Art & Inspiration 1939: The Indianapolis 500

Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post:

1939: The Indianapolis 500

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You can have anything to eat,,,, as long as you want white bread with bologna mustard and a cup of Coke!

 

WOW - no 15 inch wide slicks & airplane wings. Real race cars! Love’em

 

Very cool

 

manual steering, sitting in a fuel tank with no rubber bladders, no real fire suits... took a certain breed, that's for sure.

 

The Speedway is an amazing place. It is HUGE. So many men went for their dream. And some paid the highest price. The place gives you chills. If you've never been, add it to your list. And the museum is terrific.

 

Who is this? Is that some areo setup or a cast from some qualifying incident? Bob

 

Great photos... Funny seeing spectators leaning right on the outside wall and a roll of baling wire for repairs on the pit wall.

 

Here he is before the mask went on, so its definitely for breathing/ aero...

 

The driver is Joel Thorn and the mask is to keep his face from getting sandblasted.

 

Thanks Rootie! They were just talking about both of the Joel Thorn cars over in the Racing 1894-1942 thread. Both cars exist and are restored today. the Little Six is up in Massachusetts an I've seen it at Lime Rock. Here is the Big Six Joel Thorne was driving in 1939.

The Sparks Little Six

 

Joel Thorne, had some money and was serious about racing, was 1939 the year of some mixup were he threatened to buy all 33 starting cars in the INDY 500? Bob

Just found this overview of his life, money really isn't everything.

https://www.onedirt.com/news/flashback-friday-oct-17-1955-the-joel-thorne-story-ends/

 

The SAMPSON 16 made the race in 1939 powered by the 4cam MILLER that was in the Frank Lockhart Stutz Black Hawk, the car that killed him on Daytona Beach.


The car was driven by Bob Swanson in 1939 and 1940. it is in the INDY 500 Collection today.

 

Aside from the v16 Alden Sampson's car was quite advanced for 1939, what with a underslung frame t-bar rear suspension and a rarely seen, on oval track cars, De-dion rear axle.

 

Incredibly elegant racers but dirt, heat, exhaust and other debris must have been something for these fellas like most car racing but yeah they were a special breed of characters for sure...the influences to all aspects of what we celebrate here were obvious...

I wonder if the Photographer was looking at the sign below and had a little chuckle watching this Racer enjoying his drink...



Credit to Photographer, Owner

@Jive-Bomber....Thanks for sharing these fantastic peaks back at what must have been a time of uncertainty as the world was starting to boil over into one helluva powder keg...not quite there yet but there must have been writing on the wall.



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Super shots & thread, thanks Bomber. Feel the day's heat coming through the photos, very atmospheric- very special.
That Sampson is an interesting thing. Can anyone explain the logic/ benefit of the DeDion set-up?

 

Tough drivers from another era. That was when sprint cars were the stepping stone to Indy. They ran on dirt, pavement on tracks that had an insatiable appetite for drivers.

 

I love the cars from that era - so much variety.

 

Macho Men, Macho Machines! Big HP engines, skinny tires, surrounded by fuel, exhaust heat and noise, and others with the same intent, Win the Indy 500! Thanks, Jay.

 

Just read your link! That's a pretty tragic tale of a rich and restless playboy that ended up killing innocent people...

 

Woah! These are incredible. Thanks Jay

 

Lots of details I'd never known before that popped up on the Google search. Thorne was the money that funded Art Sparks creations. I'll have to see what books are on Racemaker Press covering that history. https://www.racemaker.com/
Bob

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Indy18.jpeg
Gardening glove, shop rag and tape.....'39 safety.....We've come a long way....

 

The 1938 Maserati 8CTF "Boyle Special" driven by Wilbur Shaw won the 1939 and 1940 races.

 

It says "Burd Piston Ring Special" so the driver is probably Floyd Roberts. Definitely a humorous framing of the photo by Eisenstaedt.

 

Most likely he was driving the same car he won with in 1938. Bob

 

Steve congrats on Your 666th Post......Thanks for expanding on the hidden lettering and other relative info...and suggesting he may have been in humour mode upon seeing some word play...

Your Avatar reminds me of the Band AHA's video in the 80's or was it the 90's with the animated graphics

 

Money can't buy you happiness!

 

There were 4 cars entered as "Burd Piston Ring Spl. " in the 39 500. Driven by Roberts, Gulotta, Wilman and Wearne. The large W on the pit board suggests to me it is Frank Wearne.