George Robson 1946 Indianapolis 500 Winner

By now everyone knows how much I love my timeline piece from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. After nearly three months it is officially mounted on my basement wall and I am trying to put together a fun IndyCar area in my basement. As I’ve worked on this I realize how little I know about the men who won the Indy 500 between 1946-1956. I’ve decided to do my own countdown to the 500 where each week I showcase a different winner on my timeline. Since both Mauri Rose and Bill Vukovich have back to back wins I will combine 1947/48 and 1953/54 allowing for a post a week until race day. The posts won’t be extremely detailed but hopefully are a fun way to learn more about the drivers from the era.

George Robson, winner of the 1946 Indianapolis 500, is probably the driver I know the least about and one of the reasons I came up with this blog series. Even his name is not familiar to me.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was closed during World War II. The Indianapolis 500 was not run but the track was also not in use as it had been during the First World War. The use of the Speedway was offered to the government but due to increases in airplane technology the facility was too small to serve as a base for the military aircraft as it had in World War I. The entire Speedway was in shambles. Weeds and trees were growing up through the track and owner Eddie Rickenbacker was open to selling the facility. Former winner, Wilbur Shaw, set out to find a buyer for the Speedway and met with Anton “Tony” Hulman. Rickenbacker sold the Speedway to Tony Hulman and Wilbur Shaw became president and general manager of the Speedway.

The task of repairing the Speedway was a huge one. Grass and weeds were waist high and bleachers were falling down. The work was done, including new bleachers and even a new Pagoda, and fans flocked to the Speedway eager to see cars back on track. The cars were all prewar models and at the end of the 1946 race only 9 cars were still running. George Robson took the checkered flag.

George was born in England in 1909. In 1911 his family moved to Canada and then moved to the United States in 1924, settling in Huntington Park, California. He married Marjorie June in 1933 and had a son the following year named George William. George began his racing career in the mid 1930s and his first experience at the Indianapolis 500 was as a relief driver. Robson would qualify for both the 1940 and the 1941 Indianapolis 500, finishing in 23rd and 25th place.

In 1946 Robson qualified on the fourth day of qualifying but with the fifth fastest time. He started in 15th position and took the lead on lap 56. With the exception of pit stops he held onto the lead the rest of the race. After the race there was a bit of controversy as Robson was accused of not following the rules by staying in his car during the pit stops but it was determined that he was the winner.

The Indianapolis 500 win must have given Robson a boost of confidence because he went on to win 6 races (these were non points races) and was second in the points standings among championship races. Unfortunately, George Robson would lose his life at a race at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. It was a track know for being dusty and visibility was poor. George tried to avoid hitting Billy DeVore and was hit by George Barriner. Robson was not able to avoid DeVore. DeVore’s car went over a stone wall and he landed upside down in a creek. People from the crowd rescued him. Barringer had massive internal injuries and died a few hours later. George Robson’s car rolled and he was thrown to his death.

I guess I am not surprised to learn that George died shortly after his Indianapolis 500 win, it was often the case in these early days of racing. I do wish though that this first driver profile had ended on a happier note. While sad and tragic, I do hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about the 1946 winner and I look forward to posting each week about the men who won the Indianapolis 500.

This is my 200th blog post.

The Lionheart

I am not your typical race fan. I know hardly anything about cars, I can’t tell you what gear a driver is using, how he brakes or what engine he has just from the sound of it. I’ve come to love and appreciate the sounds, sights and smells of racing but what I love are the drivers themselves. I love their passion for winning at all costs. I love seeing grown men so excited to win the Indianapolis 500 that they give big sloppy kisses (Granatelli and Mario), they climb fences, cry even bawl, pour milk over their heads (even when they’ve been told they will stink of milk all day) and have such passion you can’t help but to be pulled in. I became a fan from hearing their stories and then watching them win. It all started with AJ Foyt for me and reading his biography long before I watched him in a race. I am much more invested in the drivers than the cars.

Sunday I planned to watch the documentary, The Lionheart, directed by Laura Brownson, telling the story of Dan Wheldon, his fatal accident and how his family is carrying on his legacy.

I delayed watching it all day. Did I really want to watch? I mean we all know the story. We all lived it in our own ways on that October day in 2011. While I had been watching the Indianapolis 500 since 1985 and had heard of a couple deaths only Scott Brayton’s really hit me. Somewhere around 2006 or 07 I began watching more of the IndyCar series and watched several horrific accidents but everyone walked away. I really wasn’t prepared for that type of accident. It’s an odd thing too, mourning the death of someone you never knew, friends and family don’t really understand how you feel and expect you to move on much quicker than you do.

So with some apprehension I began the documentary. One of the first things you see is Dan Wheldon on what I’m guessing was a media day doing some videos. It’s classic Dan and I loved it. Just after that you see Susie, Sebastian and Oliver reading sympathy cards they received and one boy leaves because it is just too intense. The documentary continues that way with lighthearted scenes followed by heart wrenching scenes.

The documentary simultaneously follows Dan’s career and the career of his boys. Struggles and wins for all of them. I learned a bit more of the back story of Dan’s last year in racing. At the time I didn’t keep up with IndyCar on social media so all my racing information came from the racing coverage. I knew what Randy Bernard was planning for the Las Vegas race and thought it sounded amazing, I had no concerns about it at all, completely oblivious. Unfortunately, Randy didn’t heed the advice or concerns that several people had for racing at Las Vegas. Randy’s job was to bring more eyes to IndyCar, to promote it, he was doing that and that was his driving force. It wasn’t ever meant to put the drivers in extreme situations, but sadly Randy was like me, he hadn’t been in the sport long enough to have the real dangers touch his life and went about his job of promotion. It was tragic but I do not blame Randy for the accident. Randy refused to be interviewed for The Lionheart.

Spoiler- The documentary ends with the boys doing a race in Las Vegas and Susie has their initials tattooed onto her arm just as she did with Dan the night before his race. It is a sweet scene.

I give Susie so much credit for being able to open up and be so vulnerable. It had to be hard and yet what an incredible story to see how the boys have learned to love racing and are moving forward in their racing careers. Telling this story continues Dan’s legacy and I don’t believe it is over. When Sebastian and Oliver become race winners and the Wheldon name is again on the top step of the podium no one will be surprised, but I’m guessing many grown men will once more shed tears. I know I will. IndyCar is all about passion.