FOYT AND SACHS TOP STELLAR CAST
“THE FURIOUS TEXAN THEN BARRELLED IN TO RECEIVE THE NECESSARY SPLASH”
6
After the events of the previous year (see entry number 2), it was no surprise that Indy 500 sophomore Jim Hurtubise was a force to be reckoned with again as he burst from third on the grid and led the first 35 laps before his engine let go.
Nor that the previous year's winner Jim Rathmann, along with 1959 victor (and 1960 runner-up) Rodger Ward would also lead laps. With hindsight, it’s also hardly a shock that, even as a rookie, Parnelli Jones was brilliant, lining up fifth on the grid and leading 27 laps.
But it was AJ Foyt (Bowes Seal Fast Trevis-offy) and polesitter Eddie Sachs
(Dean Van Lines
Ewing-offy) who dominated proceedings and duelled into the closing stages.
They had been pretty much even on pace for most of the race, and Foyt was surprised when he caught and passed Sachs with relative impunity on lap 170. Then he saw the pitboard hung out for him – ‘Fuel Low’ – and realised the crew had suffered a malfunction in what should have been his final stop, and hadn't got enough fuel in. He was fast because he was light.
The furious Texan barrelled into the pits on lap 185 to receive the necessary splash, and was on his way again after just eight seconds, but now with all hope of victory lost.
Except Sachs, with four laps to go, saw the white cord showing on his crossply tyres, having perhaps been a tad too vigorous through the turns on his full fuel load. He felt compelled to pit a lap later and so Foyt headed on to his first of four Indy triumphs, with Sachs finishing eight seconds in arrears, as Ward was almost a minute behind in third.
The next time Foyt won, 1964, it would be the final triumph for a roadster and a dreadful day for Indy following the death of two drivers, one of whom was Sachs.