Sigur Whitaker Articles

Sigur Whitaker is an acclaimed auto racing history book author. First Super Speedway and Sigur are collaborating with this platform for her articles. You can receive her articles directly by subscribing to her e-mail newsletter. If you would like to be added to my subscriber list, please let her know at sigurwhitakerbooks881@gmail.com.

IMS Pagoda History

(By Sigur Whitaker)
 
The iconic Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a history of over 100 years. To many, seeing the Pagoda brings back a flood of memories of racing at the Speedway.  
 

IMS Radio History

By Sigur Whiaker
 
Over the 1951-1952 winter, Tony Hulman and IMS president Wilbur Shaw put together the IMS Radio Network to broadcast the Indianapolis 500. This was not a new idea but rather it was born of necessity.
 

Sigur Whitaker on Prest-O-Lite

By Sigur Whitaker
Prest-O-Lite was the primary factor which made the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a reality. While both Carl Fisher and James Allison might have had the financial wherewithal to build the Speedway, the success of Prest-O-Lite made it easily achievable.
 

The Great Zoline Caper

By Sigur Whitaker

The Astor Cup Story

By Sigur Whitaker
 
The winner of the IndyCar drivers' championship has been presented with the Astor Cup since 2011. This cup has ties to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway through Carl Fisher, one of the cofounders.
 

A Jeopardy - Type Question (Paula Murphy)

By Sigur Whitaker
Who was the first woman to drive a Championship car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Most people believe it was Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to qualify and compete in the Indianapolis 500. But the first woman who drove a race car around the track was Paula Murphy.
 

Lucy O'Reilly Schell

Lucy O’Reilly Schell by Sigur Whitaker
 
In 2021, the Indianapolis 500 had a female team including the owner, Beth Paretta and driver, Simona de Silvestro as well as the majority of the crew. But Beth Paretta was not the first woman to own a team which participated in the Indianapolis 500. That honor probably belongs to Lucy O’Reilly Schell.
 

Umbrella Mike

Umbrella Mike by Sigur Whitaker
 
The title alone was enough to peak my curiosity. Who was Umbrella Mike…and how was he behind the Indianapolis 500?
 

1955 - Year of Tragedy

Auto racing is inherently dangerous. The 1955 Championship racing season was particularly bloody and brought things to a head for the AAA Contest Board, which was the sanctioning body not only for championship racing but also for sprint cars, run on one-half mile tracks, midgets run on one-quarter mile tracks, and stock cars. AAA, whose primary focus was auto safety, was subject to criticism whenever there was a racing accident. It didn’t matter if the race was sanctioned by the AAA Contest Board or not.
 

Bessie Lee Paoli

By Sigur Whitaker.