pictured at top of page), because that man was Sam Hanks. He won Indy the previous year at his 13th attempt, but had then announced in Victory Lane that he was retiring from racing.
Thus in ’58, the crowd got their chance to salute the reigning Indy 500 champion who had chosen not to defend his crown. In fact, Hanks would pace the field for six straight years, always with track owner Tony Hulman as a passenger and over the years, the number of passengers that rode with Hulman grew and included celebrities.
Read more on msn.com