"When I finally got out, I was still weak. Dallenbach said. 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. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Mike lives in Reno, Nev., and works at a jewelry shop. At Milwaukee, on August 22, 1965 - Art Pollard made his USAC Champ Car debut, driving a rear-engine Rolla Vollstedt designed car owned by Jim Robbins. We just got on the plane and came home.". garbage, and half the 350,000 fans went home. from behind at 60 mph and killed him. Martin says Bob Christie was a class act in the racing community. He is our most famous son, and whether you were privileged to know him or not you can take pride in the fact that Art was one of us., Our promise to Mike and Judy, and all who all knew him best, is as long as there is a Pacific Racing Association, Art Pollard will never be forgotten, both for the kind of guy he was and for his contributions to the sport we all love so much., (In early 1960s) I felt more comfortable running wheel-to-wheel with Art than anyone in history. Death 12 May 1973 (aged 46) Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA. May of 1973 was a deadly month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning it the nickname Bloody May. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Forty years later, children cavort on the hospital's "Art Pollard Playground" and the picnic survives in his honor, financed by his fund, the original $25,000 still untouched. A.J. they take serious or drastic measures, somebody always has to get hurt or killed," Died after a huge crash in a practice session for the 1973 Indy 500. Armando Moreno Teran - STP pit crewman Invalid memorial. It came out in the papers that i said that maybe I didn't get bumped. 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. Wally Dallenbach stepped into Savage's. Granatelli had always watched the race from the pits but that year for the first time was in a penthouse suite overlooking pit lane from across the track. Even though it was so hard to lose him, I find tremendous solace in my faith and the fact that I had such a loving dad. The car was demolished. [6][7], Art Pollard's cousin Brad Pollard and Art Pollard's son Mike Pollard both competed in various types of racing.[8][9][10]. 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. Make a life-giving gesture Driver Art Pollard was killed in an accident during pole day practice. Oops, we were unable to send the email. ", "To me, it was a horrible year," recalled Andy Granatelli. with crashes that killed drivers Art Pollard and Swede Savage and crewman Armando Teran Corrections? Contact Bob Kehoe, author of Art Pollard:The Life and Legacy of a Gentleman Racer.Request an autographed copy. Finally the green flag waved at 3 p.m. Antsy drivers made for a haphazard field, with four cars across the narrow track in He earned money doing it, but like my mom tells it, it pretty much just broke us even, and we could travel and not go into debt, because he won all the time. Pieces tumbled down the track and Savage slid to a stop, still strapped in the cockpit amidst a pool of burning fuel, but fully conscious, somehow speaking to safety workers and medical officials. Art qualified in the field for the 1972 race, but broke his leg in a post-qualifying accident and was unable to race. interrupted again by rain, which, mercifully, caused it to be stopped at Lap 133 of the | overturned, flaming car came to rest right in front of Dallenbach, who helped firefighters "It was my job," he said. He had suffered internal lung lesion due to flame inhalation, a broken leg, a fractured right arm, third-degree burns and a severe spinal injury. He went to a hospital locally and started visiting that hospital and bringing drivers with him. And I set to work to build myself up. They shared hamburgers at the Burger Chef restaurant on West 16th Street, just east of the track. keeping it warm.' Born in Dragon, Utah, Pollard died in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a result of injuries sustained in practice for the 1973 Indianapolis 500. And it was like talking to your next door neighbor. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. At 9:37 a.m., Pollard hit the outside wall in turn 1, spun to the inside, then flipped over, coming to a rest in turn two with flames and heavy damage. "It really tries on a driver hard. . He would share an apartment in Greenwich Village with Sanford and his wife until 1942. Add to your scrapbook. Patrick owned Patrick Racing, which fielded the winning car, driven by Gordon Johncock. Try again later. "They looked exactly alike," Andy said, speaking in the hushed tones of grief 40 years later. "See, that's where I was so fortunate. For the 1973 race Art Pollard had a new Eagle, two good mechanics, and a new sponsor. The 1973 Indianapolis 500 remains one of the lowest points in American motor sports "It was just a race that everybody wanted to get over with and go home and forget In 1973, that figure was in excess of 1,000. He was 46. Bobby Unser took the pole at 195.940 mph, 17 mph faster than the year before. For these pieces, many made during his poured period, Pollock dripped paint onto canvas to convey the emotion of movement. Pollard died Wednesday of cardiac arrest at a Los Angeles hospital, his longtime. (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. Email to Arts brother, Robert Bob Pollard. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. google_ad_height = 90; he also had the rookie of the year, Graham McRae, who finished 16th. BARBARA POLLARD OBITUARY. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. That point was clearly emphasized in Art Pollard: The Life and Legacy of a Gentleman Racer. "Back then, about the only way to get a better ride, move up the ladder, was when somebody got hurt or killed," Kunzman said. There was an error deleting this problem. He lived with his brother Charles and later in an apartment in Greenwich Village with his brother Sanford and Sanfords wife. Art Pollard's story deserves to be told, from his humble beginnings in Dragon, Utah to his untimely death on Pole Day at Indianapolis in 1973. It gets to your stomach, to your head.". Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Schwankovsky gave Pollock some rudimentary training in drawing and painting, introduced him to advanced currents of European modern art, and encouraged his interest in theosophical literature. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? He started twenty-fifth and finished twenty-second after a spin. It wasnt big money, but enough to do what we needed to, Judy Dippell said. And that soon became a tradition, and he was the first one to do that. "He said, 'You don't want to see it.". Bob and his wife Karen reside in Hillsboro, Oregon. 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. Mike couldnt believe what he was hearing. | He is believed to be the first driver from Southern Oregon to race at Indy. Fuel capacity was reduced from 75 to 40 gallons. Then Johncock recorded an unofficial lap of 199.4 mph during tire testing in March 1973. Empty.". because the 200 mph barrier was within the sights of drivers and on the minds of trackside 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. He had burns, broken bones, and a severe spinal cord injury. Evergreen Memorial Park. | google_ad_type = "text_image"; Smiley died instantly from massive trauma inflicted by the severe impact. He did everything so well. Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming, on January 28, 1912. It erupted in flames with the green flag still waving. He really was an extraordinary individual blessed with many rare qualities and talents., Art Pollard was a credit to the sport of auto racing. Walther struggled with addiction to pain medicine after his fiery wreck. It was horrendous and I could tell it was not good. Methanol, at 70 degrees, weighs about 6.6 pounds a gallon. He went on to qualify for six races, but broke his leg in a qualifying accident in 1972 and had to sit out that race. google_color_text = "000000"; that much more safe.". They said it was my fault. Party No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. | One driver, when he saw me, made a claw of his hand and with that warped fist, waved and said, "Hi, how are you?" when he lost control of his STP red Eagle-Offy. He unstrapped and pronounced the day "the happiest of my life.". A 10 car pile up on the opening lap eliminated Art and the #40 car. A fire truck traveling at an estimate 60 mph in the wrong direction hit Teran, who suffered crushed ribs and a fractured skull. Foyt, although Foyt then took to teammate George Snider's car. It was too late for too many. "He told me, 'Don't go up there,'" Johncock recalled. "Seldom have so many things that potentially could go wrong actually gone It was really impressive, he said. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). improved even more. | A TV news report, that included interviews with friends and daughter, Judy Dippell. [4] Pollard had turned 46 one week before he died. Since 1973, three competitors have been killed at Indy -- Gordon Smiley in '82, Jovy Marcelo in '92 and Scott Brayton in '96 -- along with two spectators and a trespasser google_color_bg = "ECF8FF"; Art Pollard was a top-notch racecar driver, but there was more to him than that. Early Life Paul Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. For the next two years Pollock lived in poverty, first with Charles and, by the fall of 1934, with his brother Sanford. Although the tragic '73 race left the whole sport in a sour mood, nobody recalls having doubts about going back in '74. placed in ambulances, driving rain hit again. Generated by Wordfence at Wed, 1 Mar 2023 22:21:11 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. It was an unspectacular run. Failed to remove flower. Johncock's celebration wasn't much of a party. Only a couple of hundred yards past the flag stand, And I saw myself and , honest to God, didn't believe it was me. Learn more about merges. Swede Savage - driver (died later), Ive often wondered if maybe that was what Art may have experienced., Donald Davidson, Historian at Indianapolis Motor Speedway said, Art Pollard was a great ambassador for the sport of racing. And I looked like a skeleton walking in them because they didn't come close to fitting. I had no brows and almost like a burr haircut. It was a May to forget. google_color_link = "0033FF"; He had a high sense of ethics, Martin said. Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA. In the fall of 1930 Pollock followed his brother Charles, who left home to study art in 1922, to New York City, where he enrolled at the Art Students League under his brothers teacher, the regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He earned 300 points and $17,362.00. gravity. He was found unconscious, and was rushed to Methodist Hospital in the new Cardiac ambulance. Coming out of Turn 4 on the next lap, the rear of his 1,500-pound Eagle, heavy with 500 pounds of methanol, twitched. I couldn't walk at all. Try again later. He died of natural causes last year, at the age of 85. ), "If you really stop and think about it and you follow racing, it seems like before His first attempt fell short in 1966, but in 1967 he qualified to start 13th and finished 8th. Bobby Unser, in Dan Gurneys Eagle chassis with turbo-Offy power, set the second fastest average speed of 169.507 mph. Green, who lives in Eugene, was once Pollards body and paint man. "He was like a family member. Richards writes for The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett property. In time trials, with a car with the new air wing design, and running in high winds, the car went out of control and flipped several times at speeds over 190 miles an hour. 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. He also won the A Dash, the Fast Heat Race, and all three of his 25 lap main events. Pollard, 46, was pronounced dead an hour later from pulmonary damage due to flame inhalation. After four years in the Navy, he went to work at Hansen Chevrolet, where Art was a mechanic. His work and example had enormous influence on them and on many subsequent art movements in the United States. scheduled 200 laps. Of course, he got along with everyone real well.. Art L. Pollard, 61, of Commerce City, passed away October 2, 2019 in Brighton CO surrounded by his family. Teran and Vince Granatelli were the same height and build. And you know, hell, I was a damn good athlete. It was just a week after the local heros 46th birthday. If I can find it, I will attach a shot of it in another e-mail. No one did. Jackson Pollock is best known for his action paintings and Abstract Expressionist works. The total distance covered was 1,450 feet (440 m). Try again later. The race started four hours late under threatening skies. Your access to this service has been limited. 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