Where did Tony Hulman go to college? Yale

[Jim Hackett II]

No takers on the queries.
That doesn't surprise me.
Carl Fisher (Fisher Body), Dupont confidant, Frank Wheeler and James Allison the original builders financiers of the first motorsports facility in the US were of the ST minions orbit.

All were tied to the young auto industry and the defense industries. Yes they built the track and did no upkeep for decades. When they started losing interest and sold the track to the national hero Ed. Rickenbacker. He let the track go to hell too.

Damn but the Great Depression killed the attendance an issue the ST was not aware of. No one could afford to go to the track for "fun" hunger came first. A condition that was not abated until the mobilization of WW2. The lucky that worked anywhere or worked the land on FAMILY farms ate, the rest well "let them eat S*IT" was the attitude until the war, then you fought and were broke or were home as 4F and got rich.

A 3-time winner ran an aircraft tire test for Firestone in 1945 an learned of the complete lack of maintenance and heard rumors of selling the land to AFNB (bank) real estate developers. Rickenbacker was only in it for the $. Wilber Shaw (of Shelbyville In) got involved and interested a Yalie in buying the track to preserve as a racetrack.

Those two men had nothing in common except both were Hoosiers.
One from a broken family and born to dirt but possessed by an ability of driving and "real" engineering - not taught by PU, MIT or CIT, but taught by having your butt strapped out over-the-line in a machine.
Degrees be damned are you fast? Fast enough?

The men had one thing in common - they appreciated motor racing and knew all those G.I. about to come home would want to resume a "normal Life" and one of the traditions of normal life was a Memorial Day Race in Indy. Both of them loved Indy as a race and both were made by association with the Speedway. They both understood motor racing as a great thing to be involved in.

The other man never had to work labor and had everything he ever wanted by profits of "Clabber Girl" baking powder industry established the previous generations of the Hulman family.

Hulman was a Yalie, I have not been able to prove he was a member of any secret society there. It is clear he had the linkages to the "right" people though.

To be sure the Hulman family went from wealthy to really well off because of the rebuilding of the track.

Consider that when Dick Lugar as Indianapolis Mayor, pushed "Unigov" down Hoosier throats and exemption was made for Speedway (the town Hulman built). Speedway is separate from Indianapolis in governance. That is ST power in disguise. Burt SerVaas ring any bells as ST operator?
He reportedly was involved in swinging Lugar's deal.

Danger Danger Will Robinson Warning Warning.....
Names be names and .....

Unlike previous owners of the track Tony Hulman put huge dollars back into the facility. The Yalie bought the track in extreme disrepair in 1945 (Oct.) and hoped to put on the next 500 in May 1946.

Reportedly he paid $750,000 for the track and sold the Coke concessions at the track for the same amount in a week (as per former winner Roger Ward). That ST level so called wisdom. Astute business.

It has become clear that more was involved in the IMS than a few auto enthusiasts in 1909 wanting a test track.

Long before the present age of corporate sponsorships for tracks, teams and etc., Hulman aligned both Coke and Firestone as unofficial sponsors as Nascar has done with Chevrolet. Closet deals all.

As corporate as the IMS has become - there was a day when the employees of the track from the janitor to the Chairman knew it was all about the fan-in-the-cheap-seats that made it all possible.

In 1974 the gate ticket taker would NOT take the stub off my ticket and waved me into the seats. My hair cut and the boondockers on my feet proved I was active duty military. The people didn't hassle my Pop and me, we were both drunk before Jim Nabors sang for reasons I won't go into.

The trends of society in America are reflected in the way Americans treat each other and the way Americans tolerate being poorly treated by Corporations and Governments and each other.

It was not always as harsh as it is now in America. We used to have more products to sell than energy and WAR.

[LR Trotter]

In '74, The Indianapolis 500 was the main event of motorsports. I had the opportunity, through mutual friends, to view the '74 Coyote in various stages of construction. Virtually the same as the '73 version, and the '76 version, although the last two were likely improved, but not noticeable changes. The '76 version was the '77 winner, and Billy Vukovich Jr drove the '73 version in '77. BV was on the way to a 2nd place finish but had a wing bracket failure. As I recall, the '74 built Coyote/Foyt was crashed damaged at Texas World Speedway. The cars are much safer, much safer now than they were then. Had Dan Wheldon's car taken a slightly different flight path he would have likely walked away from his otherwise fatal crash at Las Vegas Speedway.

[Jim Hackett II]

I had to reply man.
The places where quality racecars are made are magic places to me. The creative process and skills of the humans working on them make objects take on personalities, even when the new idea doesn't work or forces more development.

The tracks are only the stage of display.

The meld of the crew folks/driver/owner/machine can on some days be magic to behold, if one knows what is being seen. Or in ignorance get a ho-hum response to a rainbow.

Man I needed the 74 Indy 500 to be fast and clean and SAFE, after '73 I swore I would never ever go to Indy again. So I needed that day in the Sunshine away from Uncle Sammy's Misguided Children and with my Pop. And well baked. A great race that day. I watched the girls too but I go to races to watch the action on the track mostly. From great seats it is a golden day in trying times treasured in memory. A respite. I returned to being an Indycar fan as well as NHRA/AHRA 1320 stuff.

Ah the street Hemis of 69-70. Here kitty kitty (a Jag with a phony ego).
427 Cobra. Ah back in the day.

Absolutely agree that Dan Weldon caught a bad break. Cockpit to cheese grate debris fence incursions are something Indycar had been getting lucky with, particularly and spectacularly at Indy given the IMS camera coverage and media cooperation.
Motorsports real fans know no driver or crewperson just takes the risk knowingly, they push safety before the track owners racking the Big Money. As Jackie Stewart always did after Jimmy Clark died racing, the motivation comes from the endangered ones.
So it is 3 time INDY winner Scot Dario Franchetti speaking, he lost a very close friend and he and Tony Kanaan paid a loss we can't know.
We all need to find a better way to make the fans and drivers and track workers and crew people safER.

I could go on.
I do know that motorsports are next to nothing in Deep Political view.
But it is Spring (almost), and I've been patient but Daytona doesn't fix my jones no more.:zzzz:

And I love it so.

Best Regards Always LR

[LR Trotter]

Hey Jim, I almost fell over when I read a post suggesting that Ebb Rose was somehow connected to the JFK assassination. You may know this, but in 11/'57 during time trials for a Midget Race at the Dallas Fairgrounds, Cecil Elliot was killed in a crash driving a Rose owned Midget. His replacement in '58 was Lloyd Ruby. And, in '58, I saw Lloyd Ruby win a 100 Lap Cecil Elliot Memorial Midget Race at Playland Park Spdwy/Houston. But, back to Deep Politics, I am convinced that Ebb Rose was NOT a part of a conspiracy to kill JFK. I believe someone crossed the dots and connected them to the Ts. In any event, as they used to say in racing, keep the shiny side up.

pinwheels:

[Jim Hackett II]

Ah man, the great memories and the rotten ones of being around racing, it all is an experience one should know not just judge from a far.

I have no doubt nefarious deeds are being done dirt cheap by the Big Money Movers of Racing Teams/Owners/Track Owners. The game had never been as honest as I would want. Same for life in general.....

Ebb Rose? Nah? Why?

All the drivers I have ever known had too damn many daily concerns to be so actively involved in anything in Nov. They are ordinary folks with families and hassles just like me but braver and better than the wannabees like me. The wrenches and engineers too.
By Nov. the mods of the "old" iron - when champ cars were good for more than one season - or the working in of the new "Watson" or whatever, folks I know are up to their necks in work needed done yesterday.

I never met some fine people. I have met a few though. Like Garlits - Hey kid hold this tarp (rain Labor Day 1971) or Lloyd Ruby at Brickyard Crossing Oldtimer's dinners in April 1990?.
Almost all have been gentlemen/ladies. First among these is Shirley Muldowney, no matter the gender that Lady can wheel a T/F car.

All non-bigot NHRA fans knew this in 1972. In 78 she stopped her tow truck with the Dragster brakes and marched up into the stands to confront fans holding a "Show Us Your *it*" sign. I liked that and respected the crap of her courage and grit. I was 50 feet away and cheered her for the right thing done.

Jim Herk was having a "well I didn't qualify" beer bust in his garage at Indy and Lloyd Ruby was present.
Those folks were bound and determined to have a little fun before they died. In 77 I think.
All were welcome and the sponsor "Miller High Life" never had better advertizing at any price.
Even the unpaid gofers and fans were encouraged to have a couple of Millers with Herk.
Lots of folks did just that. And Lloyd too.

How could I ever forget Art Pollard and Scotty Brayton?
Sometimes the losses remain fresh for decades as Scotty and Art.

I better stop again as it could go pages of little relevance.

Ruby was a great gentleman. Herk was too, but a one in a million fun person to be around.
All were too busy to be involved in Deep Politics. I bet.

It comes from a higher level of power than a wheel man or mechanics (with wrenches not guns).

Best
Jim
"Just shut up and drive dammit!" Radio to a Indy 500 leader from Crew Chief 1986. He did.

One more tidbit I miss: The old Offy engine would bark (rumble the exhaust) when the drivers back off to make turns 1 and 3 at Indy. We could tell who drove deepest into turns by that bark. The bravest I ever saw for driving into a corner was Gordon Johncock. I miss the barks of Offenhauser's little 4 banger. Yep I miss that.