Order Item#: 4506

"Iron Mike" Nazaruk had finished in 2^nd place as a rookie in the 1951 Memorial Day Classic. For the 1954 Indianapolis 500® his car owner, Lee Elkins, bought him a brand-new Kurtis Kraft KK500C. The month of May was cold, windy, and rainy, preventing the field from getting much track time before time trials began. Two days before the first day of qualifying, Nazaruk blew a "hole as big as a volleyball" in his Meyer-Drake "Offy" and scattered parts for hundreds of feet down the front straight. Nazaruk had to wait for a new engine to be flown in from California. On the second weekend of qualifying he turned in a speed of 139.589 mph, good for the 14^th position in the starting field. In the race, Nazaruk advanced through the field, but poor pit stops delayed him. His first stop on Lap 71 for tires and fuel took a minute and five seconds. Nazaruk made his second pit stop on Lap 137 from 2^nd place, behind Jimmy Bryan but ahead of Bill Vukovich, who had just completed his final stop. During the stop for refueling and new tires, the engine stalled, and the crew had to push the car to re-start it. This drama took two minutes and ten seconds before #73 resumed racing. Nazaruk finished in 5th place. Bill Vukovich won the 1954 Indianapolis 500® at an average speed of 130.840 mph.