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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Dayton rich with Indianapolis 500 history
The Indianapolis 500 celebrates its 100th anniversary at the end of May, and it always amazes me the Dayton area has almost as many connections to the open-wheel event as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing has miles.
From winning 500 drivers Frank Lockhart and Mauri Rose and car owner Ron Hemelgarn to Dayton providing the first pace car with the Stoddard-Dayton, the Gem City’s history at 16th and Georgetown is something to be proud of.
I was a late comer to auto racing growing up but I always tried to be in front of a television for the Indy 500, which was mandatory viewing for any sports fan.
I still remember taking that bus trip around the historic 2½-mile track as a kid — I repeated that process with my own kids a few years back — and being in awe of how big it all seemed. That feeling never goes away, just like Dayton’s connections to the 500.
There were drivers Spider Webb, Duke Dinsmore, Salt Walther and Jack Hewitt and long-time chief steward Harlan Fengler and timer/scorekeeper Clarence E. “Erik” Erickson. Toss in the names of Indy 500 drivers who also competed at the Dayton Speedway — not to mention the fans who have made the trek across I-70 for decades as spectators — and the list continues to grow.
Have a favorite memory from the Indy 500 or know someone with a connection — be it an owner, mechanic, crew member, driver or track employee — that I left off this list?
Know someone who has attended the race for decades?
Send me the details. I’d love to add them to Dayton’s ever-growing list of Indy 500 history.
Email me at gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.
