Serious injury and even death are ever-present in IndyCar racing, but the drivers in the 1958 Indianapolis 500 suffered far more than the fields in other years.
This is the theme of “The Curse of the Indy 500: 1958’s Tragic Legacy” by Stan Sutton.
The author opens with one of the most horrific crashes in the race’s history, which occurred on the first lap. Pole-sitter Dick Rathmann and Ed Elisian, the second-fastest qualifier, dueled for the first-lap lead, an accomplishment in imagined honor only during the 200-lap race. As they headed for the third turn, Elisian edged in front but apparently entered the turn too fast and began to spin. His car hit Rathmann’s racer, sending both into the outside wall.
Since the crash occurred at the head of the field, there was little chance for other drivers to avoid the accident. In all, 15 of the 33 drivers were involved in the accident in one way or another.
Tragically, 29-year-old Pat O’Connor, a rising star in IndyCar racing, was killed. He was a local favorite since he was a resident of North Vernon.
O’Connor started in the middle of the second row. He was unable to avoid the wreckage ahead of him and ran up and over the car of Jimmy Reece, who started on the outside of the first row and was running third at the time. O’Connor’s car went airborne, rolled over and landed upside down, trapping O’Connor in his burning racer.
But the events of that day haunted the other drivers that day, and nearly all of them wound up being involved in other accidents or terrible crashes that year or later in their careers.
Sutton tells the stories of the survivors of the 1958 race and also explores the impact of the crash. He describes changes in regulations, added precautions and technological improvements that led to greater safety in racing in general and the 500 in particular. But while the changes have undoubtedly saved many lives, IndyCar remains a sport where tragedy always remains microseconds away.
The author is a veteran sportswriter, so his style is naturally breezy and accessible. He explains technical terms effectively, so even readers unacquainted with auto racing or the 500 will understand them. The chapters are short, each focusing on a different driver or aspect of racing. Eighteen pages of photos offer a short history of the 500, the 1958 crash, and several of the drivers from that year’s race.
In all, the book offers an exciting story of the 1958 Indy 500 and a thought-provoking discussion of its aftermath.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: “The Curse of the Indy 500: 1958’s Tragic Legacy”
Author: Stan Sutton
Pages: 192
Publisher: Red Lightning Books, a division of Indiana University Press
Price: $18 paperback, $17.99 e-book
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