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Ok someone got Adkins getting killed but 2 drivers died in that crash.
Bobby Unser had driven a few races in 1966 for Leader Card on the Watson side of things. Leader Card driver on the Jud Phillips side was Don Branson. After the 1966 Hoosier 100, Branson announced he was retiring from racing at then end of the season. Bobby Unser was hired to drive for Branson and to that end he would drive the #4 Gerhardt-Ford at Trenton but wrecked it. Branson drove the #95 1963 Watson-Offy Roadster.
After Atkins won at Sacramento and Branson finished fourth, the Leader Card team was going to change the Branson #4 Gerhardt to #91 and Branson would qualify his #4 Dirt Car, a car that sat on the pole at the Langhorne 200 in July at PIR. Bobby would drive the #91.
Don Branson died in that crash at Ascot with Atkins. So the Krueger photo ran everywhere as a tribute to the men fallen. Jones for Adkins and Unser for Branson, both cars driven most of the season by those men.
That is why it was also in the Champaign, IL newspaper as it was home for Branson.
Good photographers got more than just two cars racing, he saw a picture that refected the racing world's sadness of the time.
Unser stayed with the Jud Phillips wrench effort until Sacramento of 1970.
Very Cool Story WALDO. :up:
It is some thing I did not know about. Your work is Great. :)
I found that picture and it always moved my emotions as it did when I saw it in 1966.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenixent
I got to be friends with Don's brother, Don's son Roger and his grand kids and nephews in recent years.
In 1966, Don won at Springfield, I was there. He won a Sprint race at Milwaukee a week later, I was there. His last win.
When a friend of mine told me of a death of two drivers over the weekend, I could not believe my eyes when I saw two names of drivers I liked.
See these photos do have a history and many times we must pay attention to that history.
Thank you....
Here is another photo from Indy but hint, it wasn't qualifying but a publicity photo.
So who is the driver in this photo, the year and make of the Chassis, the year it was taken and how it did in the 500 with whom driving it.
Driver- Tony Rolt
Year- 1963
Car- 1963 Kurtis - Novi
Track- Indianapolis
Finished 21st with Jim McElreath driving it in 1964
Wrong......Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenixent
Wrong.....
Wrong year....Right otherwise
Told you that
Correct, burned a piston and was scored there.
This driver was the driver assigned to the car, not who ended up driving it.
McElreath was assigned to car #3, not #28.
'64 Novi Bobby Unser
This car was a 1962 Kurtis-Novi and two were built. They both missed the 500 in 1962 with Dick Rathmann and Chuck Stevenson up. In 1963 the pictured car wore the number #56 and was second fastest at over 150MPH and sat in the middle of the front row with Jim Hurtubise. The other Kurtis from 1962 made the race with Bobby Unser and wore #6.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Riebe
In 1964 Bobby was assigned the #28 car and Jim McElreath was assigned the #3 car as reflections on their finish in the 1963 points. Granatelli had a new car, a Ferguson 4WD car with a Vince and Joe Chassis and it was car #9 with no assigned driver.
As time went on Bobby moved to the #9, Jim to #28 and Art Malone to the #3. With Art running at the end of the race in 12th.
In 1965 Jim Hurtubise qualified the #28 car now number #59 and tore out the transmission on the first lap while passing about 8 cars.
He drove that car to a 4th at Atlanta in 1965, the last time the Novis would race in a race. Bud Tingelstad drove the other Kurtis that day also.
In 1966 Greg Weld had a state of the art Novi and his back up was this car. After tearing up the new car he attempted to get this car up to speed and bent it late on day 4 ending the Novis at Indy and placing them in the history books.
So Bob you are up.
Since Bob hasn't put one up here is one.
It is a Bob'sGarage Special.
Tell us the History of this car if you can.