Art Pollard: The Gentleman Racer Paperback - September 13, 2019 by Bob Kehoe (Author) 9 ratings See all formats and editions Paperback $25.00 1 New from $25.00 First published in 2016, this is an expanded version of Art Pollard's biography that includes more content and photos. I actually had an opportunity to meet him once in Lexington. His tires were warmed, his four-speed gear box in high. He really was an extraordinary individual blessed with many rare qualities and talents., Art Pollard was a credit to the sport of auto racing. they take serious or drastic measures, somebody always has to get hurt or killed," Sunday marks the 99th year of what many call the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500. Growing up in the small. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Art Lee Pollard Jr. Billy Vukovich called me after I'd been out of the hospital a while and said "We just want to tell you we just inducted you into the Crispy Critter Club.". When he married in 1945, Pollock moved to Long Island, where he lived for the rest of his life. A. Born in Dragon, Utah, and raised in the Portland, Oregon area, Pollard drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1965-1973 seasons, with 84 career starts, including the 1967-1971 Indianapolis 500 races. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. google_color_text = "000000"; "I was astounded. Art was born November 13, 1957, in Denver, CO, to Arthur L. and Philomena "Minnie" (Schenfeld) Pollard. have been incinerated. Jungian symbolism and the Surrealist exploration of the unconscious also influenced his works of this period; indeed, from 1939 through 1941 he was in treatment with two successive Jungian psychoanalysts who used Pollocks own drawings in the therapy sessions. It did provide money. READ MORE. And so that helped. He died in Indianapolis, Indiana in a practice run during the first day of time trials for the 1973 Indianapolis 500. Johncock, who would win again when he beat Rick Mears by .16 seconds in 1982, didn't look or sound happy. Johncock left the track quickly. He liked to have fun. Art qualified in 6th spot in 1970. He started twenty-fifth and finished twenty-second after a spin. Savage hit was moved. Tales There was a mirror over the sink in the bathroom. Ive often wondered if maybe that was what Art may have experienced., Donald Davidson, Historian at Indianapolis Motor Speedway said, Art Pollard was a great ambassador for the sport of racing. A proud family man, a well-respected competitor, a humanitarian, and a friend to all, was gone. He hit it head-on with enough force to rip the machine in two His car rolled over and was engulfed in a fireball. This isn't going to do any good either. while injuring a dozen spectators. In 1937 Pollock began psychiatric treatment for alcoholism, and he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1938, which caused him to be institutionalized for about four months. Driver Art Pollard was killed in an accident during a practice Driver Swede Savage and mechanic Armando Teran also died A crowd estimated at 250,000 swarmed Indianapolis Motor Speedway's. Resend Activation Email. Thanks for your help! There was a problem getting your location. "By then, I could laugh about it. and reduce the possibility of fire. [Armando Moreno Teran was a 22 y/o from Culver City Ca. And he always made time for both kids and adults!. emphasis on safety. The back end jumped out and I caught it. Sorry! Over the left hand I wear a glove, a black glove. This position gave him economic security during the remaining years of the Great Depression as well as an opportunity to develop his art. Corrections? After these experiences, his work became semiabstract and showed the assimilation of motifs from the modern Spanish artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Mir, as well as the Mexican muralist Jos Clemente Orozco. It was then Joe Leonards turn in his #60 STP turbine. clean this time, with Bobby Unser getting a jump on Rutherford, who missed a gear change. I didn't cry 'til I got back to the bed. The car was uncompetitive and Art switched to a new Lotus Offy. A little after 2 p.m., for the second time in three days, gentlemen started their engines. He moved up the ranks, eventually testing himself against the best in the United States Auto Club Championship Car Series. Granatelli was the CEO and affable pitchman of the car's sponsor, STP oil products. "It was just a race that everybody wanted to get over with and go home and forget "Very sad, about as sad as you can get," Pat Patrick said 40 years later. And I set to work to build myself up. "When I finally did come back to racing, the other drivers didn't coddle me about what I'd been through. Art Pollard. Place of Birth - Dragon, Utah which became a ghost town shortly after his birth.. Siblings - A sister, Christine, 3 years older and a brother Robert, 3 years younger (shown in a 1930 photo).. Then I progressed to hand grips. It was as if a message were being sent with the relentless rain that delayed, | Unser led early, then Savage went to the front. Art L. Pollard, 61, of Commerce City, passed away October 2, 2019 in Brighton CO surrounded by his family. Then all of a sudden we broke through that, and Bruce bought us white pants, we had Levis and t-shirtsand then about that time, we gained the respect of the rest of the people, Stewart said. "When I first got out, I remember I put on my nice-looking crepe slacks and my good-looking shirts. In 1945 Pollock married the painter Lee Krasner and moved to East Hampton, on the southern shore of Long Island, New York. Art Pollard. Arts friend Johnny Rutherford remembers, I was the first one by the scene of the accident where he crashed. "They had everybody stopped there in Turn 4," Johncock said. Indianapolis Star - Sunday, May 13, 1973. They were going to cut off the left hand at first, but the doctor felt he could save it. | And that soon became a tradition, and he was the first one to do that. He was killed during practice on Pole Day for the 1973 Indianapolis 500 when his car hit the wall and caught fire. Bobby Unser, in Dan Gurneys Eagle chassis with turbo-Offy power, set the second fastest average speed of 169.507 mph. Make a life-giving gesture 1970 Indianapolis 500 [ESPN Classic Telecast Version] (Full Race), 5. POLLARD--Barbara, who retired in 2002 as the English Department Chairperson at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City . Try again later. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. In time trials, with a car with the new air wing design, and running in high winds, the car went out of control and flipped several times at speeds over 190 miles an hour. The car was demolished. safety truck, speeding up pit road in the opposite direction of normal traffic, hit Teran For a while though, it was touch and go. Updates? Reality set in quickly when, in a windy practice before pole qualifying, Pollard crashed in the first turn. The fingertips on his charred left hand were amputated. Jackson Pollock, in full Paul Jackson Pollock, (born January 28, 1912, Cody, Wyoming, U.S.died August 11, 1956, East Hampton, New York), American painter who was a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism, an art movement characterized by the free-associative gestures in paint sometimes referred to as action painting. During his lifetime he received widespread publicity and serious recognition for the radical poured, or drip, technique he used to create his major works. It erupted in flames with the green flag still waving. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Your access to this service has been limited. He served time in jail. Early attrition knocked out Mario Andretti, stock-car regular Bobby Allison and A.J. Art Pollard was a top-notch racecar driver, but there was more to him than that. Smiley died instantly from massive trauma inflicted by the severe impact. canceled and he and many others on the team went instead to Methodist Hospital to check on he also had the rookie of the year, Graham McRae, who finished 16th. Johnny Rutherford remembers May 12, 1973, the day of Arts fatal accident: I was the first one by the scene of the accident where he crashed, I could tell it was not good. Current IndyCars generate 670 horsepower. Cars were on the edge. They wore the same uniform. "I thought it was my son who had been hit.". "I think it was because of things like that that I really never got that close to You will then receive an email that helps you regain access. And you dont always get that from, not just race drivers, but also other stars so-to-speak. Pollard's wreck (when he broke his leg in 1972) was a direct result of a broken right rear hub on his STP-Lola. Pollard died in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during practice on the first day of time trials for the 1973 Indianapolis 500. Unfortunately Art slipped in Johnny Rutherford's oil and crashed in turn 1. Art went on to win his first Champ Car race after a wild start (shown above). A native of Portland, Oregon, Bob Kehoe is a freelance automotive journalist and photographer who wrote his first car column for his high school newspaper. "Friends and Family Remember May 12 1973", "Art Pollard Racing in 1973, the Tragedy and Reactions", "Art Pollard: Early Years and Personal Facts", https://web.archive.org/web/20071205052904/http://artpollard.tripod.com/1972-73.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20110810203442/http://www.judydippel.com/cmsj/, https://artpollardracedriver.info/art-pollard-by-years/art-pollard-racing-in-1973-the-tragedy-and-reactions/, https://oilpressure.com/2012/02/27/art-pollard-somehow-always-overshadowed/, https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=5062, http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160430/SPORTS/160439978, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Art_Pollard&oldid=1091444970, Pages using small with an empty input parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 June 2022, at 11:04. Jackson Pollock was an American painter who was a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism, an art movement characterized by the free-associative gestures in paint sometimes referred to as action painting.. This is a carousel with slides. Among his contemporaries, he was respected for his deeply personal and totally uncompromising commitment to the art of painting. Jim Nabors, an emergency fill-in the year before, sang "Back Home in Indiana" again. Art Pollard Race Driver: A Life Remembered, It would honor him to know he is remembered, not only for his passion for racing and skill as a driver, but for who he was as a person. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. When it snapped, Art lost a wheel, spun around and slammed into the third turn concrete." Article, "Hospital Room Looks Like a Greenhouse," Robin Miller, The Indianapolis Star, 1972 The 1973 Indianapolis 500 remains one of the lowest points in American motor sports Just didn't go that way.". Of course, he got along with everyone real well.. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. He and Pollard were close friends. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Meanwhile, the infield continued its metamorphosis into a bog of mud and stinking A crew. When a race driver is killed on the track the first thing everybody says is,"That's too bad, he was a hell of a guy." In the obituary the next day, his past performances are listed and any other worthy achievements are mentioned. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. another driver," Johncock said. Approximately one hour after the accident, Art Pollard was pronounced dead. Time trials began on time, at 11 a.m. Rutherford qualified at 198.413 to set a track record and take the pole. garbage, and half the 350,000 fans went home.