race at Indy! He was my favorite race announcer of all time, he was the only one that could see things before I did.... Love the stories
Great story Robin. I was sitting with my dad near the photographer's area where drivers and crews qualifying photos took place. It was 1977 and Jerry had just qualified that old McLaren. The speed was 186.616 and I remember asking my dad if he thought that speed would hold? Normally optimistic, he didn't say much.
Awesome Robin. I got a lot of laughs off this one. I was sitting right in the middle of the stands at the post qualifying area with my father in 1977 when Jerry Sneva qualified that junky old McLaren. His team had accepted a 186 average which immediately caused all the railbirds to speculate on whether that speed would get him in or not. In 79 he was trying to qualify Bruce Crower's old eagle with a chevy in it. As you mentioned, Jerry was a big guy and I clearly recall that he looked oversized in that cockpit. My father was a sprint car mechanic and nothing mechanical on this planet got that man more excited than the sound of a wide opened chevy. He sat there with a can of ice cold Rolling Rock beer and smiled everytime that chevy with Jerry in it came by. I just shook my head thinking "that old chevy and old eagle ain't got no shot at the big dance." The pit board guy holds up a "179" as Jerry goes by and my father misreads it and thinks it says "189." Dad goes down to Crowers pit and says "189 pard, ain't too bad." The guy looks at dad and says "no its 179!" Dad goes "oh." Jerry finally turned that old engine into a good boat anchor just as I had predicted. Grant King and Phil Threshie did eventually get a chevy in an eagle chassis in the race though so maybe I didn't know everything=LOL!
These are great Robin!
RIP Robin May will never be the same without him
Fantastic video. Thanks
So, what team did Jerry try to run Indy with in '76? I don't think they even made an official qualifying attempt.
Jerry Sneva actually tried to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1975. They didn't mention in the film whether it was on a practice or qualifying run, but he spun off turn four and lightly touched the inside wall and would have to wait two years before successfully qualifying in 1977, finishing tenth and winning Indy's Rookie of the Year. Three years later in 1980, he actually qualified where his brother Tom was used to qualifying. Up with the leaders, but he never contended and crashed on about lap 130, and crashed again in '82, this time with Danny Ongais and Chet Fillip.
exactly, RM was referring to '75 not '76