Posted on 05/24/2014 5:02:09 PM PDT by Loud Mime
These are just a few observations. I encourage other Freepers to add to this thread.
I just just in the 8th grade at this time and was addicted to the race, having attended the '62 and '63 races. This event I watched on closed circuit TV at Graumann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Shortly into the race there was a picture that I cannot forget, a screen filled with smoke and fire in a wreck that was so bad it stopped the race and claimed the lives of two drivers.
Dave McDonald drove Micky Thompson's car, which used gasoline. He lost control coming out of turn four. and crashed into the infield retaining wall. Immediately upon impact
the car blew up like a napalm bomb and bounced back into the track. It was hit dead center by Eddie Sachs' car. Both men died in this horrible crash.
Eddie Sachs
Later in the race, Parnelli Jones' car caught fire during its refueling stop. Parnelli didn't catch on immediately, focusing on joining the race. But the waving of the fans finally caught his attention.
I remember his turning in his seat, recognizing the fire, aiming the car toward the pit wall, and then bailing out of the car.
I still remember how the crowd moved from the area that Jones' car was headed. It was almost funny. It was like how pepper moves from the drop of detergent.
Jim Clark, was favored to win the race. But that month the Dunlop tires started losing chunks of their tread. They had to race on the same tires they qualified on, so they couldn't change the design.
During the race Clark's tire threw off a section of tread that caused his suspension to collapse. The car was still skidding in the infield when Clark undid his harness and rose and twisted his body so he could see what had happened to his car.
Earlier, Clark, the fastest in the field, jumped far ahead of the field at the start. After the fire had stopped the race, Chris Econamaki asked Clark how he had jumped into such a lead. Clark told him something
like "if you wait, I'll show you again." He did exactly that.
For some time the dinosaur front engine cars vied for the lead in the race. It was the last time they would do this, as the rear-engine cars took over.
A.J. Foyt, the eventual winner, is pictured here fighting it out with Parnelli Jones (his real first name is Rufus).
I went to Indy for the 500 in 1981. It was amazing how fast the cars were compared to how it looks on television. Danny Ongias had a huge crash coming out of turn 3. I was in the infield on the fence at turn 4 and could feel the force of the crash in my chest.
I remember Danny well. I used to talk to him at Lions Drag Strip and he was one of the friendliest guys around. He was really hurt in that crash. Bummer.
Ford's Indy Engine was a very strange design.
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