The Short Chute
PAGE 2 - Newsletter #70 - Spring 2000
Ward Model Missing Something?
The GMP 1/IBth scale Roadsters are really nice.
The Watson chassis and body look very good and the
paint schemes and detail are excellent. However, I
noticed something missing on the 1962 Rodger Ward
winning car .
Has anyone else observed that the die-cast model
of the Leader Card #3 is missing the hand brake
lever (I think it is a hand brake?) which was mounted
on the right hand side by the cockpit. It caught my
eye while I was reading The Indianapolis Roadsters
1952-1964 book. The dust jacket has a great shot of
Ward at speed in his winning car taken from the
outside of the track. The right side of the machine
clearly shows a hand lever .
I found another shot of Ward's car showing the
right side, the 6" x 9" postcard. The car is sitting on
the front straightaway and there again is the hand
lever. It can also be seen in the '62 Clymer Yearbook.
Does anyone have information concerning this
piece of equipment on Champ cars? Does the 1962
Leader Card #3 which resides in the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum have a hand
lever or has it been removed?
You may be able to see the hand brake on Ward's car in this right side shot. photo Bill Enoch
President's Note
I hope everyone is having a great Spring. I wish all the participants good luck and a safe month at the Speedway. See you at the track. Until next time, happy collecting.
Larry
Crown Hill Cemetary Saga Continues
In the seemingly never ending saga of Indianapolis 500
personalities buried at Crown Hill Cemetery,
I recently noticed another glaring omission from previous
articles, Harry C. Stutz.
Stutz had a great deal of experience in various
capacities in several different auto companies. He
had his own parts company and was in the process of
designing his own car when he heard about the
upcoming inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
The new car was rushed to completion in about
five weeks. For power, Stutz chose a dependable
Wisconsin T head engine with 390 cubic inches. The
car performed well and went the distance. Gil Anderson
drove the battleship gray racer to an II th place
finish in the grueling 500 mile event.
This virtual overnight success inspired the slogan,
"The car that made good in a day". In honor of his
great achievement, Stutz was named as the pace car
for the 1912 500.
Stutz was a firm believer in racing as a way to
demonstrate his cars' superiority while generating
publicity for his passenger car sales. His teams enjoyed
fair success in the early days of organized
racing. Stutz team driver Earl Cooper was the fIrst
three-time National Champion.
The growing success of the passenger car company
had its drawbacks. An intensely stubborn and
independent entrepreneur, Stutz felt unduly constrained
in the corporate structure after the company
went public. He cashed in his share and left the
company in 1919.
Flush with cash but unable to use his own name, he
started a new auto company using his initials, H.C.S.
This was the official pace car for the 500 in 1921 with
Harry Stutz behind the wheel. In 1923 an H.C.S.
sponsored Miller carried Tommy Milton to his second 500 victory.
Harry died of a ruptured appendix in 1930. He is
buried at Crown Hill Cemetery, Lot 334, Section 47.
