Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-05-29
Good Weather Due
For Speedway 800
Again Tomorrow
BY the Assoeiaied Press

INDIANAPOLIS, May o.
The fabulous good weather luck
Of the Indianapolis Speedway is
expected to hold again tomor-
row for the 37th edition Of
Americas premier automobile
race.
The Weather Bureau predicts
rain clouds drifting east from
Illinois won't hit this area until
well after a new speed champion
has been crowned in what off,
Gals say will be record time for
the 500-mile classic.
The forecast for the 200-lap
grind around the brick and as
phalt horseshoe. scheduled to
start at II am. moon WASH
ington time). is cloudy and
humid with the temperature in
the high 80s.
Rain Means Postponement.
Should thundershowers strike
sooner than anticipated, the
event will be put off until Mon
day at the same time. But in
all the years since the race be-
gan in 1911, there's been only
one postponement 1915 and
two curtailments-in 1926 at 400
miles and in 1850 at 345-be-
cause of bad weather.
Thirty-three of the fastest ma
chimes American ingenuity can
devise, each manned by q race
hardened driver. will compete for
a total purse of approximately
$4,000. The crowd, tradition
ally the largest to pay for an
American sports event, is ex-
pected to hit between 175,O0O
and 100000. There will be no
television, but the race will be
carried on a special 38-State
radio network.
Everything points to a record
breaking performance - which
would be the sixth in a row-if
conditions permit.
Vukovich Has Pole.
Bill Vukovich. 34-year-old de-
scendant of Slovenian immi-
grants. won the pole position
with the near-record qualifying
time Of 1882 miles per hour.
He was one of 10 in the field to
better qualifying speed of 1856
miles per hour.
Vukovich was the hard-luck
guy Of the 1852 race, leading
until the last IS miles, when his
steering gear failed. That opened
the door for Troy Ruttman, who
came churning home in a record
128.992-m.p.h. victory. huffman
Is out with an injury this year
and won't defend.
Old-timers around the pits
predict it'll take 131 m.p.h. or
better to prevail tomorrow.
Vukovich, who comes from
Fresno. Calf. and drives an orig
inal Kurtis-Kraft 500, may find
his sternest opposition from two
past champions, Johnny Parsons
OF Sherman Oaks, Calf, 1850
victor, and Bill Holland, 45-year-
old veteran from Indianapolis
who triumphed in 1949.
Parsons, whose 10-mile quail
flying time was 137.667, will be
at the wheel of a sleek Belono
Equa-Flow Special. Holland, re-
turning to the track after a two
year suspension for racing in a
non-sanctioned event, will drive
a new Crawford Special with
which he qualified in 137.868.
Ex-Midget Ace Picked
The drivers themselves, in an
informal poll, favored Vukovich
and Fred Agabashian, 37-year-
old, one-time midget car ace
from Albany, Calf. Agabashian,
competing in his seventh speed
way, was pole qualif1er a year ago.
Since the track opened in 1909.
a total of 43 persons have been
killed-22 drivers, II mechanics,
six spectators and one worker.
But the last fatality in the big
race itself came in 1947 when
William (Shorty) Canton was
killed.
There are six rockies in the
t1eld-f1rst timers in the Speed
way although seasoned drivers
including Marshall league of
Daytona Beach. Fla. the 1852
AAA stock-car champion.
Thirty-two Of the 80 cars are
powered by four-cylinder Offen-
hauser engines. The exception is
the va Novi Governor Special,
at 5000 pounds almost twice as
big as any other competing car.
The Now will be driven by Duke
Nalon of Chicago, who will be
making his 10th speedway start.