The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 26

nil RSDAY, MAY 31, 1938 PAGE 26- IHE INDIANAPOLIS STAIi Flaherty Wins wreck-Strewn 500 "gomeone was watching over us out there today." Those words spoken hy Duane Carter, director of competition for the United States Auto Club, expressed the way virtually everybody fait along (lasoline Alley late yesterday afternoon after the 40th 5(X)-Mile Race. Hanks Second, Freeland Third As 4 Are Hurt than that of qualifying. This year, it was just as last or maybe even faster Those tires weren't built to run at speeds of 140 or above consistently. One thing appears 1 a r. Either some way must be found sueh as a 1 1 dis-plaeement limits or pump glf oline to slow down this race or the lires are poinj; to have to be improved to catch up with the speed.

jP' iJslhfekt 1952 winner, spun into the infield to miss them. Thomson's brakes stuck and he spun twice before hurtling into Tolan's pit, missing the Trio Brass car by a matter of inches. He also grazed Joe Giba, Tolan's crew chief. Ray Crawforc of Pasadena, spun the Crawford Special coming out of the northeast turn onto the main straightaway in his 39th lap and hit the wall, but he also was net injured. SWEIKERT was running a strong second in the D-A Lubricants Special when he brushed the wall in the back stretch, blowing a tire on his 131st lap he came on around the track on the rim of the right front wheel, but the mishap dropped him from second place to sixth.

Jimmy Bryan of Phoenix, 1951 AAA national driving champion and one of the favorites yesterday, spun the Dean Van Lines Special on the short south straightaway, looped into the infield hut was able to stay in the race after being towed to start. Andrew's again spun on thu north straightaway during the 94th lap because of transmission trouble. All these accidents kept the yellow light on for one hour, 11 minutes and 15 seconds or nearly a third of the total running time. But it was still a heck of an automobile race. JIM RATHMANN of Miami, fooled everyone by leading both the first turn and the first lap in his Hopkins Special from the middle position in the front row.

He carried Flaherty way down under the yellow line in that first corner and Pat had to do a nice hit of driving to stay in contention. Pat O'Connor of North Vernon, who led a total of 38 laps during the race, took over the front-running spot on the fourth lap and kept it out in front "ntil the 10th circuit when he FLAHERTY RECEIVES THE CHECKERED FLAG AT FINISH OF To Ret through as many crashes and spins as the series which marred yesterday's race without having anybody killed or injured critically virtually was unbelievable. Only 33 drivers were scheduled to start the race. Hut there must have been a 31th, the One who drives this whole universe. It seemed that lie was there to take over whenever someone got in trouble and to keep them alive.

The fact that all of the drivers who participated in the race should be well enough to get to the Victory Banquet tonight and collect their "loot" Is cause for great rejoicing. But, the rash of accidents should not be dismissed with the conclusion, "Oh well, we got through It and no one ml killed." When there are as many mishap as occurred out there on the (rack yesterday, something definitely Is wrong and should he changed. Although Firestone Tire Rubber Co. officials do not admit It, the majority of the accidents seem attributable to tire failure. When Paul Russo was asked by The Indianapolis Star if bis tire blew, causing the Novi to ciash, he said "No comment." And Henry Richards, public relations official of the rubber company, issued a denial that it did.

But, the tire rubber flew about 30 feet in the air and pieces hit two women spectators. And it's a cinch something caused the Novi to crash. AFTER RTJRSO had time to talk to Firestone officials, he as quoted by Richards as saying "I just don't know what caused it." Russo later said that he believed a valve stem blew off the tire, deflating it and causing the accident. It has been axiomatic In the Speedway in past years that "a tire never blows out." And, race drivers are loathe to criticize the company which spends thousands of dollars in development and testing to build the finest tires that can be made for lndianiolis. Naturally, the tires yesterday like other racing equipment was subjected to terrific strain because of the fabulous speed at which the cars were running during the "green light" time.

Pat Flaherty clicked off quite a few laps at 14 miles an hour and Russo was running faster than that even. This was unprecedented and unexpected. In the past, the pace of the race has been about eight miles an hour slower Ten 9 In 300-Mile Classic Concluded From Page 1 day's was strictly an elimination contest among the "chargers." Flaherty was ikilliut and fortunate enough to keep his car between the fences for 500 miles and to stand ofl challenger after challenger. FOR WATSON, it was the second year in a row that ne had prepared the winning car since he was the man behind the scenes in Sweikert'l 1955 triumph. Watson built Flaherty's car himself, to It i one of the few "non-factory" cars in the starting field and is narrower and lower than the conventional Kurtis Kraft "roadsters." Al Herman of Allentown, escaped injury in the day's most spectacular mishap when his Bardahl Social hit the out-side retaining wall just before the starting line, spun three times and narrowly missed Vandewater and Assistant Starter Leo Ford, who were operating the flags at the line.

It came to a stop directly in front of the pagoda yard bleachers and dumped oil on the track apron. Mechanics said the rear end of the car apparently "locked up." RATHMANN crashed against the wall on the southwest turn in the McNamaia car less than a quarter lap after receiving the checkered flag. He suffered neck Injuries but X-rays Indicated there was no fracture. The race was stopped after that accident. Rathmann had spun earlier on the 179th lap fciid Bettenhausen r.it in almost the same place in his Be-langer Special and spun into the infield on his 161st lap.

He escaped with a broken collar bone. His condition was good last night Daywalt hit the wall with his Sumar Special on the 135th lap on the southeast turn. He suffered face burns, lacerations, friction burns, bruised knee-and a slight brain concussion. His condition was described as good by hospital officials last night. Most badly hurt person was Paul Ryan, Indianapolis mechanic on the Trio Brass Special driven by Johnnie Tolan of Denver.

RYAN WAS WORKING on Tolan's car in the pits when he was struck by the Peter Schmidt Special driven by Johnny Thomson of Springfield, Mass, in a four-car tangle. Ryan suffered a compound leg fracture. The accident occurred during the 23d lap. Cars driven by Hanks and hy Keith Andrews of Colorado Springs, locked wheels near the end of the front staightaway and spun. Troy Ruttman of Lynwood, Cal, the i PAT 'Top PAT FLAHERTY First Place DICK RATHMANN Flflfe Place don FREELAND Third Place Anxious Hulman Thankful At End LETS FACE IT.

We were pretty fortunate to el through yesterday without any real earnage. Hut we can't press mir 004 fortune. It is a problem which needs plenty of consideration by management and United States Auto Club officials. Anton Hulman Speedway owner, is scheduled to meet with car owners today and discuss such things as engine specifications for next year's race. Maybe it's time to slow them down.

The late Bill Vukovich once told Wilbur Shaw he thought the cars were running too fast and that was several years and some 10 miles an hour ago. ONK OF TIIF. happiest men on the Speedway grounds after the race was a white, haired gentleman named A. T. Watson from Dunnellon, who oncp served a mechanic at the Speedway to Joe Dawson, 1912 race winner.

W.itson is the father of A. J. Watson, builder and chief mechanic on the John Zlnk Special, who "saddled" the winning car foi the second consecutive year. Watson Sr. had a big part In the victory, too, because he was the brain behind an automatic gear lock which wus one of the surprise "goodies" on Flaherty's car.

This keeps the car from jumping out of gear. The 61-year-old father also made the sway bar for the car. He went to California for a month last winter to help A. J. build it.

The father-and-son team put in lf hours a day working on the lowslung white beauty. HOB VFITH of Oakland, looks like a cliuh for "Kookle-of-the-Vear" honors on the strength of his elgJslh-plHee finish yesterday on tfljt of his fine qtiithfylng performance. The winner of the honor will hi decided by a Jury of Indianapolis newspaper and radio men and race official tonight at a reception (riven by Stark-Wetzel A preeedlng the annual Speedway Victory ilin-ner. and the ceremonies were fin- ished. TIIK 40TH ANNUAL B00-Mile Race had ended, complete with all the thrills and chills of the previous events -once again a success, but without a tragedy such as marked last year's grind Just as Flaherty said he would do, Hulman looked to the sky-where four hours before the balloon-, had scattered when the race began-and thanked Man Above.

the Charleston Sweeps Bill At Louisville (API-Charleston defeated Louisville twice last night in an American Association twin bill, winning the first came 3-0 in It innings and the second 11-4 in seven. F1HST C.AMK HMl IllMllla An A AH Kllll of NUlrnbi a Hrrt'iu mi 1 (Vmrif, San 14 3 McC.w.rf 5 Stewart. If 0 Waltari.lt Laii.c 3 Wdfirhk 4 llfrbart I 0 lawn, i Onlrct Ron. 3 3 1 1 1 3 0 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 Wriihi.if Holton.c Vldvlif, it Thi'adr Hon 0 44 13 33 1 ToliU 7 JJ 15 'Rn tor Drairlrr In nimh Inniiif Chirlnlon 009 000 000 0.1-3 LoullHIlt 000 000 000 00-0 tfir4t J. Brrloli RBI-Mtlmbfti 3 2B-Mjlmlri, Willfrl.

Iinrlr. 3B-Mrtoli, MrG't DP-Mlmhn Bfrlnii nd Krfn. Malmbrri ind Krru; Sintord. Mllmt.crt nd Krni Lf tt-c'lmlflton 13. Luullvlllt ritCMKfl SIMMART lr- 10 0 0 1113 W'OdftrhlcH Holt Th.illindfr er an so wr 0 0 5 1 9 3 3 3 4 10 0 Wlnllfr-WoodMchlrk l.ofr-Th(illndr ll-tl U-Tlur 13-31.

Idorrl- ina uoyif t-3 4 1 SECOND CAME "TlrlMton 005 300 4-11 13 1 uulvlllf 100 003 0- 4 7 3 Woy And MMM PoniT. Brnfdlct III, Nikamur Anthony (7i and PtrM HR-Bjcqutr iLvli. Klnr iChti QUALITY WEAR ma mi who rARr 500-Mile Chart Lady Luck's Beam Shines On 5 00-Winner Flaherty RACE JOHNNY PARSONS Fourth Place BOB VK1T1I Eighth Place JIMMY REECE Ninth Place CLIFF GRIFFITH Tenth Place 8:30 P.M. SIT, JUKE 2 MODERN A R-G stock RACES 50-LAP CHAMPIONSHIP FEATURE 1953-48 STOCKS 7 BIG EVENTS it. Urn.

SI. lei. II. SI. hits Mi It )1U 1 6th St.

SPEEDWAY auss roM 'son- tkack ii'' kit aP Bttt ROIH.FK WARD Seventh Place devlish time wig-wagging the yellow flag all day. He, also, was busy waving the move-o'er flaR. AFTER TIIK Russo accident Speedway Owner Tony Hulman excused himself to the rear plat-torm of the press box and had himself a good cry Gusty winds fanned a fire in the press box late in the race. A dropped Driver 50 100 150 200 CM 300 tSO 400 4 SO 500 Flaherty .12 2 1111111 Hanks 6 10 5 2 2 2 2 2 Freeland 5 2 4 4 2 3 3 Parsons 10 314867(15 4 I). Rathmann xx8xx78Hfi5 Sweikert 78 3 3 336776 Ward xx798987 Yeith 10 10 9 Keeee 10 10 10 Griffith xxxxxxxxxlO Lap Leaders 1-3, Jim Rathmann; 4-9, Pat O'Connor; 10-21, Paul Russo; 22-39.

O'Conor; 40-41, Pat Flaherty 42-55, O'l onnor; 56-71, Parsons; 72-75, Don Fneland; 76-200, Flaherty. was passed hy Russo. The Novi accident put O'Connor back ahead. He stayed in front through the 39th lap, Flaherty again was tn command on laps 40 and 41, but O'Connor zoomed ahead again on No. 42 and kept in front until the 55th, when he made his first pit stop, a 45-second affair, for fuel and tires.

THAT PUT PARSONS ahead, Flaherty having stopped for 39 seconds for fuel and tires on his 54th lap and dropped back. Freeland led laps 72-75 after Parsons went to the pits for a minute and three seconds after his 71st lap. The crowd looked decidedly "off" from last year, probably due to widespread circulation of false rumors of postponement. It was estimated at about 123,000. Style 2S608 51095 "Rocket-in Genuine VChiie Buck with Bltck or Tetk OPEN THURSDAY EVININGS SAM HANKS BeCOnd IMuee Hon SWEDXERT Sixth Place rail along the b.ickstretch.

finished sixth in his D-A Lubricant Special with a bent sway bar. Troy Ruttman, the 1952 winner who was among that four-car argument of Hanks-Andrews Ruttman Thomson, broke his sway bar, too, but he elected to quit the race. Ruttman lxiiled because the field violated the running when cars should slowdown and maintain positions. When several drivers, in a position to win the race, realized they were losing as much as 20 seconds on yellow -light running, they accelerated as though it were green-light running. One driver was clocked at better than 130 miles an hour during caution-driving.

Speeds above what should be permitted for caution-driving were responsible for Ruttman's exit, Johnny Thomson's spin and the Hanks-Andrews collision. Starter Rill Vandewater. who escaped injury along with Chief Clerk Frank Rain by jumpmR to safety when Al Herman spun in front of the pagoda, had a Alt lira Gibson Wins Net Match Surbiton. Kn gland (APt -Althea Gibson, the New Yorker who won the French title last year, beat Colette France, 6-3, 6-0 in the third round of the Surrey tennis championships yesterday. Mrs.

Retty Rosenquist Pratt, South Orange, N.J., defeated Mrs. P. Roberts, Britain, 6-3, 6-4. In the singles, ex-Wimbledon Champion Jaroslav Drohny easily beat Donald Black, Rhodesia, 6-2, 6-3. College Hasehall 11, Anwrlrin InlrrntClonal 7 Hlaconaln 3, H'eitrrn Mlrhlfan 2.

NCUU Dlltrlcl MwtN ohl i n. MlnnnoU 13-10, Nntra Damr 3-1 iMInimoU wlni beat Dire wrln (3.1). Low and Light and Smart New Wing Sport Style cigarette ignited waste paper Denise McCluggage, New -York Herald Tribune sports writer, was thrilled with her first 500-Mile Race. This at-tractive Kansas born, California-educated writer has driven midget race cars and hardtops. She is believed to be the first woman writer to cover the "500." Shorty Temple-man, who failed to qualify for the 500-Mile Race, won al! three leature midget races at the West 16th Street Speedway before the big go.

He pocketed about $1,300. He was the second driver ever to clean house in three midget features in one night. The other was Art Cross Midget race attendance was off and so was the concession-money take along the carnival ftqufac BY RUBS LEONARD Speedway Owner Tony Hulman breathed three distinct sighs of relief yesterday. The first and probably the most important personally came behind the pagoda when Irving L. Woolson of the le-Soto Division of Chrysler braked the pace car to a stop after successfully leading the 33 hard-charging racers down the main stretch for the starting flag.

hulman nmrn out of the car, grasped Woolson's hand and patted him on the back. The pare car had roared down the stretch at better than 90 miles an hour. Woolson later said, "It was my first race and my greatest thrill You'll never imagine After 21 laps of the race, Hulman had crossed over from the infield to the stands under the press box when Paul Rus-o's Novi crashed into the southwest wall with an ear-shattering blast. The noise of the wreck and the reaction of the crowd carried what had happened to Hulman instantaneously. He hit the right side of his cap, shaking his head as if to say, "Oh, no, don't let this happen again." Hulman Immediately raced up the long flight of steps to the press box, then heaved a deep sigh of relief when Russo climbed out of the smashed Novi.

But the most Important of Hulman's three distinct sighs of relief came after Pat Flaherty had pulled into Victory Lane Fitting For All The Family WiiHk-rhll; MIcImi Swiss Steak Day TNurs, (Very RoaonaMf, U) 38th and Sherman Dr. 10th and Arlington All By BILL EOGJiBT Here's how much luck fRn play in winning the 500-Mile Hire Pat Flaherty, who turned Memorial Day into a St. Patrick's Day yesterday winning the 50i -Mile Race, learned later that his throttle arm, that manipulates the fuel injectors, broke on his 201st lap, the one after he had won. The little three-eighths inch of metal rod was severed ap-p irently by vibration. Then, too, Pat unkowingly escaped an accident late in the race when fifth-place finisher Dick Rathmann spun in the north straightaway behind Flaherty and just missed Flaherty by a few tcet.

Rathmann got his McNamaia going straight again without any damage although he pitted on his 197th lap for fuel. One tire was shredded but he went right back to the race and got a fifth place. RathniHnn's car owner, Lee Flkins of Kalamazoo, objected that his car was given the white flag, signifying 199 laps, when he should have been given the checkered flag. Rathmann stacked the car in the next turn. Sam Hanks, who got second place in his No.

4 Jones Maley, finished with a hent frame. The frame was bent in colliding with Keith Andrews early in the race while the caution light was on because of the Paul Russo wreckage. HANKS PITTKO immediately but Mechanic George Salik. checked the car and concluded it was safe to return to the race. Salih said there was no United States Auto Club technical committeemen in the pit when Hanks stopped.

Hanks drove a beautiful race and his accident probably deprived him of his first 500 Mile Race victory. Rob Sweikert, the defending champion, who was right up front, with the front-ctorgers until he brushed the lutside r-'l-liCeW strip Showers at 310 a.m. and 4 a.m. cast a gloom over the prospect of ever getting Ihe "500" started That 5 a.m. passenger-car traffic into infield parking area is still a tingling sight -like North Meridian street traf-lic at 5 p.m.

without any speed limit. Each driver has his favorite position along the infield fence and he goes like Gangbusters to get there The "500" pace iap was exceptionally slow and drivers up front motioned vigorously to have the pace car step on it. RENT YOUR FORMAL WEAR ill" IHI NIOHT8 TILL M' SO ETFINCTt ia urn. au R. PERK.

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