After four years in the Navy, he went to work at Hansen Chevrolet, where Art was a mechanic. We just got on the plane and came home.". The chassis dug into the grass and flipped upside-down, slid a short distance and then flipped back over as it reached the pavement again in turn two, finally coming to a stop in the middle of the track. Not just for publicity, but sincerely cared for people, Dippell said. Savage was moving toward the front again on Lap 59 "I would do my racing, get in an airplane and go And I looked like a skeleton walking in them because they didn't come close to fitting. A crowd estimated at 250,000 swarmed Indianapolis Motor Speedway's grandstands, suites and infield on May 12, 1973. ". "Probably after me and you are dead and gone, that stuff they'll be racing will be The grid was reset without Walther. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. (Jackson dropped his first name, Paul, about the time he went to New York in 1930.) "I jumped on the throttle coming out of 2," Krisiloff said, "and spun my wheels halfway down the back straight in high gear.". To use this feature, use a newer browser. But I didn't have enough muscles to do anything. You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools, or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence. You have to get on the turbine much sooner. Learn more about merges. | Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. His fathers Studebaker dealership sponsored his midget race car. preparations four times. Later Mike would often recall, You never saw him when he wasnt smiling., Bob Pollard (Arts brother) and his wife, Diane, were also living in California at the time. Now engineers design and redesign cars and seats and helmets to minimize the effect on On the track, he won 83 championship events and became one of Southern Oregons biggest stars in Indianapolis. A 10 car pile up on the opening lap eliminated Art and the #40 car. We just took to each other, Green said. Kunzman took over Pollard's car for the remainder of the 1973 season. In 1968, all three of Andy Granatelli/Colin Chapman designed turbines made the field on the first day of qualifications. they take serious or drastic measures, somebody always has to get hurt or killed," The race was postponed until Tuesday, when on the second parade lap, the sky opened again and another washout was declared. Qualifying speeds were down nearly 10 mph, with Foyt winning the pole and Rutherford collecting the first of his three victories. "Friends and Family Remember May 12 1973", "Art Pollard Racing in 1973, the Tragedy and Reactions", "Art Pollard: Early Years and Personal Facts", https://web.archive.org/web/20071205052904/http://artpollard.tripod.com/1972-73.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20110810203442/http://www.judydippel.com/cmsj/, https://artpollardracedriver.info/art-pollard-by-years/art-pollard-racing-in-1973-the-tragedy-and-reactions/, https://oilpressure.com/2012/02/27/art-pollard-somehow-always-overshadowed/, https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=5062, http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160430/SPORTS/160439978, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Art_Pollard&oldid=1091444970, Pages using small with an empty input parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 June 2022, at 11:04. Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA. But he never forgot about his old friends. Tuesday was wet, as well, and the drivers saw the red flag while on their parade lap. Survivors were his widow, Patricia; a son Michael; a daughter, Judy Dipple of Speedway; and his mother, Mrs. Artie Pollard of McMinnville. one of the corners that was grabable," said Dallenbach, who is now the chief steward He went to a hospital locally and started visiting that hospital and bringing drivers with him. "I think it was because of things like that that I really never got that close to "I thought it was my son who had been hit.". google_color_link = "0033FF"; On Friday Art qualified fastest with a new track record. A. //-->. As Judy relates, There is no good way to get the horrible news that your dad has had an accident and died. Robin Miller, the long-time Indianapolis Star racing writer who now works as an IndyCar reporter for NBC Sports Network and the Speed network, recalled sitting with Pollard on the pit wall early pole day morning. remember very vividly Johncock's victory gave owner Pat Patrick the first of his three triumphs at Indy, and That point was clearly emphasized in Art Pollard: The Life and Legacy of a Gentleman Racer. You never saw him when he wasnt smiling, Mike said. google_ad_client = "pub-8002195670072149"; "Swede wasn't much older than my son (Steve)," Patrick said. But it was his love of adventure that got him into racing stock cars and midgets in the 40s and 50s. Links "It was my job," he said. I couldn't walk at all. It was a quick input on the wheel to the right, and it came right backit only happened that one time. Pollard was pronounced dead an hour later. "They had everybody stopped there in Turn 4," Johncock said. Reality set in quickly when, in a windy practice before pole qualifying, Pollard crashed in the first turn. "We flipped it over and I didn't want to see him because I knew I had to race. Finally the green flag waved at 3 p.m. Antsy drivers made for a haphazard field, with four cars across the narrow track in By Wednesday, tension and exhaustion infected the track. google_ad_height = 90; Once I got the news I called the hospital, but by then he had passed away. Savage hit was moved. It erupted in flames with the green flag still waving. squeezing Jerry Grant against the wall. In 1945 Pollock married the painter Lee Krasner and moved to East Hampton, on the southern shore of Long Island, New York. He hit the inside wall almost head-on at full speed. Pollard raced at Indy seven times, finishing eighth in the 1967 race. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He liked and understood people, and he gave of himself to his fans and friends - some of whom called him "Roberto" because of his dark heavy-bearded complexion. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. ,