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The traditional launching of the Balloons on Race
Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway circa 2011, Mother Speedway's true
Centennial. (The Tomaso Collection)
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As another year passes by since One of the worst
year's at Mother Speedway...
Unfortunately, Forty-seven years ago Today,
Art Pollard lost his life during a qualifying attempt for the Ill-fated 1973
Indianapolis 500. For which it was George Phillips of Oilpressure fame, Ye Elder
Statesman of IndyCar Bloggers who introduced Mwah to him posthumously many
years ago.
As I was simply
amazed over Art's Off the Track efforts with Handicapped Children, not to
mention his overall good nature and was
surprised to learn that he was a transplanted Oregonian...
Meanwhile, a forgotten Driver's name I tend to
overlook typically, and knew Nothing about his career, reputedly was the first
Driver to Die at Mother Speedway during a Qualifying run on May 15th, 1982
since Pollard's and Swede Savage's Deaths at Indianapolis.
And although I Don't know how long the following
video below is? It's a very good In-depth look at Smiley's racing career
interspersed with antidotes from thoust Acclaimed D-Squared', aka Donald
Davidson - Official Historian of Mother Speedway.
As Donald notes how Gordon rubbed many Indy
500 veteran Drivers the wrong way by proclaiming publicly that Indy was just a
"Business" Stop along his way to his ultimate goal of becoming a
Formula 1 Driver...
VIDEO: Who Was Gordon Smiley
Ironically Smiley's name came Ah-Bublin' back
up to Ye Surface when reading Racer's Robin Miller's Bob Lazier Obituary, since
it was Bob's son Buddy who made an impassioned plea for his father to Quit Open
Wheel Racing upon Gordon Smiley's Gruesome Death that May when Bob was planning
to attempt Qualifying for his second Indianapolis 500.
As this Song's for
You Art, and All of the other Drivers who've perished at Mother Speedway. Along
with Bob Lazier who was a Gentle Giant of Thee Sport...
