The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 46

THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS Saturday, May 28, 1955 foge Ex-Driver McQuinn Is Boss After Race Begins If Novi Ever Breaks Jinx, Others Better Watch Out By NORMAN WERKIXG "Write a story about the Novis," the man said. "They've been around so long that there must be a few teen-age readers, at least, who can't remember their history." Not remember the Novis? Monstrous! Does Virginia remember Santa Claus? Docs Cinderella recall the prince? Surely even the most crew, euttish of today's rock-'n'-roll set should savvy something bout the fearsome Novi Specials, scourges of the Speedway and fastest automobiles ever built in America. Dig them, chums. They were the most. The absolute end.

Whether you're poor or rich, it's nice to have money. And ficials will be headed by McQuinn and Harlan Fengler of Dayton, also a former raca driver. Paul Johnson of Los Angelea is assistant steward and his former position as chief observer is tiled, by Ronney Householder, Mishawaka. Tom Milton of Detroit, a two-time winner here, is chairman of the judges' board for the third straight year. Other top-ranking officials for the event include Joseph Quinn safety chairman; Clifford Rigsbee, director of timing and scoring; C.

E. Erick-son, assistant director of timing and scoring; Ken Hurlbut, timer; Ray House, assistant timer; W. H. Vandewater, starter; Herbert A. Lewis and Lee Ford, assistant starters; Dr.

C. B. Bonner, medical director; Dr. T. A.

Hanna, assistant medical director, and F. J. Bain, chief clerk. Howard Pemberton is chairman of the technical committee and his vice-chairmen are Frits Duesenberg, Harry Hartz, V. Raviolo, S.

L. Reed, W. Rodgers and S. A. Silbermann.

Top boss of the "500" onct the race is under way is an Indianapolis man and former driver, Harry McQuinn. His title is chief steward and he comes by the job through appointment by Anton Hulman Speedway owner, and Col. A. W. Herrington, chairman of the AAA contest board.

McQuinn drove in 10 races here, his last effort being in 1948 when he had about as bad a jolt of luck as one can have. The supercharger on his car broke after the first lap. His last performances wert in 1938 and 1941, both times winning -seventh place. Three nationally prominent men will serve in honorary positions race day. Raymond Firestone, executive vice-president of Firestone, will be honorary steward.

A. Stranahan newly elected president of the Champion Spark Plug will ba honorary referee. T. H. Keating, general manager of Chevrolet and driver of the Chevrolet pace car, will be honorary starter.

The working staff of AAA of identical with that which took life. This year the undaunted Welch nominated Ruttman as his driver, one of the sturdiest chauffeurs within memory. The present Novi, for all its theoretical superiority, is es-sentially the same car which left the drawing board just after the war. Some horses have been added, a few bugs subtracted, but it's still Wlnfield's conception. The stable suffered a grievous blow in 1953 when the master designer was killed in a highway accident on the West coast.

Thus tragedy continued its strange spell over the Welch enterprise. Wlnfield's successor, )ld-time mechanic Jean Marcenac, has yet to crack the jinx although his ability is unquestioned. Welch gives no sign of buttoning his pocketbook, so the Novis should continue to seek their rightful place at the top. If a Novi ever wins the "500," that will be the maddest, merriest day of all the glad new year for the industry in general and Lew Welch in particular. mph.

But as a rule the Novi pilots have been specialists only slightly awed by the fearsome mechanisms. COULDN'T MAKE SPEED LAST YEAR Truth to tell, Novi. achievements have been negligible in the last five years. Nalon placed 10th in '51, two cars went out early in '52, Nalon was 11th in '53 and was actually too slow to make the field last year. Welch thought he had the answer to the driving riddle three years ago when he signed the veteran Chet Miller, who set the qualification records his first time out.

But in practice before the 1953 race, Miller was killed in a wall skid almost huge glaciers of money have poured into concocting a succession of power-bursting but ill-starred Novi cars in the last 10 years. The man who has unf linch i 1 if 2 Now, Here's How Doodles Weaver, former singer with the Spike Jones band, serves notice that he may yet try to get in this year's race. Doodles is trying to "pass" his driver's exam under the scrutiny of five Speed way drivers. Left to right are Jimmy Daywalt, Johnny Tolan, Weaver, Jimmy Reece, Rodger Ward and Potsy Coacher. Weaver, who once drove midgets, is now associated with the Horace Heidt outfit.

The News Photo, George Tilford. disgorged these mou a i of Werking bank notes for a costly decade is Lew Welch, a lonely industrialist witn a persistent mind. Master-Guide Power Steering lets vou park up to 75 easier The track is Indianapolis and Fordk nee You ease your Ford into or out of tight parking spacet with far less effort. Unlike many power steering systems, Master-Guide leaves you with a natural "feel" of steering yet assists you the moment you need extra "muscle" for turning or parking. Ms you Swift Sure Power Brakes let you stop up to Vi easier the objective has been winning the "500." This goal has not been attained, but the public can't complain that Welch has produced a dull show.

Speed to make your teeth ache, tough luck that would discourage the Man in the Iron Mask, and repeated tragedy have made the Novis memorable in the annals of racing, come what may. Majestic in concept and far advanced in design were the terrific supercharged engines evolved by the late genius C. W. (Bud) Winfield. The eight-cylinder power plants developing 600 and more horsepower at as much as r.p.m., were the last bastions against the present-day monotony of the four-cylinder Offenhausers whose chorus-line uniformity gives a hall-of-mirrors effect.

On the unpredictable occasions when the Novis rose above temperament and dyspepsia, they set every Speedway record from 1 lap to 400 miles. But they never won the race. Gargantua never won the heavyweight title, either. NOVI STORT SAD AS EVER This year the story of the Novis was as sad as ever. Troy fou travel more relaxed arrive more refreshed.

And Ford's suspended brake pedal makes stopping even easier. Wdwks9 f. Power-Lift Windows let driver regulate all 4 windows And there's a separate control at each window for individual passenger convenience. From the driver's seat you can set each window just as you want it with a touch, on the control. Ruttman.

who has had experi ence at winning (1952) was put Jn the big machine and on the second day of qualifications Because or( Pced hundreds of dollars below other fine cars, you can have conveniences like Fordomatic, power steering, power brakes, power windows or a 4-way power front seat with the money you save! wound it up to two laps of 138 398 and 138.313 mph. 4-Way Power Seat gives exact Th thinkinz then was that 139 or 140 was going to be re quired for getting in the race scat adjustment and so the Novi was flagged back to its stable. Last Saturday Paul Russo was at the wheel, with Ruttman watchinz for any ideas he might A i'ngfe control moves the front seat forward or back, vp or down, for the exact height and leg room you want. It's the only 4-way seat in Ford's field. get as an observer.

Something snaoned down In the south sec tion of the track. Towed in from the backstretch. the Novi was onened un and found to have broken a tooth on the pinion gear, which caused other break age. Time ran out the next day be fore repairs could be made. SAGA BEGAN IN '46 RACE The frustrating Novi saga began in 1946, in the first post war renewal of the 500 -mile classic.

Assembling a field that year was a study in desperation, and many of the starters already had one wheel in the junk yard, No one who saw that race ever will forget the sight of Ralph Hepburn's beautiful blue Nov roaring around, inside and over its coughing competitors like an insulted panther in a flapjack race. Unhappily this triumphal tour ended on the 122d lap when the noble beast sneezed and died. Two Novis started in '47 by then Welch's investment was soaring towards six figures and one finished fourth, utterly foxed by wearisome pit stops Biucd upon ermporimn mmuoetwff minttd lit adorj 4iird frittt. and un-Hepburnlike driving, Duke Nalon had the 1918 race on a doily when a fouled pit stop overshot pit, overflown fuel tank cost him the victory. New Speed-Trigger Fordomatic for automatic driving.aiits best He should have won but finished third.

In prerace practice Hepburn, mounting a second Novi for a last fling, died when he hit the wall head-on at 135 mph. Twin Novis fittingly lined up in first and second positions to You can profit from the experience of thousands of former medium-priced car buyers who have made the switch to Ford. For one thing, you can enjoy as they do Ford's many fine-car features and, with the money you save, buy the power conveniences of your choice. And whichever of Ford's 16 beautiful models you prefer, you get the years-ahead styling of the Thunderbird that fabulous original by Ford. Rich Luxury Lounge in Now, for extra-fast speed-trigger starts, just press the accelerator to the toe-board and you flash away in "low." Fordomatic automatically shifts you into intermediate gear then to directall while the selector lever is set at "Drive" position.

teriors offer you the last word in interior de'eor and feature many colorful new fabrics used for the first time in any car. You'll be far ahead in "go," too, with Ford's reassuring Trigger-Torque power. Here's power that meets your every demand in traffic or on the open road. And wherever you go, on boulevard or back road, Ford's exclusive Angle-Poised ride smooths the way. Try Ford and you'll agree you can pay more but you can't buy better I start the '49 race, and there seemed no earthly reason why the hulking front drives shouldn't finish the same way.

ii Nalon took the lead but lost a wheel on the 24th lap; another expensive dream went up in VACATION IDEA FORD ROTUNDA I Showpfoct of tht Auto Indutiry Dtorfaom, Michigan 1: 1 ti THE NEW BEST SELLER! SELLS MORE flamps against the north wall, its driver sorely burned. Team-mate Rex Mays then led, but his car simply stalled a few minutes later to cap the sorry day. The Mays-Nalon team marked the high point in Novi driver talent, always a skittish subject. Some of the best boys developed deafness when the flighty front-drives were mentioned; other orlvers Incurred Welch's apathy. This resulted in some comical experiments in filling the cockpits.

One driver qualified an early Novi, then refused to drive It in the race; another "hit the basement (ducked under tha front cowl) when his charge veered slightly on the home straightaway at a sedata 80 BECAUSE IT'S WORTH MORE I Ji ii un milium YOUR LOCAL FORD DEALER GREAT TV, FORD THEATRE, WFBM-TY, 8:30 P.M. SATURDAY.