Reno/Indy connection?

[Big_Jim]

So most die-hards know that the Whittington brothers raced for many years at both Reno and in the Indy 500. (They are not remembered very favorably in retrospect in the open-wheel world, often referred to as "The Wit Brothers...Dim and Nit")

What other Reno-era pilot raced at the Indy 500? Bonus points for year(s) and the name(s) of the car. Double bonus points for photos.

[MUSNTCHIT]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

MICKEY RUPP-GC MURPHY SPECIAL-1965

[Big_Jim]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Here is the official Speedway photograph from Qualifying Day. Same old sh*t-eating grin that Mickey had when racing Samurai! A very class act!


Nevermind...it's not letting me upload. Sorry.

[IcePaq]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

What's really interesting is when you add Unlimited Hydroplane racing to the mix and compute the "six degrees" of separation.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

What's really interesting is when you add Unlimited Hydroplane racing to the mix and compute the "six degrees" of separation.

Air race guys with a hydroplane connection:

Bill Stead
Chuck Lyford
Mira Slovak
Leroy Penhall
Ralph Payne
Dave Zeuschel
Randy Scoville
Dixon Smith
Dwight Thorn
Bill Kerchenfaut
Dave Allender
Pete Law

Off the top of my head, at least...

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Nevermind...it's not letting me upload. Sorry.

What message did you get? It should accept even images that are over the pixel size limit, as it automatically resizes them.. unless they are larger in file size than the limit (which I can't remember what I set it at but it's fairly large)...

You might also have been over-quota, but I changed that (it's supposed to change automatically after a certain amount of posts and time span but never has worked correctly)...

Anyway... let me know what the message was and I'll see if I can fix it..

[MUSNTCHIT]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

To get eligible to attempt to Qualify and race in the Indy 500, Mickey bought Mutt Anderson's USAC "Sprint Car" and ran that series for a while. He ran the "high banks, Winchester, Salem , etc. as well as the dirt, Terra Haute, Eldora, New Bremen, Etc... He was a "Brave Man!!!

[Leo]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Johnny Rutherford was at Reno a couple of years. Don't remember if he raced or not, I know he was/is a Mustang pilot.
As I remember it was he who rode atop the crushed cadillac...

[Big_Jim]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Lone Star JR had a Mustang alright...hung out with the Brothers W. But he never raced it.

Okay...lets try it again. Mickey Rupp...G.C. Murphy Special, Indy 1965. Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway archives.

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Lone Star JR had a Mustang alright...hung out with the Brothers W. But he never raced it.

Okay...lets try it again. Mickey Rupp...G.C. Murphy Special, Indy 1965. Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway archives.

Mickey Rupp,
Gerhardt Chassis, Rear engine offy - finished 6th place at 198 laps completed started 15th. a dang good showing no matter who you are in my book, there was only one rookie that finished better that year, a young kid named Andretti. A brilliant young Scotsman named Jimmy Clark won the race and HII's FoMoCo's Total Performance Program in their third year at Indy held 7 of the top 10 finishing places. Parnelli Jones ran out of fuel just after getting second place and pushed his car arond the rest of the track to end his day. To his great honor the Mick' finished ahead of such greats that day as, Al Unser, Lloyd Ruby, AJ, Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney, Joe Leonard, Johnny Rutherford. Man how many of us air race fans deam of just driving a car around the Brickyard.

[Pick]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

I can name a couple from the crew/ownership side of the coin for Indy and Reno.

Tom Kelley owned (or co-owned) a few Reno Unlimited racers (Lou IV and Vendetta to name two), won Unlimited Silver flying Lou IV in '85, (I think) then went on to own an IRL team.

Chuck Buckman was heavily involved with building Blind Man's Bluff and went on to co-own PDM Racing in the IRL.

I'm sure there are many more on the crew side of the equation.....

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

I know Eddie Rickenbacker drove race cars & although he was heavily into aviation I don't think he ever raced planes. WWI flying ace.

[spinner]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Johnny Rutherford was at Reno a couple of years. Don't remember if he raced or not, I know he was/is a Mustang pilot.
As I remember it was he who rode atop the crushed cadillac...

Boy Leo you have been around for a long time...are you sure you and I arent the same age. I was there for the Caddy Crushing thing...what a riot that was. Joh Rutherford hung around that year. Brant was only 7 or 8 I think...somewhere I have a picture. Anyway Rutherford did have a Mustang but it was not at reno and he never raced. Man are we old.

[Skyracer]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

Man how many of us air race fans deam of just driving a car around the Brickyard.

I would have settled for the grandstand back in the day. Still a few roadsters in the field; the growl of the Offy's and the song of the Ford's; no wings and not dependent on aerodynamic widgets sticking out all over just to get around the track. Cars with BA** holders and drivers that needed them.

I have no present day desire though, just can't get into whining Honda's, fragile cars, and drivers that match.

[IcePaq]

Re: Reno/Indy connection?

For a year, I lived in a small virginia town called Front Royal in an apartment on main street over a jewelry store.

One day I tripped at the top of the stairs and grabbed the large ball on the corner of the bannister and it popped off sending causing me to rely on my catlike reflexes to stay alive.

When I got back up top to replace the ball (and the square wooden "plate" it sat on), I looked down into the hollow bannister support and saw something.

I pulled this crumpled paper from inside.