Sam hanks race car driver

William frishe, 18991981 hanks, sam, 19141994 indianapolis motor speedway speedway, ind. Click on the number of races to see individual races for that year. F1 drivers indy cars auto racing formula one champs race cars indie. He was director of racing from 1958 to 1979 and drove the pace car. Sam hanks, ted duncan, pete romcevich, cecil green. Automobiles, racing automobile racing drivers further information on this record can be found at its source. In fact, he was a lifelong friend of driver sam hanks, and their friendship went back two decades to the prewar california racing scene, where the two built dry lake race cars together. Brickyard vintage racing invitational the pedigree of the brickyard vintage racing invitational june 2021 at the indianapolis motor speedway is elite, for both machines and drivers. More than 300 of the worlds most exceptional vintage race cars will compete in 12 different sportscar vintage racing association svra classes on the 14turn. He had also worked as a technical representative for fred offenhauser. Popular driver sam hanks headed into 1957 with 12 indianapolis 500 starts under.

Bill cummings november 11, 1906 indianapolis, indiana february 8, 1939 indianapolis, indiana nicknamed wild bill, won the 1934 indianapolis 500. I pause every may 1 and remember a sad day 55 years ago. Hanks was 42 years old in the spring of 1957, and he knew time was running out to get his face on the borgwarner trophy. On may 15, driver keith andrews was killed practicing in nino farinas car.

Sam drove the pace car for the indianapolis 500 a record 6 times, 19581963. Sam hanks july, 1914, columbus, ohio june 27, 1994, pacific palisades, california was an american racecar driver who won the 1957 indianapolis 500. Sam hanks, legendary racer and indy hall of fame member, started racing midget cars as a teenager in the early 1930s. He won the american automobile association national driving title in 1953 and placed among the top ten in the final driving title standings on four other occasions.

Click on the year to see the standings for that year. Sams retirement from driving did not preclude his participation in racing, serving as the. In 1957 george salih offered sam the chance to drive his radically new race car with the offenhauser engine. Sam hanks will be remembered as a fair but determined driver and a true sportsman. Memory lane sam hanks wins 1957 indianapolis 500 youtube. Hanks considered retirement after his runnerup finish in 1956. Still spry and engaging at 91 and marking the 71st anniversary of her baptism into racing with a visit to ims last week, alice remembers the details of. The passing of sam hanks last week was more than the death of a great race driver.

Prior to the war, hanks had primarily been a midget racer although he had appeared in a couple of indy races. Indy cars, car and driver, formula one, troy, champs. Sam hanks tried 12 times before he won the indianapolis 500, but. The winner, however, was destined to be sam hanks, who drove a flawless race in the belond special with the laydown engine. During his 1953 championship season, he started in 11 races, won. More than 300 of the worlds most exceptional vintage race cars will compete in 12 different sportscar vintage racing association svra classes on the 14turn, 2. Foyt saw his mom admiring this gold car and he said hed win it for her. He won the 1947 night before the 500 midget car race and was the 1949 aaa national midget champion.

He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and championship cars contents. Profile for racing driver sam hanks from united states. A versatile racer in the united states, he started 11 indianapolis 500 races, but also competed in midget cars, sprint cars and stock cars with success. Sam hanks, who drove the winning car in the 1957 indianapolis 500, died on monday at his home in suburban pacific palisades. When asked about his postwar plans, hanks replied that his racing equipment was in storage, and that he was heading back to the tracks once the war was over. Cummings died driving a passenger automobile on state road 29 in indianapolis, when he hit a guard rail and plunged 50 feet 15 m into lick creek. If anyone could bring a race car home it was hanks. Duane carter, a founder of the united states auto club and a former race car driver whose career included 11 starts in the indianapolis 500, died sunday. Yes, jimmie johnson, the all time winner at dover, feels right at home on the 1mile concrete oval.

Aaa midget 1949 standings championship points standings for the aaa midget 1949. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and championship cars. Sam hanks sprint car racing news, schedules, results. Nationality of participating drivers % country drivers number.

Further information on this record can be found at its source. Auto racing memories vintage race cars sam hanks, 1957. Sam hanks with images race cars, indy 500, indy cars. Hanks, one of our first hot rodders, built his very own offenhauser powered midget in 1935 and started winning soon after. He was perhaps the last link to the golden era of midget auto racing in southern california, a time before air. He is the only driver to compete at the indy 500, then serve during world. Hanks went stock car racing shortly after, winning the pacific coast championships in 1956 and 1957. V8 200 of these engines were produced so they could use them in nascar sam hanks. Remembering the death of speedy mike nazaruk speed sport. From news and results, to online fantasy racing has it all. The most comprehensive sprint car racing website on the web. He retired after that win and was director of racing at indy from 1958 to 1979. Popular driver sam hanks headed into 1957 with 12 indianapolis 500 starts under his belts but no victories, finishing second in 1956 and third in 1952 and 1953. Sam hanks tried 12 times before he won the indianapolis 500, but when he finally did, he pulled his car into victory lane, kissed his wife, alice, took a swig of milk and announced his retirement.

Moving on to indy cars in 1949, he eventually won the indianapolis 500, a dream fulfilled in 1957. Sam hanks was an american racecar driver who won the 1957 indianapolis 500. Indianapolis speedway race automobile racing drivers police photography bouquets further information on this record can be found at. Sam hanks july, 1914, columbus, ohio 1 june 27, 1994, pacific palisades, california 2 was an american racecar driver who won the 1957 indianapolis 500. Hanks, sam, 19141994 indianapolis motor speedway speedway, ind. But he agreed to drive salihs layover car in 1957 despite the. View f1 statistics and a f1 career summary of sam hanks, including career stats, yearly summary, stats per grands prix and circuits, and more. Sam hanks born july 1914 in ohio, died 27 june 1994 in pacific palisades was an american racing driver who won the 1957 indianapolis 500. Sam hanks was an outstanding driver in three divisions of racing over a period of many years. I was already a fan of auto racing and because of speed age magazine, i was already aware of bigtime racing and attending weekly races coming home from school may 2, the headline blared that mike nazaruk had lost his life the day before at the nasty circular oval at langhorne, pa. He won the 1957 indianapolis 500, giving him one world championship win. Indy car racing indy cars cummings diesel old race cars american sports hair raising car set race day cummins.

Indy car racing, indy cars, nascar, race cars, indie, ram cars, indie music. Sam hanks finally realized his elusive dream in a screamin roadster sporting a near horizontal engine designed by george salih, chief mechanic on the. Indy car racing indy cars automobile indianapolis motor speedway classic race cars car and driver vintage racing cool cars indie. Sam hanks born july, 1914 in columbus, ohio, united states died june 27, 1994 in pacific palisades, california, united states was a racing driver from the united states, who competed in the indianapolis 500 during the 1940s and the 1950s. He also worked as the indianapolis motor speedways director of racing competition. Was competition director for the indianapolis motor speedway from 1958 through 1979. When he stepped out of the driver s seat at the end of 1957 he hopped into a much hotter one as the director of racing at the indianapolis motor speedway, a position that he held for more than 20 years from 1958 to 1979. Indianapolis speedway race automobile racing drivers automobile mechanics crowds. Competed in indianapolis 500s from 1940 through 1957. They had met at wright field in dayton, ohio, where she was a civilian secretary and he was working on an engine in the power plant. Sam s retirement from driving brought him into usac to serve as the director of competition at the indianapolis motor speedway from 1958 through 1979. She was dating driver sam hanks, and he asked her to attend. Driver sam hanks in 1943, looking handsome in uniform.