Here are a few photos which I mentioned above. I took these on Thursday practice, 2 days before he died. (My Dad always let me skip school and go to practice with him if my grades were good).
The first 2 are pit shots I took while the crew made adjustments to the car. The 3rd is an action/on track shot on the front straight.

NOW GET THIS!!! The 4th shot is ONE HOUR after Gordon was killed. Look closely under where it says "Driver" on the transporter. See the discoloration and, obviously, no "Gordon Smiley"? The discoloration is wet paint. I was walking through the garage, where the haulers were, and saw a crew member painting over Gordon's name. I asked what he was doing and he said "I was instructed to paint over Gordon's name because we just hired George Snider to drive the backup car".
That was my first real "wake up call" to just what a cold business motorsports can be sometimes. Just thought I would share that.

David.
p.s. please don't use these photos for anything without asking. Thanks.
(and don't rag on me for the poor quality, I was a kid!)

Rag on you? Are you kidding? Those are great pictures, made even greater by the fact that you were so young. Very, very haunting.

One month to the day before I was born, on a side note.

Nice work.

I had a similar experience on Pole Day 1973, as a 9 year-old. We were seated in between turns one and two and, unfortunately, were witness to the crash that would claim the life of Art Pollard. It was especially bad the way that this crash would unfold and it left me indelibly etched with a reverence for anybody, who would ever turn a lap at this place, under speed.

It's just my opinion, but anyone who would try to turn a profit off of something like this, would have to be a lower form of life.

Jerry

David,

Nice pictures! Very well done! I look at the cockpit of the racecars and just cringe. The pre-carbon fiber days always give me the creeps.... not hard to see why what happened to the car in the crash did happen.

Dad took me in 1980 and I immediately fell in love with the Speedway. Every time Dad would take me I would pester him about when we could go again. I was always so excited at the track. After the crash, Dad tells me I just sat in my seat somber the rest of the day. We dropped my buddy off and on the way home Dad finally asked me if I was alright. The words out of my mouth were, "Dad, I don't know if I want to go back anymore." Well that's a moment where as a dad we shine..... so mine talked to me the next 20 minutes about racing and life and how he was called home to a greater place. All the stuff a real DAD should tell their kid who saw what we did that day. The next weekend, Dad was ready to go to Bump Day.... which became another mini-tradition... and I was like "Sure!!! Lets go!!! I have the cooler packed and binoculars in the car!!" and away we went. That was the ONLY time in my life when I questioned going back. I am SOOO GLAD I went back.... and still continue to.

My methanol-head daughter Amber, who by the way is a mini-me when it comes to racing, now also looks forward to the trips to IMS. Its safe to say she LOVES her sprint car racing.... but I think she loves the Speedway even more. For her last project for 8th grade, she chose to do a powerpoint presentation on...... yep..... the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!! She poured her heart and soul into it, used pictures of mine I had from over the years, a few video clips... it has come out well from what I can see. For a girl who I fight on to do homework after school, she has worked on this project with a lot of vigor... so I hope it pays off for her. She has earned an "A" for effort!

Sorry to ramble.

Thanks guys, I NEVER left home without a camera back then. Especially if we were going to a race track. :thumb Don, I can relate. My daughter loves Indy cars and wants to go to college and study marketing, to get a job in the racing biz.
David.

Thank you for sharing your photos David.

My pleasure Lisa. I'll look you up at the fairgrounds next Friday night. Which team again?

About that top photo. It always wierds me out to look at it. He's just sitting there, under the umbrella, staring out of his helmet, thinking about who knows what. One thing is for sure though...at that moment in time, he had no idea he had less than 2 days to live. :crying:
David.

You can probably find me down by the #199 car (black) of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. owned by Carl Edwards. :thumb

For the second time this month I've run accross an Ebay auction for photos of the accident which claimed the like of Pat O'Connor, such as the one titled "1958 wire photo Pat O'Connor accident death at Indy 500". The jerk who entered this auction is so low he would have to climb up on a dime in order to kiss a snake's fanny. The auction for a piece of Gordon Smiley's car and the two I mentioned are the work of sick people looking for other sick people.