Only 497.5 Miles To Go!
Growing up in Indiana I had always wanted to attend an Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Even as a youngster I listened to the race on radio every Memorial Day weekend and then continued to follow the popular sporting event on television.
My wish came true when my boss asked me to accompany him to a meeting in Indianapolis. They gave out an attendance prize of two tickets to the famous race scheduled for Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 1973, and guess who won them? Me!
I don’t know that my boss was too thrilled but he was gracious about it. My wife, Marty, on the other hand, was excited but also a little wary of attending the event. Long before we met, she had gone to an Indy race and unfortunately witnessed a horrible accident directly in front of her seating section. It happened on May 30, 1964, when Dave MacDonald crashed on Lap 2, creating a huge fireball, and Eddie Sachs’ car T-boned the side fuel tank setting off an explosion that subsequently killed both drivers and stopped the race for an hour-and-42 minutes. Other drivers crashed into the wreck too. Sachs died in the crash and MacDonald died later.
A.J. Foyt went on to win the race, but the triumph was overshadowed by the day’s grim event. The crash led to sweeping safety changes at Indianapolis and in the motorsport. Instead of alcohol or gasoline the U.S. Auto Club mandated using methanol fuel, which burns with a cooler flame, and reduced the size of fuel tanks for subsequent races to 18.5 gallons per fuel cell. There is now no fuel in front of the driver. My wife said the accident was something she’ll never forget so it was with some reluctance she agreed to go to another race.
A co-worker and his wife were friends with a couple who lived near the Speedway. We planned to attend the race together and drove to Indy the morning of the race. We had breakfast with the Indy couple and journeyed to the famous event together in one car.
Since all three couples had separate seats at the Speedway, our local host instructed us that after the race to meet at his car parked in the Infield. Also, should the race be called for any reason – it already looked very overcast — to go directly to the car.
Our seats were great! We were sitting in infield bleachers close to the entrance into pit row. The race got underway and went one lap when a wreck occurred close to the starting line. I yelled, “There’s an accident!” and the entire bleacher section of fans all jumped-up from their seats to get a better view. Many people, including myself, lost their balance and, like dominoes, fell into the person directly in front of them. Most didn’t see anything!
The accident involved Salt Walther and forced the red flag. Before the race could be restarted, it began to rain. I mean, it was a deluge! There was no way the race was going to be restarted. It was time to try and find the strange car!
At my age today I probably would still be looking for the vehicle. But back then it seems as though it wasn’t that difficult. Maybe that’s because for some reason the car was facing a different direction than most of the cars parked near it. That prompted our host to announce that we would be forever trying to get the car out of the Infield and it would be best if we walked to their apartment. “It isn’t that far,” he said optimistically, adding that he would return early the next day to retrieve his vehicle.
Walking through the infield was easier said than done. The mud and little grass there had turned into a quagmire. The going for us was difficult but it was nearly impossible for others we witnessed. For instance, there was a guy trying desperately to push his female companion, who was passed-out in a grocery cart, through the mud and water. Another “gentleman” offered a hand to his lady friend to help her step over a stream of gushing water. However, she slipped and they both ended-up in the “drink!”
We were doing okay except for Marty. She was nearly unrecognizable! She had worn a white pantsuit that already was covered with water and mud stains from her toes up!
We finally made it to the apartment and then drove back to Fort Wayne, but we didn’t listen to the race the next day. That’s because it was again postponed on Tuesday, May 29, after rain began falling during the second parade lap. The race finally got underway on Wednesday, May 30, but rain again caused the race to be stopped and finally ruled complete after finishing just 332.5 miles instead of the usual 500!
So, my live Indy race-viewing experience was one lap of 2.5 miles! However, I’m now content to continue viewing the annual race on television.
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