1951
INDIANAPOLIS 500
“THE FASTEST
500”
The
original color film made of the 1951 Indianapolis 500 is now
available for the first time ever on DVD -
only from Rare Sportsfilms! Produced by Dynamic Films and presented
by Socony-Vacuum, the 21-minute film is in beautiful COLOR and
shows highlights from both qualifications and the record-setting
race on Memorial Day.
The film opens with Duke Nalon
in the white #18 Purelube Novi breaking Walt Faulkner’s
1950 record and grabbing the pole with a 136.498 qualifying
speed! However, the following week, Faulkner in the #2 Grant
Piston Ring Special resets the record with a 136.872 qualifying
run which gives him 14th starting position! Most of this film
however, shows action from raceday itself! Race morning you’ll
see color shots of the cars of many drivers such as Jack McGrath,
Chuck Stevenson, George Connor, rookie Rodger Ward, Tony Bettenhausen,
Duane Carter, Faulkner, Johnny McDowell, Carl Forberg, Mack
Hellings, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, Bill Mackey, Sam Hanks
and Carl Scarborough. Freddie Agabashian and last year’s
winner Johnnie Parsons are shown in nice close-ups just before
the start. After that, it’s “Gentlemen, Start Your
Engines” and the white Chrysler Pace Car leads ‘em
out for the pace lap before starter Seth Klein waves the green
flag to start the race!
Outside front row starter Jack
McGrath, in the #9 Hinkle Special, grabs the lead into the first
turn followed by Lee Wallard, with several more of the field
getting the jump on a slow starting Nalon in the Novi! At the
end of the first lap, Wallard is ahead of McGrath by half a
car length, and the field begins to string out! McGrath leads
laps 3 and 4, with 10th starter Cecil Green third, but Wallard
has the lead back by lap 5. Wallard and McGrath put on a stirring
duel in the early stages of the race. The first car out of the
race is the #26 of Joe James with a broken drive shaft after
only eight laps. McGrath leads after ten laps, Wallard again
after 16 laps! By lap 50, Cecil Green is now up to second ahead
of McGrath. Jimmy Davies is the leader at lap 75, when he comes
into the pits to refuel. At 80 laps, it’s Cecil Green
leading with Walt Faulkner and Wallard second and third. But
soon, hard-charging Green is out with a broken piston. Chuck
Stevenson’s #8 catches fire on the track and he’s
out of the race. Walt Faulkner leaves with a broken crankshaft.
During the race, good camera shots catch many drivers in the
pits for service, including Johnny McDowell, Mack Hellings,
both Novi drivers Nalon and Chet Miller, Tony Bettenhausen,
Wallard, Cecil Green, Mauri Rose, Bill Schindler, Agabashian,
Jimmy Davies, and rookie Mike Mazaruk. Bobby Ball’s navy
blue #52 Blakely Spl. catches fire in the pits because of spilled
fuel, however the fire is soon extinguished and Ball continues
in the race. In 1951, the attrition rate is very high. Nalon’s
Novi stalls after 152 laps, but the “Iron Duke”
still finishes 10th! Tony Bettenhausen is running 5th after
178 laps, and spins out, but still finishes 9th! The violent
crash of Mauri Rose is shown, as broken spokes on a wire wheel
cause his car to lose control and flip! By this time Wallard
has more than a lap lead and increases it to more than two laps
before the race ends. Great shots of Wallard, his wife Esther
and screen star Loretta Young in Victory Lane!
You can get your own copy of this
rare film now on DVD for only $29.95 + $4.00
for shipping and handling. (Illinois residents must add $2.00
sales tax)
