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| Photo ID # | T11.25.23_056_HUR_IND_0070_IVINS_1 |
| Car #: | #56 |
| Driver (s) : | Jim Hurtibuse |
| Location: | Indianapolis |
| Date: | 1970s |
| Photographer: | Nelson Ivins |
| Photo provided by: | Nelson Ivins & Bobby Pickell Jr. |
| Comments: |
Comment: Favorite of The Vault, and of every
racing fan that I've ever met, Jim Hurtibuse gives the front engine racer a
run at the starting lineup for the Indy 500, at a time when every competitor
had made the switch to rear engine, which began at the speedway around 1964,
and before the decade was over, a front engine car was a thing of the
past.... It didn't stop Jim from trying... Last qualifying for the
Indy 500 in a front engine roadster in 1968.... And continuing to try to
make the field for many years after, without yielding to the rear engine
cars of the day. Maybe Jim was making the point twell into the decade of the 70's, that the Indy 500 was supposed to be a representation of American racing, which had strong roots to the short dirt bullrings, to the larger asphalt ovals, and what better way to represent that history than with a front engine machine. The #56 above never made the starting field of an Indy 500, but that doesn't stop us from remembering this historic car, and the man who piloted it. |