It was then Joe Leonards turn in his #60 STP turbine. Pollard's volume of art in the past seven years came after a five-year period when he stopped drawing after the death of his grandmother. 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. home.". a driver's body of accidents, some of which have a force of 70 or 100 times that of Grandfather on the Pollard Side - Andrew Jackson Pollard . For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Pollard was known as a giving man who did things like visit troops in Vietnam and give speeches at churches and high schools all over the nation. friends . Patrick owned Patrick Racing, which fielded the winning car, driven by Gordon Johncock. He waved his checkered cap from the riding mechanic's seat of his winning Delage. Party Safety was the watchword for the 1974 Indianapolis 500. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7232111/art-lee-pollard. From the time I was a little girl, I never thought it would happen to him. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. During one period in 1961, he won 22 of 28 main events. Finally the green flag waved at 3 p.m. Antsy drivers made for a haphazard field, with four cars across the narrow track in You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. [5] Pollard also served in the United States Navy for a time. Jackson Pollock is best known for his action paintings and Abstract Expressionist works. Art won $941.00 for his 14th place finish and Bobby Unser won the race. google_color_border = "DDAAAA"; Early attrition knocked out Mario Andretti, stock-car regular Bobby Allison and A.J. get down the bloody straightaway.' We got treated terrible until we qualified. The car slammed into the outside wall coming out of turn one, burst into flames, and spun as it headed to the grass on the inside of the short chute. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. He liked and understood people, and he gave of himself to his fans and friends - some of whom called him "Roberto" because of his dark heavy-bearded complexion. Walther's "By then, I could laugh about it. It came out in the papers that i said that maybe I didn't get bumped. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jackson-Pollock, National Gallery of Art, Washington - Biography of Jackson Pollock, Guggenheim - Biography of Jackson Pollock, The Art Story - Biography of Jackson Pollock, Jackson Pollock - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Jackson Pollock - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). It was a May to forget. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. I do not immediately recall the year, but one of our local motorcycle shops hosted him and his Indy car for a promotion. It was a quick input on the wheel to the right, and it came right backit only happened that one time. Swede Savage, driver of another Patrick Racing, STP-sponsored car, and Armando Teran, mechanic on a third Patrick/STP car, also died. The traditional post-race banquet was | One of the top athletes probably in the country. I told 'em I was at the Indy 500. What I really admired about Bob Christie was that he was such a gentleman on the track. In 1943, after the liquidation of the Federal Art Project, Pollock was given a contract by Peggy Guggenheim at her Art of This Century gallery in New York, and his first one-man show was held there in November. I had no brows and almost like a burr haircut. Pollard dominated racing on the super modified circuit on the West Coast in the late '50s and early '60s. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Emily Kasriel explores the art of plague from the Black Death to current times. He earned money doing it, but like my mom tells it, it pretty much just broke us even, and we could travel and not go into debt, because he won all the time. The message was stressed in the costliest of terms The. The grid was reset without Walther. His lover, artist Ruth Kligman, was the only survivor of the accident. Salt miraculously made it back the next year, qualifying in 14th position for the 1974 Indy 500. We were kind of a joke. "I thought, my goodness, we're never going to recover from this," said the speedway's Carnegie. Bobby Unser took the pole at 195.940 mph, 17 mph faster than the year before. In 1945 Pollock married the painter Lee Krasner and moved to East Hampton, on the southern shore of Long Island, New York. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This brought back many memories for Fletcher, who owned the car that Art Pollard died in during the 1973 race. announcer, 'We're supposed to have 33 of the best drivers in the world and they can't even This is a carousel with slides. //-->. I discovered an interesting fact the other day while following some of your links. And I was wasted. Pollard had clipped a wall, an impact that sent his car skidding into the infield grass . When they got me up to walk, I'd get dizzy and go sit back down. "See, that's where I was so fortunate. His racing career started in Roseburg racing hydroplanes on the Umpqua River, and micro-midgets at the fairgrounds. And you dont always get that from, not just race drivers, but also other stars so-to-speak. Johncock, who led 64 laps, was declared the winner while sitting in the pits. "People don't realize how the driver gets himself geared up for battle," said Bobby Unser, who would lead 39 laps before retiring with a blown engine. He was a mechanic and car dealer at the time of his death. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. ToDo "I thought I was blind until I flipped up my visor. IndySpeedway.com We were listening to the radio broadcast of the activity at Indy when they announced that Art had crashed and later passed away in the hospital. He really put his foot into it and topped teammate Hills speed with an incredible 171.559 mph average. But I didn't have enough muscles to do anything. Art's Parents - Artle Lee Pollard Sr. (1903-1964) & Bobbie Marie (Jaynes) Pollard (1907-2000). The yellow came out when light rain began falling on Lap 129. It was horrendous and I could tell it was not good. Tuesday was wet, as well, and the drivers saw the red flag while on their parade lap. 0 cemeteries found in McMinnville, Yamhill County, Oregon, USA. google_page_url = document.location; "It really tries on a driver hard. Art and his crew started 28 main events and won an astonishing 22 of them., Perhaps his most admirable quality (off the track) was his ability to take a moment of his time and make everybody he talked with feel important. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Later Mike would often recall, You never saw him when he wasnt smiling., Bob Pollard (Arts brother) and his wife, Diane, were also living in California at the time. Driver Art Pollard was killed in an accident during pole day practice. Legendary Track Announcer Tom Carnegie says Pollard carried a high level of sportsmanship and driving that attracted fans. He was driving under the influence of alcohol and was killed after he was thrown from the vehicle. A proud family man, a well-respected competitor, a humanitarian, and a friend to all, was gone. And I told 'em: "Goddammit, somebody hit me from behind.". The total distance covered was 1,450 feet (440 m). They saw, instead, the fatal first day of the old track's deadliest May since 1937. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. | "When I first got out, I remember I put on my nice-looking crepe slacks and my good-looking shirts. And he always made time for both kids and adults!. Failed to report flower. "He said, 'You don't want to see it.". He was an engaging speaker and frequent spokesman. ). Try again later. But he never forgot about his old friends. Dallenbach also talked to Savage in the hospital, because he was hired to replace him. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. "He came off the wall and almost landed on the front of my car," said Lee Kunzman, whose first Indy start carried him only a few hundred yards. garbage, and half the 350,000 fans went home. This browser does not support getting your location. From his years with Benton through 1938, Pollocks work was strongly influenced by the compositional methods and regionalist subject matter of his teacher and by the poetically expressionist vision of the American painter Albert Pinkham Ryder. He is also one of the first American painters to be recognized during his lifetime and after as a peer of 20th-century European masters of modern art. After 1 lap, Art replaced Weld in the #57. I'd lost fifty pounds or so. He started twenty-fifth and finished twenty-second after a spin. Art qualified in the field for the 1972 race, but broke his leg in a post-qualifying accident and was unable to race. Jim Nabors, an emergency fill-in the year before, sang "Back Home in Indiana" again. And I saw myself and , honest to God, didn't believe it was me. ), "If you really stop and think about it and you follow racing, it seems like before Cars were on the edge. Miller was surprised when Pollard said he would take the car out during pre-qualifying practice. "I still feel bad about it. The flames melted it and crinkled it all up.". He was very popular, very quiet, but on the race track, very successful, Carnegie said. Contact Bob Kehoe, author of Art Pollard:The Life and Legacy of a Gentleman Racer.Request an autographed copy. The men invested countless evenings in the garage, burning the midnight oil to help transform an old 1933 Chevy Coupe into a bonafide competitor. Unser led early, then Savage went to the front. In years since, there has been no final determination on the cause of Arts accident. Not a single lap was complete when the race was halted. They carried a full fuel load of 75 gallons. ", Meanwhile in the pits, Teran, an STP crewman, headed toward the accident scene. 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 English cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He earned 300 points and $17,362.00. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Paul Jackson Pollock was the fifth and youngest son of Stella May McClure and LeRoy Pollock, who were both of Scotch-Irish extraction (LeRoys original surname was McCoy before his adoption about 1890 by a family named Pollock) and born and raised in Iowa. You slow down the film and there's no other conclusion you can come to. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. . He won two Indy car events in 1969, and finished second in the first two California 500s at Ontario Motor Speedway. google_color_text = "000000"; Unfortunately Art slipped in Johnny Rutherford's oil and crashed in turn 1. He had just turned 46-years-old one week earlier. I went out in qualifying later and set a new track record. "When I finally did come back to racing, the other drivers didn't coddle me about what I'd been through. I actually had an opportunity to meet him once in Lexington. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He was always racing. A 10 car pile up on the opening lap eliminated Art and the #40 car. MEDFORD, Ore. Among those starting their engines in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s were two Southern Oregon natives, Bob Christie of Grants Pass and Art Pollard of Medford. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 2. Carnegie, who will call his 53rd Indy 500 today. Art Pollard was a top-notch racecar driver, but there was more to him than that. 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. "When somebody's hurt, he goes through a helluva rehabilitation process. Christie started at Indianapolis every year from 1956 to 63. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. He visited children at La Rue Carter Hospital in Indianapolis, where a playground there was named after him. "I remember the first time I saw what I looked like. 'You don't want to go up there.' "He told me, 'Don't go up there,'" Johncock recalled. Twelve cars were caught up in the wreckage as Walther's car pin-wheeled down the track upside down, gushing flaming methanol. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Art qualified in 6th spot in 1970. He turned away from the flatbed truck he was working on when the radio news mentioned his fathers name. google_color_border = "DDAAAA"; hands. The race was postponed until Tuesday, when on the second parade lap, the sky opened again and another washout was declared. He died in Indianapolis, Indiana in a practice run during the first day of time trials for the 1973 Indianapolis 500. First published in 2016, this is an expanded version of Art Pollards biography that includes more content and photos. "That's what people saw. The car was demolished. Although the tragic '73 race left the whole sport in a sour mood, nobody recalls having doubts about going back in '74. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Auto Racer. This account has been disabled. Actually, it isnt the turbine, but the four-wheel drive and the engineering and the chassis. The original comment we heard on the radio was Veteran driver Art Pollard was killed at the Speedway this morning. Our mom, Bobbie Pollard, called after the announcement, asking if what she heard was true. Rutherford The traditional victory banquet was canceled. If you wait too long, you bog down.. Just didn't go that way.". when he lost control of his STP red Eagle-Offy. On the track, he won 83 championship events and became one of Southern Oregons biggest stars in Indianapolis. It did provide money. He did everything so well. Racing Accident Of Art Pollard Matthew Cipolla 3.25K subscribers Subscribe 7.6K views 1 year ago INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY He died in Indianapolis, Indiana as a result of injuries sustained in. 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. Walther struggled with addiction to pain medicine after his fiery wreck. To this day, he Art L. Pollard. No matter. You have to get on the turbine much sooner. Oops, something didn't work. This biographical article related to United States auto racing is a stub. google_color_url = "0033FF"; Art Pollard was crowned Champion (shown above) and awarded a 9 2 trophy after compiling 1,150 out of a possible 1,200 points over the two days. . In 1948, Green and Caskey traveled with Pollard to race tracks all over the West Coast and Canada to compete in micro-midget and hard-top events. In 1928 they moved to Los Angeles, where Pollock enrolled at Manual Arts High School. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Art Pollard. Find the obituary of Art Pollard (1957 - 2019) from Commerce City, CO. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. respectfully declines requests to talk about the race. For the third turbine, Granatelli lost the services of Jackie Stewart; he was suffering from a hairline fracture in his wrist and was forced into a cast, making him unavailable as a driver. Art Pollard lived in Medford Oregon during the 1960s and early 70s and was killed during the Indianapolis 500 time trials on May 12, 1973. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. pointed for the inside wall. Pollard was pronounced dead an hour later. Art is shown holding his three year old daughter Judy. The car careened off the wall, burst into flames and spun into the infield, where it rolled several times. Arts friend Johnny Rutherford remembers, I was the first one by the scene of the accident where he crashed. For these pieces, many made during his poured period, Pollock dripped paint onto canvas to convey the emotion of movement. Mike couldnt believe what he was hearing. wrong," said Dan Gurney, himself a driver until 1970 and later an owner and car The car slammed into the wall coming out of turn one and spun as it headed to the grass on the inside of the short chute. canceled and he and many others on the team went instead to Methodist Hospital to check on It consisted mostly of small landscapes and figurative scenes such as Going West (193435), in which Pollock utilized motifs derived from photographs of his birthplace at Cody. Try again later. momentarily blinded by the fuel spray and ended up in the infield grass. Despite his hard luck with cars, Pollard quickly gained a strong fan base, not just from Southern Oregon, but at Indy as well. ". I was in the Michigan Burn Center for two and a half months. And you know, hell, I was a damn good athlete. For my hands I got a box of sand. driving on the track. This position gave him economic security during the remaining years of the Great Depression as well as an opportunity to develop his art. He died of liver failure, attending physician Steve Olvey wrote in his book, "Rapid Response," due to a transfusion of contaminated plasma. "What happened - what people saw - was my car hit a tire on Jerry Grant's Eagle and flip high into the air. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. At the Brickyard, back in Indianapolis, they always knew him as the kinda guy that looked out for the other drivers. Pollard died Wednesday of cardiac arrest at a Los Angeles hospital, his longtime. Evergreen Memorial Park. Sorry! He finished in the top ten 30 times, with 2 victories, both in 1969, atMilwaukeeandDover. google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Art Pollard (7232111)? The red flag flew as the rain intensified on Lap 133. I was a helluva mess at the time but still conscious. about it," winner Gordon Johncock said. The start was Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Art Pollard (7232111)? [1][2][3] He was pronounced dead approximately one hour and three minutes after the accident. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. It was 5:30 p.m. Only 10 cars were still running. From a small hydroplane on Oregons Umpqua River to micro-midgets and modified stock cars on a half-mile oval in Roseburg, Oregon. He died living his dream, doing what he loved; and it was a privilege for him to race at that level., Mike Pollard, was working as a steel fabricator for Fred Gerhardt in Fresno, California. the condition of Savage. Bob Green remembers that windy Saturday morning, too; cant forget it really. Again on Wednesday, after another rain delay, the teams tried again. Johnny Rutherford, who had been one of the first drivers on the scene of Pollard's The race started four hours late under threatening skies. Year should not be greater than current year. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. He grew up in California and Arizona, where his father worked on a string of unprofitable truck farms. Smiley's funeral was held on May 20, 1982 and he was buried in his birth location in Nebraska. Savage was moving toward the front again on Lap 59 At this time Pollock, who had been raised an agnostic, also attended the camp meetings of the former messiah of the theosophists, Jiddu Krishnamurti, a personal friend of Schwankovsky. Art's dad was born in Anderson, Texas. He is our most famous son, and whether you were privileged to know him or not you can take pride in the fact that Art was one of us., Our promise to Mike and Judy, and all who all knew him best, is as long as there is a Pacific Racing Association, Art Pollard will never be forgotten, both for the kind of guy he was and for his contributions to the sport we all love so much., (In early 1960s) I felt more comfortable running wheel-to-wheel with Art than anyone in history. ,