Approximately one hour after the accident, Art Pollard was pronounced dead. The car slammed into the wall coming out of turn one and spun as it headed to the grass on the inside of the short chute. By the mid-50s, he was winning races all over the West Coast and attracted the attention of an Indy car owner in Southern California. As they were being
The fingertips on his charred left hand were amputated. Early Life Paul Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. have been incinerated. Who Painted the Most Expensive Paintings in the World? Nov 13, 1957 - Oct 2, 2019 Art drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1965 through 1973 seasons, with 84 career starts, including the 1967 through 1971 Indianapolis 500 races. A lot of fans - and drivers too - said that Walther blew it. Approximately one hour after the accident, Art Pollard was pronounced dead. Art Pollard As I See Him by Andy Granatelli, Auto Racing Magazine Of The Worlds Greatest Sport, August 1969. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. You have to get on the turbine much sooner. Pollard's volume of art in the past seven years came after a five-year period when he stopped drawing after the death of his grandmother. People in the pits recall the searing intensity of the heat. It was 5:30 p.m. Only 10 cars were still running. "I pulled up right at the end of pit road and remember telling the radio
Ken Glass, a long-time Roseburg resident, sponsored Arts car until Indianapolis came calling and the rates simply got too expensive. They shared hamburgers at the Burger Chef restaurant on West 16th Street, just east of the track. He went to a hospital locally and started visiting that hospital and bringing drivers with him. As their communities grappled with an invisible enemy, artists have often tried to make sense of the random . Caskey is 81 and Green is 85. Among his contemporaries, he was respected for his deeply personal and totally uncompromising commitment to the art of painting. The car slammed into the outside wall coming out of turn one, burst into flames, and spun as it headed to the grass on the inside of the short chute. Tom Carnegie, you know, the voice of Indy, when he says, after being there 60 years, that dad was the most loved driver among the other drivers, that means more than if he ever won Indianapolis to me. Reports on the number of spectators injured ranged from 11 to 13. Art's dad was born in Anderson, Texas. Fast forward 36 years. After his time in Roseburg, Pollard left for Medford and later became a national figure. We just dont!, It was hard, and I still miss having him in my life, adds Judy. based on information from your browser. He was 88. From his years with Benton through 1938, Pollocks work was strongly influenced by the compositional methods and regionalist subject matter of his teacher and by the poetically expressionist vision of the American painter Albert Pinkham Ryder. Here, we celebrate Arts remarkable life. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. "It was January 1, 2016, and I was just like, 'Eh,. He had to relearn to walk but he was back at Indy, back in the field for the 1974 Indianapolis 500. The following year, while driving one of the celebrated STP-Turbo cars, he qualified 11th and was running fourth with just a few laps to go when a fuel pump drive shaft broke and forced him from the competition. "By Wednesday, when we showed up at the race track, the place stunk," he said. google_ad_format = "728x90_as";
Car trouble ends his day early on lap 28. First published in 2016, this is an expanded version of Art Pollards biography that includes more content and photos. "I thought I was blind until I flipped up my visor. The total distance covered was 1,450 feet (440m). . Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. A 10 car pile up on the opening lap eliminated Art and the #40 car. His tires were warmed, his four-speed gear box in high. pointed for the inside wall. The car was demolished. Then I thought: Well, shit. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Pollard had clipped a wall, an impact that sent his car skidding into the infield grass . with crashes that killed drivers Art Pollard and Swede Savage and crewman Armando Teran
I couldn't walk at all. Bobby Unser, in Dan Gurneys Eagle chassis with turbo-Offy power, set the second fastest average speed of 169.507 mph. I went out in qualifying later and set a new track record. "That's all you can say.". Photo courtesy of Bob Pollard. The original comment we heard on the radio was Veteran driver Art Pollard was killed at the Speedway this morning. Our mom, Bobbie Pollard, called after the announcement, asking if what she heard was true. Back then, the Wide World of Sports televised the qualifier, but they did radio updates every 30 minutes, Mike said. Not a single lap was complete when the race was halted. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Add to your scrapbook. Verify and try again. Artle Lee Pollard, Jr. (May 5, 1927 May 12, 1973), was an American racecar driver. I am sorry that you lost him at such an early age, but I thought you might appreciate knowing that a while ago, he made a young boys day. When a race driver is killed on the track the first thing everybody says is,"That's too bad, he was a hell of a guy." In the obituary the next day, his past performances are listed and any other worthy achievements are mentioned. But I didn't have enough muscles to do anything. He lived with his brother Charles and later in an apartment in Greenwich Village with his brother Sanford and Sanfords wife. Art was a good human being; a drivers driver. Judy is an author, speaker and publishing consultant. [Armando Moreno Teran was a 22 y/o from Culver City Ca. His early work depicts landscapes and figures with surrealist elements. Turbochargers and bolt-on wings introduced in 1972 resulted in an unprecedented spike in speeds that year. safety truck, speeding up pit road in the opposite direction of normal traffic, hit Teran
Bob Kehoes book, Art Pollard: The Life and Legacy of a Gentleman Racer, Chapter 30 May 12, 1973, Lifelong friends respond to Arts fatal accident, May 12, 1973. For the 1973 race Art Pollard had a new Eagle, two good mechanics, and a new sponsor. "I jumped on the throttle coming out of 2," Krisiloff said, "and spun my wheels halfway down the back straight in high gear.". Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Fuel capacity was reduced from 75 to 40 gallons. Jim Malloy had crashed in this same turn 2 days before and would die 2 days later. admitted that seeing an old friend's accident kept him on the safe side of 200. "It's probably the lowest point in my life," said Patrick, who continues as a
May of 1973 was a deadly month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning it the nickname Bloody May. The car careened off the wall, burst into flames and spun into the infield, where it rolled several times. (HTTP response code 503). Links
Now engineers design and redesign cars and seats and helmets to minimize the effect on
In 1948, Green and Caskey traveled with Pollard to race tracks all over the West Coast and Canada to compete in micro-midget and hard-top events. He is believed to be the first driver from Southern Oregon to race at Indy. An accident had not killed a driver here since 1973, when Art Pollard died on the first day of qualifications and Swede Savage died of injuries sustained in an accident during the race. The grid was reset without Walther. Smiley died instantly from massive trauma inflicted by the severe impact. This position gave him economic security during the remaining years of the Great Depression as well as an opportunity to develop his art. "They had everybody stopped there in Turn 4," Johncock said. Only a couple of hundred yards past the flag stand,
Pollard was known as a giving man who did things like visit troops in Vietnam and give speeches at churches and high schools all over the nation. Then Johncock recorded an unofficial lap of 199.4 mph during tire testing in March 1973. I found on Findagrave.com. There is a problem with your email/password. Art had little practice time in the car, but late in the afternoon, Art pulled onto the track in his #20 turbine, and his average speed of 166.297 was good enough to earn the 11thstarting spot in the middle of the fourth row. Death 12 May 1973 (aged 46) Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA. . "They looked exactly alike," Andy said, speaking in the hushed tones of grief 40 years later. Meanwhile, the infield continued its metamorphosis into a bog of mud and stinking
"People don't realize how the driver gets himself geared up for battle," said Bobby Unser, who would lead 39 laps before retiring with a blown engine. "I would do my racing, get in an airplane and go
Walther touched wheels with Jerry Grant's car in the sixth row and was launched into the catch fence near the starting line. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Upon his death, Pollard's family established the Art Pollard Fund with a $25,000 bequest. Failed to report flower. He was a real nice guy and we got along very well, Green said. He told him he was going to hit 200 mph, or die trying. that much more safe.". But, hell, that 150 was a hell of a lot harder than that 250, you know what I mean? And that soon became a tradition, and he was the first one to do that. Cars were on the edge. ). And I saw myself and , honest to God, didn't believe it was me. They carried a full fuel load of 75 gallons. And third, what happened? "This is what everybody feared," ABC's Jim McKay told the worldwide television audience. Current IndyCars generate 670 horsepower. We were kind of a joke. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Magazine and eBay Motors. Try again. In 1937 Pollock began psychiatric treatment for alcoholism, and he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1938, which caused him to be institutionalized for about four months. hands. The red flag flew as the rain intensified on Lap 133. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Try again later. Art is shown holding his three year old daughter Judy. Art qualified in 6th spot in 1970. It was then Joe Leonards turn in his #60 STP turbine. He was driving under the influence of alcohol and was killed after he was thrown from the vehicle. When they got me up to walk, I'd get dizzy and go sit back down. Its just like driving a passenger car. ($117,009.92 in 2017 dollars Enough to pay cash for a house in some Cities). Colin Chapman had returned to Indianapolis and Parnelli Jones was lending his expertise to the Granatelli team. Smiley's funeral was held on May 20, 1982 and he was buried in his birth location in Nebraska. It was like a blanket of fire on the track. 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. When he married in 1945, Pollock moved to Long Island, where he lived for the rest of his life. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Pollard's lap prior to the crash was timed at a speed above 192 miles per hour (309km/h). Commerce City, Colorado. Like Christie, Art Pollard of Medford began his racing career in midgets and stock cars. His work and example had enormous influence on them and on many subsequent art movements in the United States. As Judy relates, There is no good way to get the horrible news that your dad has had an accident and died. A.J. Johncock, who led 64 laps, was declared the winner while sitting in the pits. google_color_bg = "ECF8FF";
Jackson Pollock was an American painter who was a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism, an art movement characterized by the free-associative gestures in paint sometimes referred to as action painting.. Bobby Unser took the pole at 195.940 mph, 17 mph faster than the year before. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. //-->,