1954 INDIANAPOLIS 500 MILE RACE BILL VUKOVICH ART CROSS JACK MCGRATH 64694

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] the fastest racing cars in the world are ready to make the qualifying attempt for the biggest of all races the Indianapolis 500 a record crowd of 100,000 build the stands on the opening day of the time trials only 33 of 65 holes earn a spot on the starting line by running fast competition and tension builds as cars move out of the garages to race the clock one of the first in line is veteran Jack Max second place position in the three a nice cool championship last year Jack is his own chief mechanic and he and his crew work all weather here in the roughest rides in the world cars and drivers take a terrific pound z12 and shoulder partners are there not only for safety but to keep the driver free to control the car without having to fight just to stay in it wraps away on a warm-up lap as number 19 another moves up the line here comes flying jack mcgrann he signals from the green flag and takes it wide open to the straightaway speed of 180 miles per hour into the first turn of the two and a half mile a new record [Applause] two more laps at the same fantastic pace in his final lap the Masters average family 141 at 287 thousands miles per hour Jack McGrath The Thin Man indiscreetly smashes all qualification records and wins the pole position for the race his crew is jubilant when other drivers and crews now have a new market shooter can they do it now it's Jimmy Dave Walt who bails into the first turn on his rival and hurdles to the 140 mile barrier to average 139 and 7/10 for the pole the grass and they won't panic the pit area with those new feet [Applause] the Wayne Carter rolls away the pressure is on in there running scared he holds on to it and goes on the qualifier national champ Sam Hanks qualifies the number one car of the barbell special all four of his lap time within five one hundredth of a second Harry Stephens chief mechanic is all smiles as Hanks wife Alice stands by Chuck Stevenson Panamera mechanic placement Jimmy Brian and number nine a conventional dirt track car flips around the track to average one thirty nine point six third highest of the day meeting the challenge of the roadsters Brian's conventional car joins McGrath and Dave Walden braking again last year's four lap record reign limits qualifications for the following day and worried mechanics of cars yet to qualify move back into the garages the first day saw the lap record topped eleven times and the full lap mark Eclipse three times this fantastic pace has wrecked all prediction of what it's going to take to get into the race skilled mechanics sweat over the engines and chassis because all cars are powered with the same 340 horsepower Meyer Drake 4-cylinder engines straightaway speeds are about equal and the payoff is the way the chassis handles on the turns at 200 feet per second steering linkage must be tough as well as precise [Music] the search for better car control developed the spot disc brakes and won't fade away when disc and shoe get hot the conventional car the type qualified by Hank Stephenson and Brian has a rigid frame with the engine mounted along the centerline the driver sits over the driveshaft transverse leaf springs are used in suspension the new roadsters have torsion bar suspension cross braced in front well ahead of the wheels faster and flatter cornering can be done with the springing action outside the frame rear torsion bars run straight across behind the wheels making for a longer spring base these slender bars of steel provides springing which is 30% lighter than leaf or coil springs engines on the roadsters are mounted to one side of the car centerline and some tilt in 36 degrees to throw weight toward the center by offsetting the driveshaft the roadster seat is set down on the chassis for a lower silhouette chassis weight in the roadsters can be shifted from wheel to wheel by adjusting the torsion bar sister but time is running out and the drivers take over to shake down the cars on the track they check performances on the all-important turn here is where they expect to coax those extra miles per hour out of their chassis drivers Scout the competition to find the right group for these new speeds and planned passing strategy for the big race bill Vukovich last year's winner takes a ride in 51 is ol number 14 is still all over the garage floor as his crew reject two engines and work on a third checking and testing go on during the practice periods as drivers and crews fight the clock to find just the right combination of power and chassis a driver can't take his mechanic with him when he does his best to explain what he wants when he comes back to the pits after a run finally everyone is called in practice is over tomorrow they qualify good weather in a big crowd greet the last two days of qualifications as more than 20 cars are on the starting line waiting for this last chance at the 10-mile run and the race which looms a week away there's still a lot of worrying being done Tony bettin Heusen waits his turn and Duke Dillon helps him think things out lukovitch is car number 14 is being fueled and is finally ready to go - and they're rolling the green stilt snack for Frank Artie he's in trouble a wild merry-go-round more than five city blocks long that ends with the fuel tank four feet from the wall armies comment well there goes my early start Vukovich is now at the starting line unmoved by army spins and he's away into a warm-up lap and the green flag he fights for control in the South turn he's on it again but he loses time out of the North tourney stands on it his average one thirty eight point for Manny I usually although Buki speed is better than last year's when he won the pole position this year there are 12 faster qualifiers in the lineup and you know his on his way into the last lap he's heading for home at 139 miles an hour he's losing it not a scratch on driver or car with two spins and three attempts qualifications go on the average speed for all qualifiers moves up to an astounding average of 138 point 3 a total of 33 cars qualify in the money for the time but there's another day of time trials coming up Sunday the last chance drivers and crews are pushing as they've never pushed before more qualifiers barreling down the stretch 137 is not good enough slower cars are bumped out of the lineup by faster cars in frantic last-minute deals drivers change mouths mechanics press to the limit look for extra speed near the end of the day number 45 rules out of the part of garage with our cross at the wind frost took second place in last year's race this is the end of a solid month of hard work from mechanic Harry Stevens with two barred old cars already qualified he's looking to make it three these four minutes can be the longest in a mechanic's life plus his first laughs a beautiful 139 but cross is not riding alone mechanic Stevens is thinking him along every inch of the way slicing across the corners barreling down the straightaway whose foot is on the truck why is it better than 138 miles per hour [Applause] happy drivers and their crews together turn in performances never before thought possible to speed woody here is the racing team in action mechanics who work a little harder and drivers who drive a little harder in the final surge of product efforts ten cars which had qualified our bump by new qualifiers who continued to tear up the record loop only two cars of last year would have made the lineup this year the fastest field in Speedway history average of 138 point six miles an hour grilled over a quarter of a million fans but even as the crowds move out of the Speedway work begins again in the garage area in preparation for the big show a week away cars must now be refitted to take the beating of 500 grueling miles equal to 50,000 miles of highway driving and so the work goes on around the clock as garage lights burn through the night my final check is made out engines these power plants are limited 274 cubic inch piston displacement non supercharged or 183 inches with supercharger every engine reports installed is approved with the triple a contest board these officials work 24 hours a day supervising every phase of the race but it's not all work there's some play and even mechanics take time off at the mechanics dinner Jack McGrath gets a trophy for being the mechanic of the pole position car the first driver mechanic to win this honor around the outside of the Speedway race fans begin to blow it over on every road leading to this mecca of auto racing some of the faithful have been living for weeks at the gates it's carnival time that never stops streets are jammed for miles around and still they keep coming race morning 5:00 o'clock there's the bomb all gates swing open out of the pre-dawn darkness in lines 50 blocks long racing fans pour under the env [Applause] they start at dawn to put up their own grandstands and in a couple of hours they're ready there's some pretty good mechanics in the crowd too but there's still time for breakfast once over lightly and a chance to catch up on some sleep in the warm early morning Sun yes life it's wonderful you can say that again everybody is going to the biggest picnic in the world they wave fried chicken by the ton at Indianapolis from the control point high in the pagoda Speedway officials and state police check traffic in and around the track more than a ton of lost belongings will turn up here tomorrow and 60 children will get lost in the crowd we're looking north from the air the green patch on the right is a nine hole golf course right next to the back straightaway on the left is the main straightaway the pits garages in the starting line the first turn is in the left-hand corner here come the cars crews and drivers out of the garages of their pits the official dodge moves out on the track their Spooky's car here's Harry Stephens with the three Bart almond trees all 33 cars lined the pit wall from the pagoda down in order of qualifying speed the grass number two is the first in line it's in the pitch where the race can be won or lost and some crews run a last-minute practice get stop [Music] they Purdue University fan braids down the straightaway bricks with almost 200,000 race fans looking on [Music] out of the pits to the starting line but it's more than just a car that these crews are pushing in a position there's months of work and sleepless nights and hopes there's disappointment and success every member of the crew has his hands on the car and if he could push it to the winner's circle he would five minutes before the start and Bill bucha can smile many are you boys ready Fred aggravation protects himself against the role of wide open engines art Krauss takes in the Sun which Jack McGrath ships out with his dark goggles there's Troy Rutman winner in 1952 and there's Marie Wilson the girl who will plant a kiss on the winner this is a field day for the bell of Howell there go the balloons I am honored tradition preceding starting engines raises his hands as the signal the car is ready the dodge pace car rolls out and the field is away the mechanics get back to the pits here they come down the straightaway and into the first turn Wilbur Shaw on the dodge pace car driven by William C Newburgh dodge president dodge was selected to face the field this year on the basis of its great performance on the Utah Salt Flats where it sent 196 new triple-a records for speed in the durricks and became the fastest American stock car ever clocked by the three a contest for the field is moving well as they go out of the first turn and head for the second now the pace begins to thicken and in everyone's minds our Wilbur Shaw's words of caution [Applause] Rossellini cutting across the field the first place Thompson is 43 is right behind him and Brian and number nine is third through the second turn they're screening out and settling into the [Music] out of the third turn McGrath starts to move Brian is now second [Music] let's footing it all the way McGrath rides high coming out of the straightaway then slices down to kiss the white light on the second time around Troy Ruttman five hundred one or two years ago charges his number 34 in the seventh place [Music] Krauss and Hanks lead mill lukovitch down the chute Luthor worked his way from 19th position tonight Ruttman going at a 138 mile an hour clip takes third as he fights for his car owners bonus of $1,000 for each lap he leads before the 20th the convention 14 pushes hard to pass Sam Hanks national champion but Hank's in the bardo special holds him off just look at those boys drive Ruttman pits on the 19th lap leaving Bryan and number nine alone to chase McGrath now doing 138 20 miles an hour five miles an hour better than any previous record for 20 laps Vukovich is now six Bob Scott's hard luck driver pumped in the hectic scramble of last-minute qualifying stands by Parsons fitters relief his hand stitch to get on the wheel the grass races at 140 and five tips miles an hour fantastic Brian Pitz on lap 31 after critical at 475 miles day one number 19 takes second battling Sam Hanks mark cross passes high on the North turn here's McGrath on lap 44 he cut through traffic on the first 40 laps at 138 miles an hour four miles an hour better than the old record he covered the 100 miles in 43 and 1/2 minutes and earned himself sixty six hundred dollars in lap prizes for leading all the way my crewmen race to change the tires and refuel as the seconds tick away Marshall team another victim of the monthly totally for a ride when McGrath pitted they was in nineteen was second only two-thirds of a minute behind now Dave wolf makes his move fighting off Hart across in the part all special to take first McGrath rolls four tires and fuel in 50 seconds Vukovich passing inside on the turns picks up those precious seconds Dave Walton 19 holds the lead for five laps with art crossing 45 fatties and bound to shoot to take it away watch them hit that corner Brian and number nine is coming up fast again Troi Rutland spins on the third turn three feet from the wall a terrific recovery he's alright his hand in the air signals that he's headed by holding to the rim that tire probably kept Ruttman off the wall Vukovich is now third only four seconds behind first place are crossing 45 inquired all teammates sandbanks in number one battle for the lead at Jimmy de Waal tips a fresh pair of goggles tires and fuel and day welders away in only 48 seconds Sam Hanks in the lead makes his first pit stop at lap 61 lukovitch rolls in his face black with oil slick and tire does it's good for the track but tough on the face 38 seconds and Billy's on his way all the leaders fit between lap 61 and 65 here is where through teamwork begins to show the lead changes seven times in ten minutes as crews raced the clock every man knows his job every muscle strains until that tanker spit those wheels are on and that car is moving again his job is done Brian with an early pit stop takes first Parsons at number 15 is three seconds back McGrath is 3rd and Vukovich right behind moves into fourth Johnny Parsons stalls leaving his pit after a stop on the 79th left triple a rules will try a car to be started in his fix Parsons winner in 1951 give playfully driver Bob Scott who gets his big chance what Scott has no better luck than parsons number 15 stalls again and out of the race the Granton brian tangled for first place Vukovich now third is riding nine seconds behind the leaders Brian Pitz for the second time on the 87th lap and it's McGrath who grabs the lead brian is losing time and he hasn't any time to lose away in 41 seconds but enough to drop him to four McGrath and Boo kovitch a split second apart on the 90 second lap they head down the stretch here they come and book of it grabs the leaf Brian and nine and a Walton 19 battle for third place on the 101st lap McGrath pitched the second time at the halfway mark 31 cars of the starting field of 33 are still racing Vukovich keeps a heavy foot on the throttle of number 14 as McGrath crew works on the car they won't hits with a loose hood fastener man he wants to go at the halfway mark McGrath was only 7 seconds behind pokévision now with two could stop the 51 every second counts he's rollin no McGrath stall he waits helplessly and lukovitch keeps flipping along [Applause] McGrath is on his way after a heartbreaking 1 minute 48 second stop they won't still in his pit and he gets away a young man in a big hurry Tonie veteran housing is true a burned-out bearing sends him straight to the garage the fourth car out of the race Troi Ruttman gets a relief driver and cool huh but he's still money excited about his spin-out and 138 miles an hour [Music] fire in the pits fumes of highly explosive filled and hot exhaust pipes are a dangerous combination this one is quickly brought under control Jimmy de Waal the number 19 brushes the wall in the north turn and spins across the track number 38 with Pat clarity driving skips out to avoid a collision no serious damage but both are out of the race the warning signal goes out as the track is cleared in there rolling again lukovitch and number 14 holding first brian and number 9 passes a straggler in whole second art cross comes in with his hand on his head meaning get this boy out of here it's a tough race but even tougher to ask for relief Johnny Partridge takes over in number 45 Krauss was running third and driving a terrific race when he came in after 300 miles Vukovich is still holding first brian is now 20 seconds behind him Sam Hanks has had to drop out of number one because the heat Sam had his foot jam to the firewall all afternoon in spite of a blistered heel he can still smile Vukovich brings in number 14 for his second pit stop on lap 128 his pit is blocked by another car but his crew set him right and go to work [Music] boo-ki came in 20 seconds ahead of brian but there goes brian in number 9 it's his turn to take back the lead Buki rolls 40 seconds behind Brian and 70 laps to go Brian with another pit stop coming up tries to fatten his lead but boo kovitch gains 1/4 of a second each lat bill VandeWater official starter signals have passed with the move over flag Vukovich lures into the lead in lap 149 as Brian Pitz for the third time tryam tears away from the pit wall he's sixteen seconds behind Buki with 50 laps to go Luke his crew signaled him to hold his lead but play it safe not Buki he's still charging Brian comes placing down the straightaway he's not giving up 42 seconds ahead Buki stretches his lead as storm clouds darken the sky only 30 laps to go Lucas crew try to slow him down by hanging out the easy side number 35 gets away from Pat O'Connor the caution signal goes on and stays on for four laps visibility is cut and gusts of wind make high speeds dangerous Jim Rassman slides for life one of booty crew runs out on the track to help with Jim's all right and makes it under his own power to the pits bill VandeWater warns the field with a yellow flag look at those skid marks with Vukovich still ahead and setting new speed records Marie Wilson heads for victory lane at lap 194 Vukovich has a full lap lead over Bryan four laps to go Pookie's wife takes her place in victory lane lap 198 in bouquets anxious crew was still trying to slow him down in 1952 Vukovich slammed the wall Lian left in victory he's coming down the chute on the last lap the checkered flag Vukovich wins keep checker only 70 seconds in front of second place Brian and 79 seconds ahead of third place McGrath Buki made only two pit stops as against three for Brian and McGrath the margin of victory was in the pits and a big hug and a kiss go to mechanics Frank Koon Jim Travers and Jack Buckley from bookies wife Lukey takes a triumphal turn down the straightaway to Victory Lane here he is and his crew is still trying to slow him down this is the end of the riot and a great ride it was to 500 miles in three hours 47 minutes at an average speed of 130 point 84 miles per hour a new record in a race that saw more new records than any other 500 with a purse of $75,000 boo-ki becomes the biggest money winner in Indianapolis history and the third driver ever to win the fantastic 500 two years in a row [Music] it's a happy book events who receives the congratulations are Phil Newberg the record-breaking champion will be awarded the record-breaking dodge pace car [Music]

Channel: PeriscopeFilm

Views: 23,241

Rating: 4.884058 out of 5

Keywords: Periscope Film, Stock Footage, 4K, HD, 2K

Id: ss2MyF0dYeU

Length: 29min 40sec (1780 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 30 2018