Each year it got a little faster and a better car, and then we he started going to out-of-town races, said Green, who was a body shop mechanic for more than 40 years. Actually, it isnt the turbine, but the four-wheel drive and the engineering and the chassis. "When I first got out, I remember I put on my nice-looking crepe slacks and my good-looking shirts. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Unfortunately, Indianapolis Motor Speedway was where Pollard lost his life in an accident on May 12, 1973, during a practice run for the Indy 500. Please try again later. Art went on to win his first Champ Car race after a wild start (shown above). He died Dec. 27, 2012. Smiley died instantly from massive trauma inflicted by the severe impact. announcer, 'We're supposed to have 33 of the best drivers in the world and they can't even People came to see the storied track's first 200-mph laps. Mike, then 25 and a steel fabricator in Fresno, Calif., didnt want to believe what he was hearing. "They had everybody stopped there in Turn 4," Johncock said. He was 46. Foyt had already went up that way and had walked back and grabbed a hold of me and said, "In that crash forty percent of my body was burned. google_page_url = document.location; Art Pollard - driver ", Meanwhile in the pits, Teran, an STP crewman, headed toward the accident scene. They wore the same uniform. A month later, after Savage's kidneys had failed, he died of pneumonia. He went on to become a popular super-modified champion in the Western States in the 1960sand finally, the Indy Racing circuitachieving the pinnacle of racing, the famed BrickyardIndianapolis Motor Speedway in 1967. After his time in Roseburg, Pollard left for Medford and later became a national figure. Sorry! The impact tore off two wheels immediately, and the wings were also torn off during the slide. Despite his hard luck with cars, Pollard quickly gained a strong fan base, not just from Southern Oregon, but at Indy as well. Art and his crew started 28 main events and won an astonishing 22 of them., Perhaps his most admirable quality (off the track) was his ability to take a moment of his time and make everybody he talked with feel important. Can You Match These Lesser-Known Paintings to Their Artists? This position gave him economic security during the remaining years of the Great Depression as well as an opportunity to develop his art. He died living his dream, doing what he loved; and it was a privilege for him to race at that level., Mike Pollard, was working as a steel fabricator for Fred Gerhardt in Fresno, California. IndySpeedway.com This browser does not support getting your location. overturned, flaming car came to rest right in front of Dallenbach, who helped firefighters (Pollard Family Collection), Innovative Turbines of 1968: Art drove #20, Art commented on what it was like to drive the turbine car for the first time. He had a high sense of ethics, Martin said. During one period in 1961, he won 22 of 28 main events. Johnny Rutherford won the pole position. A scarecrow.". Links 'You don't want to go up there.' Then Johncock recorded an unofficial lap of 199.4 mph during tire testing in March 1973. from behind at 60 mph and killed him. It was like a blanket of fire on the track. His fathers Studebaker dealership sponsored his midget race car.