IRL: CHAMPCAR/CART: Brickyard Trail, A Glory Road

INDY CARS

BRICKYARD TRAIL, A GLORY ROAD

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum hosted a reception Saturday morning to honor five car builders from the 50's and 60's who made more than significant contributions to the history of championship car racing during that period. Cited today were: FRANK KURTIS - "revolutionized chassis design at Indianapolis, his model 500A was a mikestone. By 1955, Kurtis-Kraft roadsters made up more than half the starting field at Indy." Roger Huntington

EDDIE KUZMA - "Once I asked Dad why he didn't get more credit for the cars he built. He said he got paid to do what he love to do. And that was enough." Joe Kuzma QUIN EPPERLY - "In collaboration with George Salih he introduced the laydown engine installation for the winning cars of '57 and '58. Whether it was the chassis or the wrenching (or the drivers) I don't know. But they sure had Indy by the tail." Roger Huntington LUJIE LESOVSKY - "In 1951 Dad and Quin Epperly had literally taken a Kurtis midget and stretched it for Lee Wallard. It was small and underpowered. It won the race and that sort of launched Dad's career." Ron Lesovsky A. J. WATSON - "What was nice about this era was how all of us little guys were able to do what we did. You had an idea and you ran with it." A. J. Watson For more than a decade in mid-century five Los Angeles race car builders reigned supreme at Indianapolis. To these five the Brickyard Trail was a Glory Road just as it had been a generation earlier for one of the gods of American motorsport - Harry Miller.

If Harry Miller had Leo Goosen and Fred Offenhauser, the California Five had each other. From what they or their sons have to say, it seems clear they complemented each other even as they competed. Phil Reilly and the Petersen Automotive Museum and the Indianapolis Hall of FaMe today saluted Los Angeles, California's roadster crew where from five shops in that basin came 90% of the fields at the Indianapolis 500 from 1953 to 1963. Museum official Ralph Kramer and Tony George used the occasion to present a check for $5,000 to Robert Hurl of the Motts Military Museum in Columbus, IN which has purchased the childhood home of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker and is moving it to the Motts site for restoration and exhibit. Rickenbacker, former race driver and World War I ace pilot, was owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1927 to 1945. Hurl made a statement to the effect that had it not been for Tony Hulman the place we are standing in now would have become a shopping center in 1946 and what a rich history and tradition would have been lost. posted by Len in Indy

PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service - Date: 01/11 Time: 12:38 PM