73' 500 had the potential to be one of the greatest races ever! From all new track records to the fierce competition between McLaren & the new Eagle's,Instead! it was one of the Darkest years! The rain along with all the carnage hampered everything that year! Along with the final appearance of many great drivers who came up short that year like Art Pollard & Swede Savage, & Peter Revson & Mark Donohue would go onto Formula one the following year & would loose their own lives the next two years!
@waterfordjim You're as wrong as you can be. At Le Mans in 1955, car parts went flying, 88 were confirmed killed and many more hurt. The result was the Swiss banned racing entirely, a ban that remains today. the USA considered banning it but didn't. Death isn't why the fans watch-they watch to see racers defy_ death and survive. Dan Wheldon's death in October was a tragedy, one which will cost Las Vegas speedway a chance to hold a race in 2012.
Besides Walther, the other cars involved in the crash were Bob Harkey, Jerry Karl, Wally Dallenbach, Jim McElreath, Jerry Grant, Mike Hiss, David Hobbs, Mike Mosley, John Martin, and Lee Kunzman.
This Crash could have & should been prevented! Notice in the video, The entire field of cars are all bunched up together. The pace car has pulled off the track. It's the pole sitters responsibility J.R to charge,excellerate & lead the field down the straight away. After this accident they finally leaned & took measures to remind the pole sitter not to just pace the field but lead & charge ahead.
That's the way they started the race back then. What happened was that Steve Krisiloff's car, which started seventh, had a mechanical problem. If you watch the start closely, you'll notice a puff of smoke from his car. As a result, even though he moved over to let the field go by, he was a rolling road block. As the part of the field that Walther was in approached Krisiloff's car, they were just about FIVE abreast. I have this part of the race uploaded, if you want to watch it.
If you go to my channel, you can watch the entire 1973 Indianapois 500 race broadcast, along with qualifying and pre-race coverage from the 1973 episode of Indy 500: The Classics. Part two deals with the original start and the crash with expanded coverage from the original broadcast. Part three of my look at the 1973 Indianapolis 500 deals with the analysis of the crash, which for some reason completely ignores Krisiloff's mechanical problem that led to the crash.
I've just uploaded this part of the race broadcast, which I've combined with the speedway's official film, which includes the qualifying coverage, as well as Peter Revson's crash, Mario Andretti's dropping out of the race, and eventually Joe Leonard's spin, none of which were seen on the ABC telecast of the race, [I'm currently up to the part just before bob Harkey's car breaks down], and you can definately see Walther's legs dangling from his car.
you would think they would put something in the fuel so that it would be visible. Im sure they could find some thing that would not degrade the purity of the fuel and still make it visible when it gets out of control and ignites.
Since ABC carried the "500" on same-night tape, I remember they were on the air Monday evening May 28th (the original date of the race) for a half-hour to show the start, the crash, analysis and a live update on Salt Walther's condition.
Bad weather prevented the race from resuming until Wednesday, May 30th. That night, ABC showed an edited tape of the race (which was shortened by rain). Since the race was shortened, very little of it was edited to fit the time slot allotted to the tape.
It rained before they could get restarted, which pushed the race off till the next day...and I think 32 of the 33 original starters were on the track (the exception of course being Salt Walther). It was kinda like the race in Brazil last month where the teams were allowed to fix their wrecked cars and get back in the race when it restarted the next day.
But overall, I think everybody agrees the '73 500 was probably the most tragic ever.
@gnatpiz We had conventional racing fuels back then (by conventional i mean fuel that burns with a color when there's a crash. of course hindsight is 20/20 with things like this.
@Nxtl68 looking back further, using a fuel (gasoline) that has extremely explosive vapor and burns MUCH hotter than methanol is a worse idea. 1964 comes to mind. That was the last year they ran gasoline at Indy. Even in today's cars, if it gets ripped in half by a catch fence, there's likely going to be a fire. Methanol is a very stable fuel and is in fact, not all that flammable. The only rub is that since there's very little hydrocarbon in it, there's not much of a visible flame and no smoke.
I was always a fan of Jim McKay, but I prefer Sid Collins' radio call of this incident. Sid was a traffic cop of the airwaves when he needed to be. In this, as in the 1964 wreck that took Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald, Sid kept his cool. I admit, he took longer to announce that it was Salt Walther who had been hurt, and made no mention of hurt spectators. He also mentioned no "Terrible atmosphere of fear," surrounding the event.
Salt's ex-girlfriend, one of many, was a neighbor of mine when I lived in Cincy in the late 80's. She lived in the apartment across from mine. She saw me in th pool area one time with an Indy 500 T-shirt on. We struck up conversation and she told me about him and shared some pictures. I remember she was a tall dark-haired woman and happened to have modelesque, gorgeous feet guys that were into that really liked. Other than that. I only recall her as being a flight attendant who hated him.
As a result of this crash, the flag man at Indy was moved to an overhead platform over the track and several rows of seating near the front stretch were removed.
The start in 1966 had another "Big One"...it involved at least 15 cars. Not sure if it's posted on youtube or not, but if I remember right, AJ Foyt climbed the fence to get out of his burning car...
I met Walther at Pocono along with Tom Sneva and Al Loquasto Jr. at qual in the 80's. You could see the effects of this crash. His face was very scarred, and I believe it was his right hand that the fingers were fused together, like a mitten. But he said he loved racing and woudln't want to do anything else. All 3 treated me like I was their friend for 10 years instead of a kid that talked to them for 10 minutes.This was the real Indy racing, i don't even know drivers names anymore
He loved it so much that he was at Indy throughout the remainder of the decade, including 1974. He also participated in two Daytona 500s in 1976-'77, and scored his best NASCAR finish of 12th in the 1976 Daytona 500, despite an early race spin that brought out that race's first caution period. He returned to Indy in 1990, and was the last man bumped out of the field. He attempted to requalify, but failed.
The year after saw new features at IMS:The starters stand was placed above hte track,and the pit lane widend.Salt,in spite of his buirns,lived to see another day.
I preach this in every video I see where the catch fence is damaged or the crowd is involved...why on Earth do you ALLOW fans to sit at trackside for racing events? After all the decades and so many near misses and tragic incidents involving the spectators, wouldn't it be wise to adjust the rules at tracks and speedways to push the crowd back and improve the catch fence? It's a worthless risk by racing officials, track managers, and the fans themselves.
@Boombergtastic Correct.David "Salt" Walther did survive,but he was hurt pretty bad with 2nd & 3rd Degree Burns to 45% of his body (mostly to his legs), broke both legs, and the fingers of his left hand lost down to the 1st knuckles. Salt said.. "My weight went from 190 to 137lbs." His late brother,Skip helped him to get into shape with weight training,.Salt holds the distinction of being the only driver to race an Indy Car, Grand National Stock Car and Unlimited Hydroplanes.
You've got to remember this was the zenith of the greatest speed increases ever seen at IMS. The qfying speeds were nearly 30 mph higher than only 3 years earlier. While this happened at the start and not at full speed, the increases in speed had far exceeded the advances in safety both of the cars and the track itself.
That is true! I grew up in Centerville, Ohio as a kid and i knew someone who went to high school with Salt Walther. I heard he use to dress up in Spider man outfits and beat kids up for no reason.
I heard it was his grandfather who had all the money with Walther Industries. I do know Walther Industries went belly up from what i hear.
@hemi426bee69 i heard similar stories..one that he had a terrible car wreck in high school where a gf was ejected and killed...if i remember correctly his grandfather was associated with"Winters Bank"
My parents told this story - they were out driving when my father turned on the radio to listen to the start of the Indy 500. My mother didn't want to hear it, but my father said, "It's great! It's really exciting!" A few minutes later the radio announcer was going on about fires, crashes, and flying tires. My father turned it off.
Salt's older brother Skipp would be killed in qualifying for an unlimited hydroplane race in Miami the following year. Salt also raced hydroplanes, as had their father.
the drug problems didn't put him in prison, he didn't pay child support to his ex-wife, and evaded, and eluded authorities. That's what put him in prison, not drugs.
No, he would continue his career, but would never place better than 9th in the Indy 500, in 2007, he was sentenced to prison for non payment of child support, and evading, and eluding authorities.
This was also the last time that the starter stood to the side of the track to wave the various flags (green, yellow, white, checkered).
Since 1974, the starter has been in an overhead booth.
Had Salt Walter's car sailed into the crowd, several hundred could have been killed from the fire, and maybe hundreds--maybe thousands-- more would have been killed in a stampede to escape.
Auto racing as a sport may not have been able to survive such a disaster.
it was about 60%-40% this crash and the fact that USAC had a new cheif steward in 1974 who wanted to use a stand to avoid having to deal with car owners/crew during the race (note: pat vidan didn't like using the stand)
but yeah, this crash was the last straw for on track starter. i think Motogp last year was the first time a race at IMS was flagged on trackside
@altfactor Had the car sailed into the crowd, MANY times more fans would have started watching races! People are fascinated with DEATH and this would have attracted many new people to the "sport". -Hail Lord SATAN! :-)
Wasn't his feet found sticking out of the nose of the car??? That had to be sickening to hear. I'm sad to hear that this one crash is what affected him for the rest of his lifetime...
Yes, that was his feet sticking out with flames beneath the car. Walther actually kept the wreckage of this car in his living room (at least up until a mid-80's ABC-TV interview). But Salt drove in the '74 race and continued until either '78 or '79.
As others have already posted, Stan Fox is one accident where the drivers legs were exposed after the crash. Danny Ongais' legs were also exposed from his crash at the Indy 500 in 1981.
Salt Walther was not killed in this crash and he did not lose his legs but he was seriously injuried,including being severely burned however he did recover and raced again in the Indy 500 the following year.
Some of the reasons for it stem from this crash, however. He became addicted, in Brett Favre-like fashion, to pain-killing medicine (eventually it going so far, though, as to make "narcotics" a better word for it) to try to both deal with the injuries' aftermath, while also still racing. Though the events did not kill him...thankfully...they did mark/scar his life from then on.
Back in the 1970's, ABC would broadcast an edited two-hour version of the Indianapolis "500" the evening of the race.
Because of the way the race was edited, Jim McKay and Jackie Siewart would call the start of the race, the first few laps, and the last few laps as they happened. The middle part of the race would be edited without commentary. McKay and Stewart would "call" the middle of the race while the taped replay was being broadcast.
You can tell that McKay called the first few seconds of the crash live, but it wasn't much. At 1:21, they clearly switched to post production footage. That year, they did not show the race tape-delay on television until Wednesday night, so they did have two days to dig around for other angles of the crash. They must have found 2 film angles from other sources, and incorporated them into their TV coverage. The last two angles are not video. McKay simply commentated over them.
people with feelings of empathy watch these events, and contrary to what a lot of non-rac fans think they aren't there to mostly see an off the hook wreck. seeing a bad accident at a race can cause a response simler to PTSD, in my opinion.
amen, brother. but it hurts my soul to see anyone hurt. and i was there as a child and it threw me into a depression because i internalzed that bad event. i was only 12. racing cars today are a lot safer, so we can enjoy the sport of competition. i still love the beauty of these machines and the brave men and women who go out on the track to give it their best.
the hub bub at the time...i think walther was still an indy car rookie. now i'm thinking about dave mcdonald, who got into that terrible crash with eddie sachs...and mcdonald was a rookie too.
the feeling at the time was that walther sort of caused his own crash, though he always insists he was bumped from behind. anyway, some of the drivers weren't that thrilled when he came back to race a couple of years later. aside from his driving skill-or lack of it, his hands were all messed up.
spectators were hurt. several were badly burned because the car covered the crowd with ignited fuel...but indy management has always been pretty good at 'taking care' of this sort of thing and keeping bad publicity about the race away. let's be real, what else EVER happens in Indianapolis, or indiana too boot (aside from maybe a collge ball game)???
they added more fencing and pulled the spectator seats back from the wall the next year.
i was there with my dad...we used to go out there from nyc every may. we were in south east vista,(turn one.) it had been raining off and on all through the weekend. after the crash fiery of salt walther, they kept running but the race was finally canceled due to rain. my dad decided to leave. the next day, they ran the race and swede savage was burned alive in a horrible crash. btw, we never attended the race again.
Racing is dangerous. People MIGHT die, Day in and day out on the track. Whether they are drivers, pit crew personnel, or track workers. No matter what level of racing, F1 to go-karts its all the same. God bless them.
Racing as come along was back then but so many drivers year after year were killed the sport was almost outlaw because of the lack safety in these cars back then.
You indeed are mistaken. Salt Walther, although rather injured, survived this crash with his limbs attached and his head still firmly attached to his body.
They might be mixing up this crash, and outright heresay, but also Gordon Smiley's 1982 crash, with each other. Smiley's fatality was indeed rather...gruesome.
I second that RTBaLLa. Walther raced in a few more Indy 500s, appeared on "The Dukes of Hazzard", "The Rockford Files", even managed to become addicted to pain killers from his '73 injuries.
I remember this vicious crash. Salt Walther surived with burns and I believe had to have some fingers amputated.... I grew up a mile away from where Salts family had a foundry called, Dayton-Walther..
the people sprayed by fuel were standing four or five rows deep next to the fence...thats why when you go to indy today they don;t let you stand right next to the fence...if you notice the people seated in the actual grandstand itself were ok
my 3rd grade teacher was one of those spectators sprayed by the fuel. she said it took 2 weeks to get the smell out of her hair and that she'll never watch auto racing again
Good looking cars, great drivers personality, terrible and tragic race. It was a good thing that Salt survived, RIP to Swede Savage, and RIP to his crewman that was struck by a truck and killed. :(
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73' 500 had the potential to be one of the greatest races ever! From all new track records to the fierce competition between McLaren & the new Eagle's,Instead! it was one of the Darkest years! The rain along with all the carnage hampered everything that year! Along with the final appearance of many great drivers who came up short that year like Art Pollard & Swede Savage, & Peter Revson & Mark Donohue would go onto Formula one the following year & would loose their own lives the next two years!
1957thack 2 months ago
@waterfordjim You're as wrong as you can be. At Le Mans in 1955, car parts went flying, 88 were confirmed killed and many more hurt. The result was the Swiss banned racing entirely, a ban that remains today. the USA considered banning it but didn't. Death isn't why the fans watch-they watch to see racers defy_ death and survive. Dan Wheldon's death in October was a tragedy, one which will cost Las Vegas speedway a chance to hold a race in 2012.
musicmandon1 2 months ago
Salt said he was conscious the entire time.
lacidy 4 months ago
Besides Walther, the other cars involved in the crash were Bob Harkey, Jerry Karl, Wally Dallenbach, Jim McElreath, Jerry Grant, Mike Hiss, David Hobbs, Mike Mosley, John Martin, and Lee Kunzman.
TheSubstituteGnome 5 months ago
This Crash could have & should been prevented! Notice in the video, The entire field of cars are all bunched up together. The pace car has pulled off the track. It's the pole sitters responsibility J.R to charge,excellerate & lead the field down the straight away. After this accident they finally leaned & took measures to remind the pole sitter not to just pace the field but lead & charge ahead.
1957thack 6 months ago
@1957thack
That's the way they started the race back then. What happened was that Steve Krisiloff's car, which started seventh, had a mechanical problem. If you watch the start closely, you'll notice a puff of smoke from his car. As a result, even though he moved over to let the field go by, he was a rolling road block. As the part of the field that Walther was in approached Krisiloff's car, they were just about FIVE abreast. I have this part of the race uploaded, if you want to watch it.
cjs3872 3 months ago
@cjs3872 You are so right! I never noticed that S.K car was having difficulties.! I
1957thack 2 months ago
@1957thack
If you go to my channel, you can watch the entire 1973 Indianapois 500 race broadcast, along with qualifying and pre-race coverage from the 1973 episode of Indy 500: The Classics. Part two deals with the original start and the crash with expanded coverage from the original broadcast. Part three of my look at the 1973 Indianapolis 500 deals with the analysis of the crash, which for some reason completely ignores Krisiloff's mechanical problem that led to the crash.
cjs3872 2 months ago
I was in the first turn "snake pit" that day. Salt Walther's feet were hanging out the front of the car because the front end had been torn off.
mango66666 6 months ago
@mango66666
I've just uploaded this part of the race broadcast, which I've combined with the speedway's official film, which includes the qualifying coverage, as well as Peter Revson's crash, Mario Andretti's dropping out of the race, and eventually Joe Leonard's spin, none of which were seen on the ABC telecast of the race, [I'm currently up to the part just before bob Harkey's car breaks down], and you can definately see Walther's legs dangling from his car.
cjs3872 3 months ago
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"All the fuel spread out. This could be a good thing for the driver if he has survived this crash."
Incredible how normal fatal crashs were back then.
rfactormo 7 months ago
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rfactormo 7 months ago
you would think they would put something in the fuel so that it would be visible. Im sure they could find some thing that would not degrade the purity of the fuel and still make it visible when it gets out of control and ignites.
mjb12141963 8 months ago
Since ABC carried the "500" on same-night tape, I remember they were on the air Monday evening May 28th (the original date of the race) for a half-hour to show the start, the crash, analysis and a live update on Salt Walther's condition.
Bad weather prevented the race from resuming until Wednesday, May 30th. That night, ABC showed an edited tape of the race (which was shortened by rain). Since the race was shortened, very little of it was edited to fit the time slot allotted to the tape.
altfactor 8 months ago
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SIMPLY;::COPY.`;&`:,PASTE,,:
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SIMPLY:.`COPY;;.&'',PASTE.:'
ClaytonMurrayRot67 9 months ago
Eleven cars, including Walther's, were gobbled up in this accident.
TheSubstituteGnome 9 months ago
@TheSubstituteGnome
It rained before they could get restarted, which pushed the race off till the next day...and I think 32 of the 33 original starters were on the track (the exception of course being Salt Walther). It was kinda like the race in Brazil last month where the teams were allowed to fix their wrecked cars and get back in the race when it restarted the next day.
But overall, I think everybody agrees the '73 500 was probably the most tragic ever.
BSNFabricating 9 months ago
looking back at it...using a fuel that burns clear probably wasn't the best idea.
Nxtl68 10 months ago
@Nxtl68 So....what would have been a 'good' idea for fuel? What would you have used rather than alcohol?
gnatpiz 9 months ago
@gnatpiz We had conventional racing fuels back then (by conventional i mean fuel that burns with a color when there's a crash. of course hindsight is 20/20 with things like this.
Nxtl68 9 months ago
@Nxtl68 looking back further, using a fuel (gasoline) that has extremely explosive vapor and burns MUCH hotter than methanol is a worse idea. 1964 comes to mind. That was the last year they ran gasoline at Indy. Even in today's cars, if it gets ripped in half by a catch fence, there's likely going to be a fire. Methanol is a very stable fuel and is in fact, not all that flammable. The only rub is that since there's very little hydrocarbon in it, there's not much of a visible flame and no smoke.
ProfessorIgor 6 months ago
I was always a fan of Jim McKay, but I prefer Sid Collins' radio call of this incident. Sid was a traffic cop of the airwaves when he needed to be. In this, as in the 1964 wreck that took Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald, Sid kept his cool. I admit, he took longer to announce that it was Salt Walther who had been hurt, and made no mention of hurt spectators. He also mentioned no "Terrible atmosphere of fear," surrounding the event.
musicmandon1 1 year ago
camera men did a great job of catching the crash
rams211100 1 year ago
Salt's ex-girlfriend, one of many, was a neighbor of mine when I lived in Cincy in the late 80's. She lived in the apartment across from mine. She saw me in th pool area one time with an Indy 500 T-shirt on. We struck up conversation and she told me about him and shared some pictures. I remember she was a tall dark-haired woman and happened to have modelesque, gorgeous feet guys that were into that really liked. Other than that. I only recall her as being a flight attendant who hated him.
3338MAN 1 year ago
As a result of this crash, the flag man at Indy was moved to an overhead platform over the track and several rows of seating near the front stretch were removed.
altfactor 1 year ago
why did the yo yo announcer sound excited about the 73 race beginning
psu68born 1 year ago
I couldnt help but laugh at the dumbass pulling a Ricky Bobby "IM ON FIRE!" moment.
Indy - The originator of "The Big One" Those fans were lucky THEY didnt catch fire with all that fuel sprayed out.
snappy452 1 year ago
@snappy452
The start in 1966 had another "Big One"...it involved at least 15 cars. Not sure if it's posted on youtube or not, but if I remember right, AJ Foyt climbed the fence to get out of his burning car...
BSNFabricating 9 months ago
I met Walther at Pocono along with Tom Sneva and Al Loquasto Jr. at qual in the 80's. You could see the effects of this crash. His face was very scarred, and I believe it was his right hand that the fingers were fused together, like a mitten. But he said he loved racing and woudln't want to do anything else. All 3 treated me like I was their friend for 10 years instead of a kid that talked to them for 10 minutes.This was the real Indy racing, i don't even know drivers names anymore
wrshero 1 year ago 3
@wrshero
He loved it so much that he was at Indy throughout the remainder of the decade, including 1974. He also participated in two Daytona 500s in 1976-'77, and scored his best NASCAR finish of 12th in the 1976 Daytona 500, despite an early race spin that brought out that race's first caution period. He returned to Indy in 1990, and was the last man bumped out of the field. He attempted to requalify, but failed.
cjs3872 3 months ago
The year after saw new features at IMS:The starters stand was placed above hte track,and the pit lane widend.Salt,in spite of his buirns,lived to see another day.
vince065us 1 year ago
I preach this in every video I see where the catch fence is damaged or the crowd is involved...why on Earth do you ALLOW fans to sit at trackside for racing events? After all the decades and so many near misses and tragic incidents involving the spectators, wouldn't it be wise to adjust the rules at tracks and speedways to push the crowd back and improve the catch fence? It's a worthless risk by racing officials, track managers, and the fans themselves.
CombatSportFan 1 year ago
I remember this race watching it with my dad.
Darrylizer1 1 year ago
Salt Walther did not die that day...he in fact is still alive!
Boombergtastic 1 year ago 2
@Boombergtastic Correct.David "Salt" Walther did survive,but he was hurt pretty bad with 2nd & 3rd Degree Burns to 45% of his body (mostly to his legs), broke both legs, and the fingers of his left hand lost down to the 1st knuckles. Salt said.. "My weight went from 190 to 137lbs." His late brother,Skip helped him to get into shape with weight training,.Salt holds the distinction of being the only driver to race an Indy Car, Grand National Stock Car and Unlimited Hydroplanes.
thevmanvj 1 year ago
@Boombergtastic..i was a kid in dayton ohio in 73...he had a brother that raced boats if i remember correctly who was killed driving...
centervilletn 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Salt Walther died that day....RIP
hooksman60 1 year ago
You've got to remember this was the zenith of the greatest speed increases ever seen at IMS. The qfying speeds were nearly 30 mph higher than only 3 years earlier. While this happened at the start and not at full speed, the increases in speed had far exceeded the advances in safety both of the cars and the track itself.
natureboy99 1 year ago
that was my first indy race, i was seven......
TubieNewbie4u 1 year ago
I lived in Indianapolis for 15 years and only ever went to the actual race once-on this Monday. We could feel the heat from high up in Turn 1.
hoosierdaddi47 1 year ago
its a miracle the fuel that was sprayed over the spectators didn't light
That would be catastrophic :S
Komanti 1 year ago
That is true! I grew up in Centerville, Ohio as a kid and i knew someone who went to high school with Salt Walther. I heard he use to dress up in Spider man outfits and beat kids up for no reason.
I heard it was his grandfather who had all the money with Walther Industries. I do know Walther Industries went belly up from what i hear.
hemi426bee69 2 years ago
@hemi426bee69 i heard similar stories..one that he had a terrible car wreck in high school where a gf was ejected and killed...if i remember correctly his grandfather was associated with"Winters Bank"
centervilletn 1 year ago
Memorable Marty...More like forgetable.
WSBT960 2 years ago
Wather accident reminds me so much of Niki Lauda's accident in 1976.
afannell 2 years ago
My parents told this story - they were out driving when my father turned on the radio to listen to the start of the Indy 500. My mother didn't want to hear it, but my father said, "It's great! It's really exciting!" A few minutes later the radio announcer was going on about fires, crashes, and flying tires. My father turned it off.
swrdgrl 2 years ago
Salt's older brother Skipp would be killed in qualifying for an unlimited hydroplane race in Miami the following year. Salt also raced hydroplanes, as had their father.
bluv6 2 years ago
Salt finished 33rd (last) in 1972, 73 and 75.
CoachVCard4life 2 years ago
Salt walther had money from his old man, he couldnt drive at all, he was always crashing. He had drug problems that reulted in prison time
VanHoorelbeke 2 years ago
the drug problems didn't put him in prison, he didn't pay child support to his ex-wife, and evaded, and eluded authorities. That's what put him in prison, not drugs.
Doug4422 2 years ago
that red pickup full of illegal aliens caused it !
jettt111 2 years ago
LOL..Safety was a new thing in those days
Swartzie6 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
is he dead meat????
DarthSaiga 2 years ago
No, he would continue his career, but would never place better than 9th in the Indy 500, in 2007, he was sentenced to prison for non payment of child support, and evading, and eluding authorities.
Doug4422 2 years ago
This and the 1964 Indy had bad crashes. In those days, the cars would catch on fire.
headley62 2 years ago
resist man.
RESIST.
gnubboleso 2 years ago
only drug addiction, why prison for this guy.
WHY
the prison ruine him.
gnubboleso 2 years ago
This was also the last time that the starter stood to the side of the track to wave the various flags (green, yellow, white, checkered).
Since 1974, the starter has been in an overhead booth.
Had Salt Walter's car sailed into the crowd, several hundred could have been killed from the fire, and maybe hundreds--maybe thousands-- more would have been killed in a stampede to escape.
Auto racing as a sport may not have been able to survive such a disaster.
altfactor 2 years ago 5
it was about 60%-40% this crash and the fact that USAC had a new cheif steward in 1974 who wanted to use a stand to avoid having to deal with car owners/crew during the race (note: pat vidan didn't like using the stand)
but yeah, this crash was the last straw for on track starter. i think Motogp last year was the first time a race at IMS was flagged on trackside
xSoccerxCorex 2 years ago
@altfactor Had the car sailed into the crowd, MANY times more fans would have started watching races! People are fascinated with DEATH and this would have attracted many new people to the "sport". -Hail Lord SATAN! :-)
waterfordjim 4 months ago
Can you imagine being in that crowd getting a face full of fuel?
cobraduece 2 years ago
Wasn't his feet found sticking out of the nose of the car??? That had to be sickening to hear. I'm sad to hear that this one crash is what affected him for the rest of his lifetime...
MannyZtheWolfWarrior 2 years ago
I think you are getting him mixed up with Stan Fox, who hit the wall on the first lap of the 1995 Indy 500.
ParagonB 2 years ago
Yes, that was his feet sticking out with flames beneath the car. Walther actually kept the wreckage of this car in his living room (at least up until a mid-80's ABC-TV interview). But Salt drove in the '74 race and continued until either '78 or '79.
pajasa62 2 years ago
As others have already posted, Stan Fox is one accident where the drivers legs were exposed after the crash. Danny Ongais' legs were also exposed from his crash at the Indy 500 in 1981.
thenoblegeek 2 years ago
Salt Walther was not killed in this crash and he did not lose his legs but he was seriously injuried,including being severely burned however he did recover and raced again in the Indy 500 the following year.
Today though he is in prison.
noaanhc 3 years ago
Some of the reasons for it stem from this crash, however. He became addicted, in Brett Favre-like fashion, to pain-killing medicine (eventually it going so far, though, as to make "narcotics" a better word for it) to try to both deal with the injuries' aftermath, while also still racing. Though the events did not kill him...thankfully...they did mark/scar his life from then on.
VampireYoshi 2 years ago
Comment removed
noaanhc 3 years ago
Back in the 1970's, ABC would broadcast an edited two-hour version of the Indianapolis "500" the evening of the race.
Because of the way the race was edited, Jim McKay and Jackie Siewart would call the start of the race, the first few laps, and the last few laps as they happened. The middle part of the race would be edited without commentary. McKay and Stewart would "call" the middle of the race while the taped replay was being broadcast.
So, this description was taped as it happened.
altfactor 3 years ago
You can tell that McKay called the first few seconds of the crash live, but it wasn't much. At 1:21, they clearly switched to post production footage. That year, they did not show the race tape-delay on television until Wednesday night, so they did have two days to dig around for other angles of the crash. They must have found 2 film angles from other sources, and incorporated them into their TV coverage. The last two angles are not video. McKay simply commentated over them.
doctorindy 3 years ago
His crashed looked very much like Nikki Lauda's crash in 1976.
afannell 3 years ago
people with feelings of empathy watch these events, and contrary to what a lot of non-rac fans think they aren't there to mostly see an off the hook wreck. seeing a bad accident at a race can cause a response simler to PTSD, in my opinion.
deemilieu 3 years ago 2
amen, brother. but it hurts my soul to see anyone hurt. and i was there as a child and it threw me into a depression because i internalzed that bad event. i was only 12. racing cars today are a lot safer, so we can enjoy the sport of competition. i still love the beauty of these machines and the brave men and women who go out on the track to give it their best.
deemilieu 3 years ago 2
the hub bub at the time...i think walther was still an indy car rookie. now i'm thinking about dave mcdonald, who got into that terrible crash with eddie sachs...and mcdonald was a rookie too.
the feeling at the time was that walther sort of caused his own crash, though he always insists he was bumped from behind. anyway, some of the drivers weren't that thrilled when he came back to race a couple of years later. aside from his driving skill-or lack of it, his hands were all messed up.
deemilieu 3 years ago
spectators were hurt. several were badly burned because the car covered the crowd with ignited fuel...but indy management has always been pretty good at 'taking care' of this sort of thing and keeping bad publicity about the race away. let's be real, what else EVER happens in Indianapolis, or indiana too boot (aside from maybe a collge ball game)???
they added more fencing and pulled the spectator seats back from the wall the next year.
deemilieu 3 years ago
i was there with my dad...we used to go out there from nyc every may. we were in south east vista,(turn one.) it had been raining off and on all through the weekend. after the crash fiery of salt walther, they kept running but the race was finally canceled due to rain. my dad decided to leave. the next day, they ran the race and swede savage was burned alive in a horrible crash. btw, we never attended the race again.
deemilieu 3 years ago
Racing is dangerous. People MIGHT die, Day in and day out on the track. Whether they are drivers, pit crew personnel, or track workers. No matter what level of racing, F1 to go-karts its all the same. God bless them.
SwanKong11 3 years ago 18
@SwanKong11: Why do you think they get payed so much????
ThatTallAsianGuy401 1 year ago
actually the next day, the race was cancelled again due to rain so the race was run the day after on wednesday
holden0001 3 years ago
Horrific year at Indy, between this and Swede Savage's crash, two of the worst in history.
zenmachinefilms 3 years ago 2
and art pollard's fatal practice crash.
e521soediv 3 years ago 2
Yes, how could I forget Pollard. Thanks for posting.
zenmachinefilms 3 years ago 3
Gordon Smiley's wreck was much worst than Savage!
afannell 3 years ago
Yes, that was horrific. The Sachs-McDonald crash of 1964 was terrible also.
zenmachinefilms 3 years ago
Racing as come along was back then but so many drivers year after year were killed the sport was almost outlaw because of the lack safety in these cars back then.
afannell 3 years ago
Gordon Smiley's crash was much worse than any crash in racing history !!! before or since. Fuck that crash was gruesome.
ProfessorIgor 3 years ago
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yeah if I'm not mistaken his severed head ended up in the parking lot
proveout 3 years ago
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His body as well as his legs were torn off!
afannell 3 years ago
You indeed are mistaken. Salt Walther, although rather injured, survived this crash with his limbs attached and his head still firmly attached to his body.
suspendingdisbelief1 3 years ago
They might be mixing up this crash, and outright heresay, but also Gordon Smiley's 1982 crash, with each other. Smiley's fatality was indeed rather...gruesome.
VampireYoshi 2 years ago
My brother was Salt's best friend in high school at Centerville High School. He was a rich kid, terribly full of himself.
RichardAllanSteele 3 years ago 2
And now he's in prison
fueldragster 3 years ago 2
luckily no fan where killed to bad some drivers got badly injured 1973 the worst indy 500 i know
nascarfan1444 3 years ago 4
RIP Jim McKay.
IllinoisHighwayMan 3 years ago 26
@IllinoisHighwayMan Definitely! Jim was the voice I grew up with....So many memories...
jseph1234567890 8 months ago
good thing the spectators didnt catch fire or there wouldve been numerous fatalities
mystrsyko 3 years ago
I second that RTBaLLa. Walther raced in a few more Indy 500s, appeared on "The Dukes of Hazzard", "The Rockford Files", even managed to become addicted to pain killers from his '73 injuries.
scgalloways 3 years ago
I don't know of anyone that wanted to race in '73...bad year at Indy.
uindy 3 years ago
R.I.P Salt
my dad told me to search this he told me that Salt`s younger brother was there and he watched his brother die
29sucks 3 years ago
salt is still alive, he is currently in prison but is alive
disneyhottie0731 3 years ago
he didnt die, do research plz
RTBaLLa 3 years ago 2
Salt didn't die. His brother George was killed a year later in an unlimited power boat crash in Miami.
bagonmyhip 3 years ago
at 0:15 that flagman has some serious flag skills bad bad crash tho
e521soediv 3 years ago
I remember this vicious crash. Salt Walther surived with burns and I believe had to have some fingers amputated.... I grew up a mile away from where Salts family had a foundry called, Dayton-Walther..
waltsa200 3 years ago
was this the one where salt died? if so rip
burtonfan2 3 years ago
Survived the wreck...suffered massive burns, though.
IllinoisHighwayMan 3 years ago
Salt never died...he is alive today but is sadly in jail due to drug and financial issues
captainlock 3 years ago
Salt Walther was probably the biggest loser inj Indy history...man I loved him!
TheMarioBros 3 years ago
The only driver to finish last three times.
tleatherland 3 years ago
his legs were exposed
wawwwaaa 3 years ago
the people sprayed by fuel were standing four or five rows deep next to the fence...thats why when you go to indy today they don;t let you stand right next to the fence...if you notice the people seated in the actual grandstand itself were ok
lockomatic 4 years ago
Actually, there were seats right next to the fence. As a result of this crash, those seats were removed.
cgdale 3 years ago
my 3rd grade teacher was one of those spectators sprayed by the fuel. she said it took 2 weeks to get the smell out of her hair and that she'll never watch auto racing again
kainethebarbarian 4 years ago
Very similar to Geoff Bodine's NASCAR Truck crash at Daytona 27 years later.
IllinoisHighwayMan 4 years ago
But it looks like Geoff's accident was more violent, bad crash nonetheless.
word360 4 years ago
Good looking cars, great drivers personality, terrible and tragic race. It was a good thing that Salt survived, RIP to Swede Savage, and RIP to his crewman that was struck by a truck and killed. :(
watchika 4 years ago