im not sure about the car being out of control. If you watch carefully, the driver basically drifts to the left, avoiding hitting a large group of people standing where the pit row ends. If he hadnt of done that, I think it would have been much worse.
pacecar speed out of 4 is about 120. there used to be a rule that it had to cross the start/finish line ahead of the pole sitter. I guess that was so it can return to the track ahead of the field again if the yellow flag is waived. I don"t know why that rule was in effect or not. Lots of footage does show pacecars way ahead of the field and crossing the line before the pack. This orange pacecar used to sit in a garage just 3 doors down from my house back in the mid-late 70s still wrecked.
I have always heard that the pace car in 1971 crashed. Thanks for posting.. I know this really hurt the sales of the Challenger afterwards. This is why they changed the body style for the 1972 year. What ever happened to that Pace Car?
I don't think a dodge charger could even go 200mph. Most likely he was doing around 80-10mph as he flew by the camera, slowed a lot before he hit the camera stands.
if this didn't happen there's a chance pace cars would be still going 180mph down pit road. lesson is we learn from our mistakes, but to learn from them before we make the mistake.
no you are the FUCKING Moron because the RACE CARS were NOT going 200mph yet omg B/C the pace car just left the Damn track under caution and the flag man just waved green flag. The RACE CARS are not up to speed when they first cross the line. OMG it they are not up to speed until back stretch!!!!
I know how fast they go bitch I've been going to NASCAR, ASA, NHRA, IHRA racing events my whole life and know what a dip shit shouldn't do and that was it......
first off it was the beginning of that lap so they weren't going that fast and clearly you can see the pace car cross the line before race cars dip shit. Which the dip shit driving shouldn't have done in pace car
first of all pace car shouldn't have been going that fast down pit road! He was going as fast as the cars on the damn track! What a fuckin MORON!!! Pace car aint suppose to go that damn fast. And this is why NASCAR is better ! Haha :D
That driver, Eldon Palmer, was not appropriately prepared to perform such a function. That people were standing on the pit lane exit, that the photographers stand was where it was, these were all contributing factors. But had Eldon Palmer been qualified to drive a pace car, this would not have happened. It was a tragic accident, but an avoidable one.
Eldon sold Dodges at the corner of 38th & Keystone (now long gone). So when the Speedway picked Dodge for the pace car, Eldon got the driving job because his dealership provided most of the courtesy trucks and cars for the race and 500 festival. The photog stand was a last minute addition and was not in place when Eldon was doing his practice runs. With the pit exit blocked by gawkers, he took the only route that he could into the stand.
He had nowhere to go! Dodos were standing on the exit! Why was he going so dang fast on any part of the pit??? Dang I like the '71 Challenger. My buddy had two of them and we cruised listening to RUSH and stuff.
How does that look like a toyota? That looks straight up, no maybes, old dodge. Even says it on the car and description. What's worse is 25 people are in the same boat.
This generation is nothing but a bunch of thumbs up junkies.
It looks like the loss of control was an accident but that is a stupid myth like gloabal heating. he day of the race palmer tweeted(or is it twink for past tense) "hey photofags u all shit pants at start of the race" it didnt hve a name then now we call it a flash mob and this was the 1st one ever, future generatios are going to look back on palmer and say "he was a fucking pimp a super fucking pimp", im gonna tell moron grandkids this "he was great, he was unreal, he was really really good"
Palmer needed a traffic cone set up on the pit road to show himself where to begin slowing the car? How about turning onto pit road, let off the gas pedal, and apply proper braking procedures? The car's brakes worked, look at the tires smoking.
This was the first year ABC carried a same-day tape of the race (shown in prime-time, about five or six hours aftet the race ended).
Does anyone have the ABC footage??
If my memory serves me correct, Jackie Stewart had just commented "We've got a clean start!" when Jim McKay interupted to yell "Jackie, The Pace Car has Crashed! A Photo Tower's Come Down With it!".
The announcer must have x-ray vision..... "The race is underway, but all eyes are on the photographer stand at the foot of the straight-away. An unprecedented accident and MIRACULOUSLY!.... No one fatally injured." How would he know so soon no one was killed????? Hmmmmmmmmmm...........
Back then the Indianapolis 500 was not broadcast live for fear of hurting ticket sales. The broadcast was taped and the announcers did the talking and comments after the race was over, which is how the announcer knew there were no fatalities. The delayed broadcast allowed the announcers to know in advance what happend and could make themselves appear smarter and in some cases predict action on the track before it happened. If you wanted live action you listened to the race on the radio.
All you fuckers out there who are saying crap about the driver stfu he is a nice man( I would no I'm related to him) I bet you couldn't stop a 4,000 lbs car like that I hope all of you who are saying crap about him get hit by a truck
@hq353 my dad owns a `71 Challenger convertible. Palmer crashed because the brake markers that he was using in practice the day before, were removed DURING the pace lap for the race. He flat got on the binders too late and locked them up. No ABS in `71..
@ProfessorIgor So he had to have "markers" and couldn't use his eyes and see that going 80 mph straight towards a stand full of people and braking at the last second wasn't going to work out well? Good thing we have "markers" on the highway to tell us when to brake for the people in front of us. We call those markers eyeballs. ABS? LOL any car going that fast and trying to stop on a dime before hitting something will do the exact same thing, kid.
@LT1HILLINGHOE I'm not defending Palmer's driving skills, it's clear he totally screwed up. But have you ever driven a 1971 car before ?? Yeah, they don't stop all that well from 100mph. He was on the brakes well early enough in a modern car to have stopped in time. And we DO have markers on the highway that we use everyday for braking markers, you use them subconciously every time you drive.
@ProfessorIgor Yeah, I think I have driven a triple digit number of cars made before 1971. Matter of fact I own quite a few right now. From 100 mph they stop fine if you have good drums and good shoes. ABS is overblown and overated. No car would have stopped in that short of space from that speed. I don't know about you, but every person in the word including myself judge the distance with our eyes....not some make believe "markers" that are in your mind. LOLOLOLOL
@LT1HILLINGHOE I race motorcycles, ABS is for retards IMO. Most people that drive, quite frankly, suck at it. IMS made the mistake of having a basic schmo drive the pace car. This was the last time a basic Joe (eldon) drove a pace car at Indy. In my stable of cars currently `64 Plymouth Sport Fury (426 wedge), `70 Challenger R/T (383 4spd), `66 Chevelle Rag-Top, 400ci small block, my dad's `71 Challenger ragtop (526crate Hemi)
@rwisswell you can go back to you little shack and shove your head in your butt, that man is in my family it wasn't his fault someone moved his cone and the breaks didn't do well so shut up retard
This was Chryslers fault. The pace car they provided had drum brakes in the front. No way could it stop in the length of the pit lane..No matter who was driving..
@minnyhuni1 Yeah, it was Chrysler's fault that a car moving at 120 couldn't stop in half a mile. Specially when the guy driving it was 2 1/2 sheets to the wind..... (rolling eyes).
Dude, the car stopped very well all month long before that incident. That wasn't the first trip for that car, by any means.
@geek49203 - I talked w/ one of the guys who was injured in that crash yesterday while at IMS. Yes, the driver did attend a party where alcohol was served that morning. However, there is also a story that the driver -- a local car dealer -- wanted a film of the pace car keeping up with the Indy cars as they crossed the start/finish line. Unfortunately, the start-finish line is much closer to the end of the straightaway, and it didn't leave enough time to brake.
Lady Gaga replaces controversial Donald Trump to drive the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Pace Car to lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
If you want to know the true story and not the garbage posted below start four messages down. Also those in the pace car were Tony Hulman in front and in the back were astronaut John Glenn and ABC broadcaster Chris Schenkel who had been talking on the pace lap for TV.
I actually spoke to John Glenn about the event just last year...he didn't have much to say about it and sort of rolled his eyes when I mentioned it, but said that "the guy from ABC-TV (Schenkel) was upset about the fellow driving the car" and then Glenn said "you can't blame me for never attending another race".
Continuing - I was at the hospital that night and my dad signed the papers for him to have surgery because there was no family in the states to do it. Alice Mosley and many racing people were also there due to Mike Mosley's very serious injuries. Eldon Palmer was understandably heartbroken at what happened. Dr Alvarez stayed at his house in subsequent May Indy visits after his recovery and Mr Palmer did everything he could to make amends.
Continuing. He was looking to his right for the flag pole and didn't realize until he was 3/4 way down there was no pole. That's when he locked it up, hit a yellowshirt holding a rope breaking his leg, and slammed into the photographers stand which collapsed. Most seriously injured was our family friend Dr Vicente Alvarez from Argentina who had very critical brain injuries. There was one other serious injury. Dr Alvarez recovered after 4 years but was never able to return to his med practice.
Here is what actually happened. Eldon Palmer a local dealer was instrumental in getting the pace car deal done in an economic recession year so he was offered to drive the pace car. He practiced all month and they told him to come into the pits hot to avoid being run into by a race car coming into the pits behind him and not to start braking until the starting line. He judged that by a flag ple that was there all month.
The flag pole was removed on race day and he did not notice it.
i see this as just one of Natures way of Weeding out Idiots on the Earth .. just give them some Power and a little Speed and sit back and watch the show /Cheers
He actually had to practice in the month of May to be able to drive the Pace car.It was the first and LAST time they allowed a non-professional driver to pace the race.During his practice runs they placed an orange cone on pit row to let him know when to slow down. On race day, the cone was not there.Stupid mistake on all parts but what do you expect for a car dealer/non-professional driver? He supplied the Challengers for the race.I worked at his dealership during that time frame.
American race car drivers can turn left or right, they just don't have to. I would not talk too loud, before the mid 90s those F1 cars almost drove themselves (anti lock brakes, active shocks, auto gear shifts, AC, radio. )
@STICKGUYMB Oh, I get the joke! I remember that. That's why I thought it was a bit tasteless - y'know, people dying in crashes due to brake failure - but so damn funny! (BTW, I still like Toyotas!)
Why is everyone blaming the driver? IT WASN'T HIS FAULT. He put a marker cone on pit road so he knew where to brake, but someone moved it, so his marker was further down pit road than it should have been...
@TGTAP Not his fault? HE was the sole person responsible for the position of the steering wheel, the gas pedal and the brake pedal and he failed regardless of where the damn cone is at, there's a reason why there are rules and most of them are to keep people safe. One of those rules is speed in the pit lane, he was obviously going damn near just as fast as the racers that were actually on the track. Whatever you're smoking i might need some later.
In 1971 there was no speed limit in the pit lane. That rule was passed thanks to Bobby Unser ducking into the pit lane and passing cars because he could drive faster down the pit lane than behind the Pace car.
Ya. I met Russ Lake last night at a post season banquet. He was a photographer inhjured this day. Broke a hip. Said they put him in the front seat of the ambulance, then backed onto the track UNDER GREEN to leave the area.
He's doing a book, "Through the lens of Russ Lake," covering over 60 years of motorsports photography. I'm sure it will include shots from this race.
Pretty simple: the car and driver were last min subs since the factory did not supply one for that race, the cone/flag had been moved, the driver over reacted and lost the car.
Just another odd point about this crash, the person behind the driver is none other than astronaut John Glenn. The man must be a cat with luck like that.
Okay let's see here. 1971 Challenger Conv....at least 3,600 pounds driving on Bias Ply F70x14's tires, read drum brakes, factory suspension and someone removed the "flag"...not the "cone" he had set for his brake point. By the way Unlimited Hydros have a shut off bouy before the turns and most race courses have some type of count down to the corners. Oh yeah I was across the track in the Box seats and experience the Chaos.
I actually spoke to John Glenn about this (89 years old and still going strong)...he told me Chris Schenkel was pissed off at Tony Hulman for letting this guy drive the pace car. And this was the 1st and only Indy 500 Glenn ever went to, he said "you can't blame me for not going back".
Look at the calm look on everyone's face in the car at 0:31, (the black and white pic), as if they're just out for a leisurely Sunday drive, and they're just about to hit the crowd.
@dabest2500 yes, that, and 'merkin race car drivers can only deal with left hand turns. Stick in a right handed turn ANYWHERE on the driving course and you have a buncha confused banged up drivers
The drunk pace car driver shouldn't be driving drunk , and he shouldn't need a crutch in the form of a cone. Whomever moved the cone , at the very least , should have asked themselves WHY this cone is here before moving it. Oh well...
The only place where racers seem to require cones is... at the roller skating rink.
@DancingSpiderman fuck you racers are not one trick ponies, and neither are their wallets which happen to be much fatter than yours, stop dising people cause you want to be in there shoes, grow a pair
The official story was that someone moved the orange traffic cone that Eldon used during practice to know where to start his braking.
The old timers at IMS told me that Eldon had partied wayyy too much that weekend.
Given the length of the pit lane - about 1/2 a mile -- and the presence of things on pit road that were recognizable world-wide (ie, scoring tower) I'm inclined to believe that a reasonably sober person didn't need an orange cone.
i had a car like that a cuda whith the 440 in it ,,,the brakes sucked ,,,and drove like a p,o,s ,,,i was young and it looked cool,,but when the brakes where hot it stoped like it was on ice,,,,
That was Hamilton's fault!
MrNaomeentales 2 weeks ago
nobody fatally injured in that crash, but im sure at least 12 drivers were killed in accidents during the race
C0LL1N 1 month ago
@C0LL1N Wikipedia would suggest otherwise.
bradgotch 2 weeks ago
junk mopar
giacamo1 1 month ago
HURDURRRR
ckn4rf 2 months ago
Must've been Kyle Petty driving
Pastroodle 2 months ago
How the fuck does this happen??? I mean really, brake...gas...brake...gas
ChowderedRust 2 months ago
should have already been slowing down waaay before that happened.
smackythefrog23 2 months ago
im not sure about the car being out of control. If you watch carefully, the driver basically drifts to the left, avoiding hitting a large group of people standing where the pit row ends. If he hadnt of done that, I think it would have been much worse.
Sodiumreactor 2 months ago
What the hell? Im sorry but it was funny
acenace24 2 months ago
DB Cooper at the wheel 0:31 .
Mainsail76 3 months ago
pacecar speed out of 4 is about 120. there used to be a rule that it had to cross the start/finish line ahead of the pole sitter. I guess that was so it can return to the track ahead of the field again if the yellow flag is waived. I don"t know why that rule was in effect or not. Lots of footage does show pacecars way ahead of the field and crossing the line before the pack. This orange pacecar used to sit in a garage just 3 doors down from my house back in the mid-late 70s still wrecked.
indystang 3 months ago
Maybe he shoulda slowed down in the pits?
Osta379 3 months ago
thats what happens when trying to race with an american car LAWL
jk
xRX7x 3 months ago
THIS was Kevin Cogans first indy event! They forgave him, as he had no CDL at the time. (per Jackee Stewart)
MegaBrian1960 3 months ago
I have always heard that the pace car in 1971 crashed. Thanks for posting.. I know this really hurt the sales of the Challenger afterwards. This is why they changed the body style for the 1972 year. What ever happened to that Pace Car?
dallaspolo 4 months ago
then what was used for the yellow flags?please comment at pokemon56761
pokemon56761 5 months ago
I don't think a dodge charger could even go 200mph. Most likely he was doing around 80-10mph as he flew by the camera, slowed a lot before he hit the camera stands.
Zoomer30 5 months ago
if this didn't happen there's a chance pace cars would be still going 180mph down pit road. lesson is we learn from our mistakes, but to learn from them before we make the mistake.
Lights0ut1109 5 months ago
bet you can't even tell me what all the flags the flagman uses mean LMAO......
dnwbluedevil 5 months ago
no you are the FUCKING Moron because the RACE CARS were NOT going 200mph yet omg B/C the pace car just left the Damn track under caution and the flag man just waved green flag. The RACE CARS are not up to speed when they first cross the line. OMG it they are not up to speed until back stretch!!!!
dnwbluedevil 5 months ago
I know how fast they go bitch I've been going to NASCAR, ASA, NHRA, IHRA racing events my whole life and know what a dip shit shouldn't do and that was it......
dnwbluedevil 5 months ago
first off it was the beginning of that lap so they weren't going that fast and clearly you can see the pace car cross the line before race cars dip shit. Which the dip shit driving shouldn't have done in pace car
dnwbluedevil 5 months ago
first of all pace car shouldn't have been going that fast down pit road! He was going as fast as the cars on the damn track! What a fuckin MORON!!! Pace car aint suppose to go that damn fast. And this is why NASCAR is better ! Haha :D
dnwbluedevil 5 months ago
@dnwbluedevil The cars on the track were going over 200 miles an hour. He was going around 80 or less. Learn before you spout.
hoosierredneck1 5 months ago
@dnwbluedevil Mean to say the pace car was going 200 mph on pit road? Holy shit you're a fucking IDIOT.
cincyblows 5 months ago
Those muscle cars needed a god damn half mile to stop when they were going that fast
Mr2005wrx 5 months ago
That driver, Eldon Palmer, was not appropriately prepared to perform such a function. That people were standing on the pit lane exit, that the photographers stand was where it was, these were all contributing factors. But had Eldon Palmer been qualified to drive a pace car, this would not have happened. It was a tragic accident, but an avoidable one.
daveinindy 5 months ago
That's a first and probably a last. It's a miracle that no one was killed. That photographers stand was just in a bad spot.
mohawkman251988 6 months ago
Eldon sold Dodges at the corner of 38th & Keystone (now long gone). So when the Speedway picked Dodge for the pace car, Eldon got the driving job because his dealership provided most of the courtesy trucks and cars for the race and 500 festival. The photog stand was a last minute addition and was not in place when Eldon was doing his practice runs. With the pit exit blocked by gawkers, he took the only route that he could into the stand.
Indyrail 6 months ago
He had nowhere to go! Dodos were standing on the exit! Why was he going so dang fast on any part of the pit??? Dang I like the '71 Challenger. My buddy had two of them and we cruised listening to RUSH and stuff.
badback22 6 months ago
Even today we have retarded pace car drivers. Look at the Pau WTCC event in 2009 and you will see!
kzbxvz 6 months ago
0:32 -- classic image
BrickGrease 6 months ago
How does that look like a toyota? That looks straight up, no maybes, old dodge. Even says it on the car and description. What's worse is 25 people are in the same boat.
This generation is nothing but a bunch of thumbs up junkies.
decside 6 months ago
What a dumb fuck stupid ass fuck head shit fuck pace car driver , fucking idiot could have killed someone sumbitch pecker head!!!
jessi122 6 months ago
@jessi122 Umad?
crazyp2jimmy 6 months ago
Indy was LIVE.... on the radio...
I first heard it in 1953...
It remained better than TV for years..
375GTB 6 months ago
It looks like the loss of control was an accident but that is a stupid myth like gloabal heating. he day of the race palmer tweeted(or is it twink for past tense) "hey photofags u all shit pants at start of the race" it didnt hve a name then now we call it a flash mob and this was the 1st one ever, future generatios are going to look back on palmer and say "he was a fucking pimp a super fucking pimp", im gonna tell moron grandkids this "he was great, he was unreal, he was really really good"
tsharpmac420 7 months ago
Palmer needed a traffic cone set up on the pit road to show himself where to begin slowing the car? How about turning onto pit road, let off the gas pedal, and apply proper braking procedures? The car's brakes worked, look at the tires smoking.
smimot 7 months ago
devil(pace) car! i scared to die in hands from thoose car.
42HAMILTON 7 months ago
wow, what a cool story! I wonder where is that Challenger now.....
gregturismoomologato 7 months ago
This was the first year ABC carried a same-day tape of the race (shown in prime-time, about five or six hours aftet the race ended).
Does anyone have the ABC footage??
If my memory serves me correct, Jackie Stewart had just commented "We've got a clean start!" when Jim McKay interupted to yell "Jackie, The Pace Car has Crashed! A Photo Tower's Come Down With it!".
altfactor 7 months ago
lol at safety car, so american
asd8995 7 months ago
It was dubbed after the fact.
wifflwaffl 8 months ago
The announcer must have x-ray vision..... "The race is underway, but all eyes are on the photographer stand at the foot of the straight-away. An unprecedented accident and MIRACULOUSLY!.... No one fatally injured." How would he know so soon no one was killed????? Hmmmmmmmmmm...........
Knight7578 8 months ago
Back then the Indianapolis 500 was not broadcast live for fear of hurting ticket sales. The broadcast was taped and the announcers did the talking and comments after the race was over, which is how the announcer knew there were no fatalities. The delayed broadcast allowed the announcers to know in advance what happend and could make themselves appear smarter and in some cases predict action on the track before it happened. If you wanted live action you listened to the race on the radio.
jimscheid1 7 months ago
It was an unfortunate accident. I am sure Mr. Palmer is a fine man.
JustRelaxing1 8 months ago
@worldskater36 ponds it's pounds dumbass
hq353 8 months ago
they would've slowed the race, but there was obviously no pace car for the drivers to follow haha jk
LostHighwayFilms 8 months ago
Whoa Ellie! Holly Shit!! Chris Schenkle from ABC sports along with track owner Tony Hulman were in the back seat .
1957thack 8 months ago
All you fuckers out there who are saying crap about the driver stfu he is a nice man( I would no I'm related to him) I bet you couldn't stop a 4,000 lbs car like that I hope all of you who are saying crap about him get hit by a truck
hq353 8 months ago
@hq353 *( I would no I'm related to him)* sweet spelling, by the way my car ways 4,785 ponds and i can stop it just fine and im am 16
worldskater36 8 months ago
@hq353 Why would you admit to knowing him?
realkman666 8 months ago
@hq353 my dad owns a `71 Challenger convertible. Palmer crashed because the brake markers that he was using in practice the day before, were removed DURING the pace lap for the race. He flat got on the binders too late and locked them up. No ABS in `71..
ProfessorIgor 7 months ago
@ProfessorIgor So he had to have "markers" and couldn't use his eyes and see that going 80 mph straight towards a stand full of people and braking at the last second wasn't going to work out well? Good thing we have "markers" on the highway to tell us when to brake for the people in front of us. We call those markers eyeballs. ABS? LOL any car going that fast and trying to stop on a dime before hitting something will do the exact same thing, kid.
LT1HILLINGHOE 7 months ago
@LT1HILLINGHOE I'm not defending Palmer's driving skills, it's clear he totally screwed up. But have you ever driven a 1971 car before ?? Yeah, they don't stop all that well from 100mph. He was on the brakes well early enough in a modern car to have stopped in time. And we DO have markers on the highway that we use everyday for braking markers, you use them subconciously every time you drive.
ProfessorIgor 7 months ago
@ProfessorIgor Yeah, I think I have driven a triple digit number of cars made before 1971. Matter of fact I own quite a few right now. From 100 mph they stop fine if you have good drums and good shoes. ABS is overblown and overated. No car would have stopped in that short of space from that speed. I don't know about you, but every person in the word including myself judge the distance with our eyes....not some make believe "markers" that are in your mind. LOLOLOLOL
'Nuff said.
LT1HILLINGHOE 7 months ago
@LT1HILLINGHOE I race motorcycles, ABS is for retards IMO. Most people that drive, quite frankly, suck at it. IMS made the mistake of having a basic schmo drive the pace car. This was the last time a basic Joe (eldon) drove a pace car at Indy. In my stable of cars currently `64 Plymouth Sport Fury (426 wedge), `70 Challenger R/T (383 4spd), `66 Chevelle Rag-Top, 400ci small block, my dad's `71 Challenger ragtop (526crate Hemi)
ProfessorIgor 7 months ago
@rwisswell you can go back to you little shack and shove your head in your butt, that man is in my family it wasn't his fault someone moved his cone and the breaks didn't do well so shut up retard
hq353 8 months ago
Toyota
loganshadow99 8 months ago
car to toyota?
jose35naruto 8 months ago
This was Chryslers fault. The pace car they provided had drum brakes in the front. No way could it stop in the length of the pit lane..No matter who was driving..
minnyhuni1 8 months ago
@minnyhuni1 Yeah, it was Chrysler's fault that a car moving at 120 couldn't stop in half a mile. Specially when the guy driving it was 2 1/2 sheets to the wind..... (rolling eyes).
Dude, the car stopped very well all month long before that incident. That wasn't the first trip for that car, by any means.
geek49203 8 months ago
@geek49203 - The car stopped! - wtf are you talking about?!
It stopped at the photog stand, dummy!
oldjizzy 8 months ago
@geek49203 - I talked w/ one of the guys who was injured in that crash yesterday while at IMS. Yes, the driver did attend a party where alcohol was served that morning. However, there is also a story that the driver -- a local car dealer -- wanted a film of the pace car keeping up with the Indy cars as they crossed the start/finish line. Unfortunately, the start-finish line is much closer to the end of the straightaway, and it didn't leave enough time to brake.
geek49203 8 months ago
WTF was he trying to do beat the cars to turn one!?
Brown92SG 8 months ago
How does that even happen?
DCussen 8 months ago
0:32....thats a face that says 'someone fetch me some new undies!'
bidefordrfc 8 months ago
Comment removed
rockinroland08 8 months ago
FAIL
TinnieSingh 9 months ago
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lady Gaga replaces controversial Donald Trump to drive the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Pace Car to lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
supernationals 9 months ago
@supernationals Nice try. Although AJ still might sell the ride...
geek49203 8 months ago
Donald Trump 2011?
spikerogan 9 months ago
Dodge doesn't need any help from a redneck to get a bad name.
rwisswell 9 months ago
If you want to know the true story and not the garbage posted below start four messages down. Also those in the pace car were Tony Hulman in front and in the back were astronaut John Glenn and ABC broadcaster Chris Schenkel who had been talking on the pace lap for TV.
Buford61 9 months ago 6
@Buford61 Thank you Buford 61 for the accurate info. Quite refreshing.
STUMPgrinder57 9 months ago
@Buford61
I actually spoke to John Glenn about the event just last year...he didn't have much to say about it and sort of rolled his eyes when I mentioned it, but said that "the guy from ABC-TV (Schenkel) was upset about the fellow driving the car" and then Glenn said "you can't blame me for never attending another race".
pajasa62 9 months ago
@pajasa62 What Schenkel never said was that the driver had been partying too much....
geek49203 8 months ago
Continuing - I was at the hospital that night and my dad signed the papers for him to have surgery because there was no family in the states to do it. Alice Mosley and many racing people were also there due to Mike Mosley's very serious injuries. Eldon Palmer was understandably heartbroken at what happened. Dr Alvarez stayed at his house in subsequent May Indy visits after his recovery and Mr Palmer did everything he could to make amends.
Buford61 9 months ago 2
Continuing. He was looking to his right for the flag pole and didn't realize until he was 3/4 way down there was no pole. That's when he locked it up, hit a yellowshirt holding a rope breaking his leg, and slammed into the photographers stand which collapsed. Most seriously injured was our family friend Dr Vicente Alvarez from Argentina who had very critical brain injuries. There was one other serious injury. Dr Alvarez recovered after 4 years but was never able to return to his med practice.
Buford61 9 months ago 5
Here is what actually happened. Eldon Palmer a local dealer was instrumental in getting the pace car deal done in an economic recession year so he was offered to drive the pace car. He practiced all month and they told him to come into the pits hot to avoid being run into by a race car coming into the pits behind him and not to start braking until the starting line. He judged that by a flag ple that was there all month.
The flag pole was removed on race day and he did not notice it.
Buford61 9 months ago 2
Redknecks giving dodge a bad name
Klusignolofan1 10 months ago
he was high haha
granturismo5101 10 months ago
epic FAIL
TheNulltarif 10 months ago
Would have been interseting to see what happened if there was a crash on Lap 1.
andrewlawrence2209 10 months ago
I read a rumor that the guy was a little drunk not sure if that's true but wouldn't surprise me.
ISmashYoDadHead 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@ISmashYoDadHead "I read a rumor that the guy was a little drunk not sure if that's true but wouldn't surprise me."
A rumour, that you're not sure is true.... so why do you say "wouldn't surprise me"?
I heard a rumour that he hadn't had a drink, so it wouldn't surprise me if he was sober.
CodeTwo2 8 months ago
dumasses and fast cars don't mix
TheGreasepit 10 months ago
Reason for Caution FAIL
LostHighwayFilms 10 months ago
i see this as just one of Natures way of Weeding out Idiots on the Earth .. just give them some Power and a little Speed and sit back and watch the show /Cheers
fistysticks 10 months ago
lol he was haulin ass
MassillonJoe 10 months ago
Thats what you get with a poor handling Chrysler project that wont stop.
1967mustanggta 11 months ago
@1967mustanggta it was a dodge...
nintendonerdgoodbad2 10 months ago
@nintendonerdgoodbad2 Dodge is Chrysler anyway - just kidding around - not to be taken personal
1967mustanggta 10 months ago
He actually had to practice in the month of May to be able to drive the Pace car.It was the first and LAST time they allowed a non-professional driver to pace the race.During his practice runs they placed an orange cone on pit row to let him know when to slow down. On race day, the cone was not there.Stupid mistake on all parts but what do you expect for a car dealer/non-professional driver? He supplied the Challengers for the race.I worked at his dealership during that time frame.
SuicdRn 11 months ago
thinks he would've done better if HE HAD PUT THE BEER DOWN, & slowed up.
wreckerman9 11 months ago
this is hilarious!
hutzman76 11 months ago
What a jack-ass.
boz987 11 months ago
American race car drivers can turn left or right, they just don't have to. I would not talk too loud, before the mid 90s those F1 cars almost drove themselves (anti lock brakes, active shocks, auto gear shifts, AC, radio. )
Zoomer30 11 months ago
Just be glad it's not a Toyota, otherwise there would have been a lot of lawsuits!
Porygonseizureman 1 year ago
y does the driver have a smile on his face? and wtf is he pointing at it looks like he is pointing at sumthing..? 0:32
wolfmaster454 1 year ago
@wolfmaster454 maybe he was aiming for his ex or his inlaws.
drewnashty 11 months ago
Toyota: Moving forward.
(because the brakes don't work)
STICKGUYMB 1 year ago 38
@STICKGUYMB
Chevrolet: Moving nowhere.
Because the car doesn't work.
utahgs 8 months ago
@STICKGUYMB Dude, this is so tasteless that I'm ashamed to be laughing at it!
dcs002 7 months ago
@dcs002
Tasteless? It's funny because it's true!
STICKGUYMB 7 months ago
@STICKGUYMB "Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense." - Rod Machado, comedian, flight instructor, and PhD psychologist.
He also means that truth is funnier than fiction. The guy is funny as hell because he's so dead-on!
dcs002 7 months ago
@dcs002
What i said made sense. A few Toyota cars had braking problems a few years ago. that was the joke.
STICKGUYMB 7 months ago
@STICKGUYMB Oh, I get the joke! I remember that. That's why I thought it was a bit tasteless - y'know, people dying in crashes due to brake failure - but so damn funny! (BTW, I still like Toyotas!)
dcs002 7 months ago
@STICKGUYMB Thats a Dodge -.-
ROBLOXdude95 6 months ago
@ROBLOXdude95
Oh. i thought it was a toyota...
where did I hear it was?
STICKGUYMB 6 months ago
@STICKGUYMB The Toyotas had crappy freezing throttles
ROBLOXdude95 5 months ago
@STICKGUYMB that's a Dodge Challenger, you dumb redneck
noveleiro 6 months ago
@noveleiro
Yea I know. I thought it was a toyota when I posted that 6 months ago.
STICKGUYMB 6 months ago
This was before toyotas had gas pedal and floor mat recalls
Hotrodx199 1 year ago
Why is everyone blaming the driver? IT WASN'T HIS FAULT. He put a marker cone on pit road so he knew where to brake, but someone moved it, so his marker was further down pit road than it should have been...
TGTAP 1 year ago 2
@TGTAP Not his fault? HE was the sole person responsible for the position of the steering wheel, the gas pedal and the brake pedal and he failed regardless of where the damn cone is at, there's a reason why there are rules and most of them are to keep people safe. One of those rules is speed in the pit lane, he was obviously going damn near just as fast as the racers that were actually on the track. Whatever you're smoking i might need some later.
drewnashty 11 months ago
@drewnashty
In 1971 there was no speed limit in the pit lane. That rule was passed thanks to Bobby Unser ducking into the pit lane and passing cars because he could drive faster down the pit lane than behind the Pace car.
jimscheid1 7 months ago
Ya. I met Russ Lake last night at a post season banquet. He was a photographer inhjured this day. Broke a hip. Said they put him in the front seat of the ambulance, then backed onto the track UNDER GREEN to leave the area.
He's doing a book, "Through the lens of Russ Lake," covering over 60 years of motorsports photography. I'm sure it will include shots from this race.
Scott46725 1 year ago
they should use a golf cart,
ditz259 1 year ago
FackYa
era2817 1 year ago
fucking idiot.
RyDogRidesTheBus 1 year ago
this was before pit lane speed limits
champcar31 1 year ago
how was that not fatal? i know the first person he hit was dead for sure....
dodgedart74 1 year ago
@dodgedart74 I'm not sure if he hit him, I think he dove out of the way
wolffan94044 1 year ago
omg this is one of the worst bad accidents i ever saw!
nissanrb25dett 1 year ago
That´s why pace car drivers should be ex-racers and not some no-brainer redneck.
Jyllenberg 1 year ago 63
@Jyllenberg It wasn't a no-brainer redneck. It was a tipsy local car dealership owner. Just so you know.
geek49203 8 months ago
What a douchebag!
Jyllenberg 1 year ago
What a friggin idiot ! Coming down pit row like a bat out of hell.
vangard213 1 year ago
looked hilarious, considering no one was killed.
jkbnumber1 1 year ago
The accelerator must have gotten stuck under the floor mat... Oh wait, that's toyota's excuse!
gregbails4 1 year ago
fuckin idiot!
whitepaw54 1 year ago
Pretty simple: the car and driver were last min subs since the factory did not supply one for that race, the cone/flag had been moved, the driver over reacted and lost the car.
Zoomer30 1 year ago
Just another odd point about this crash, the person behind the driver is none other than astronaut John Glenn. The man must be a cat with luck like that.
Zoomer30 1 year ago
What an idiot...
speedf1league 1 year ago
Okay let's see here. 1971 Challenger Conv....at least 3,600 pounds driving on Bias Ply F70x14's tires, read drum brakes, factory suspension and someone removed the "flag"...not the "cone" he had set for his brake point. By the way Unlimited Hydros have a shut off bouy before the turns and most race courses have some type of count down to the corners. Oh yeah I was across the track in the Box seats and experience the Chaos.
wingverine 1 year ago
How do you screw up the driving of a pace car at a historic event? Down pit road even PSH! Somebody should've ran over him for being retarded.
FOF70 1 year ago
@jimvaught it took 50 to make 1 good one
harley1450000 1 year ago
fucking crap mopar brakes
harley1450000 1 year ago
I work for that guy who drove the pace car
raunsmith 1 year ago
@raunsmith he still an idiot
harley1450000 1 year ago
Figures, those old Mopars were great but they handled and braked poorly.
kubla777 1 year ago
and the PACE CAR WINS !!!!.... not , lmao
18diegodd 1 year ago
this dumbass thinks he's in a race car?
JRYANG9000 1 year ago
I actually spoke to John Glenn about this (89 years old and still going strong)...he told me Chris Schenkel was pissed off at Tony Hulman for letting this guy drive the pace car. And this was the 1st and only Indy 500 Glenn ever went to, he said "you can't blame me for not going back".
pajasa62 1 year ago
Wikipedia says he had placed a cone to tell him when to start slowing down and somebody moved the cone.
Hmm...I think I'd know anyway.
oldaardvark 1 year ago
Look at the calm look on everyone's face in the car at 0:31, (the black and white pic), as if they're just out for a leisurely Sunday drive, and they're just about to hit the crowd.
SunsetSupermanRMB 1 year ago
American cars can only go fast in a straight line but hate braking and going around corners.
dabest2500 1 year ago
@dabest2500 saleen s 7 twin turbo
nudracr 1 year ago
@nudracr
I was generalising there. There will always be a few exceptions thought.
E.G:
Saleen S7
Ford GT
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Dodge Viper
dabest2500 1 year ago
@dabest2500 No biggie,,, americans love auto racing as much as anyone does... It's not the car it's the driver.....
nudracr 1 year ago
@nudracr
In this case it was.
But without the car the driver is nothing and without the driver the car is nothing.
Car needs to be good too you know.
Lewis Hamilton in Dodge Ram vs Nelson Piquet Jr. in a McLaren F1 LM.
Of course the better car will win.
Both need the same car to be measured properly.
dabest2500 1 year ago
@dabest2500 yes, that, and 'merkin race car drivers can only deal with left hand turns. Stick in a right handed turn ANYWHERE on the driving course and you have a buncha confused banged up drivers
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
@DancingSpiderman
So how do they deal with the Daytona Road Course?
dabest2500 1 year ago
@dabest2500
At GayTona ?
Drivers CRASH, like a buncha dumb, one trick pony noobs
You know it, I know it, don't try to deny it...
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
@DancingSpiderman
I'm not denying anything, it was his fault for crashing, you shouldn't need a cone to show you where to brake.
What about the PROPER racers? They don't need a cone!
dabest2500 1 year ago
@dabest2500 i gree on your replies, dabest2500.
The drunk pace car driver shouldn't be driving drunk , and he shouldn't need a crutch in the form of a cone. Whomever moved the cone , at the very least , should have asked themselves WHY this cone is here before moving it. Oh well...
The only place where racers seem to require cones is... at the roller skating rink.
"It's an All-Skate... All-Skate, everybody!"
( Disco Duck plays in the background...)
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
@DancingSpiderman
Thanks :P
dabest2500 1 year ago
@DancingSpiderman fuck you racers are not one trick ponies, and neither are their wallets which happen to be much fatter than yours, stop dising people cause you want to be in there shoes, grow a pair
rcnascar88 1 year ago
@rcnascar88 You'd better calm down and quit using the F word or else I'll have your YouTube account closed down. You'll be Number 16, kiddo.
American race car drivers couldn't make a right-handed turn to save their life.
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
lmao he was like eeerrrrrrrrkkk.....CRASH!!!!
RumbleBee2113 1 year ago
The official story was that someone moved the orange traffic cone that Eldon used during practice to know where to start his braking.
The old timers at IMS told me that Eldon had partied wayyy too much that weekend.
Given the length of the pit lane - about 1/2 a mile -- and the presence of things on pit road that were recognizable world-wide (ie, scoring tower) I'm inclined to believe that a reasonably sober person didn't need an orange cone.
geek49203 1 year ago
speedlimit in pitlane:P
Ron12111995 1 year ago
LOL
Slashn64 1 year ago
one cool car!
coral221 1 year ago
Pace Car FAIL
person5598 1 year ago
Pit Rd is so long at indy, he had plenty of time to slow down. That was just plain stupidity on the drivers part.
go14team 1 year ago
A cone to show him where to slow down? Why not just slow down right away?
Merto6 1 year ago
i think he was looking at all the IZOD INDY girls smiling at him .
DNA42200 1 year ago
You can tell it's not a good situation where he's in pit lane and still going as fast as the race cars.
oldaardvark 1 year ago 35
@oldaardvark my question is why was he going that fast? he was in the pits
saberlamb69 1 year ago
@saberlamb69
back then their went rules about pit lane speeds
IIGrayfoxII 1 year ago
holy shit!
Paulmenard98fan 1 year ago
He was going faster than the field was...and the race had begun...
dstar1958 1 year ago 2
fuckin mustang...
2tallbrandon 1 year ago
@2tallbrandon Watch the video again. Thats not a Ford. It's a Challenger
go14team 1 year ago 2
woops
2tallbrandon 1 year ago
i had a car like that a cuda whith the 440 in it ,,,the brakes sucked ,,,and drove like a p,o,s ,,,i was young and it looked cool,,but when the brakes where hot it stoped like it was on ice,,,,
giacamo1 1 year ago