Pace Car Crash!

By Sigur Whitaker
 
One of the traditions of the Indianapolis 500 is the pace car leading the field of 33 through the pace lap. It began in 1911 at the very first Indianapolis 500  when Carl Fisher drove his white Stoddard-Dayton with his initials in bold letters on the radiator grill.
 
Having the Indianapolis 500 pace car is a great advertisement for the car, but it is an expensive proposition. There isn’t just one pace car, but up to 100, thirty-three of which are given to the directors of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Committee to use during the Month of May. The car industry is cyclical and 1970 was not a particularly good year. The Big Three were cutting back on expenses and providing the pace car is an easy expense to cut. And that’s the way it was in 1971.
 
The local Dodge dealerships decided they would provide the pace car—an orange 1971 Dodge Challenger with a white interior. Eldon Palmer, the local chairman of the Dodge dealer group would have the honor of driving the pace car at the beginning of the race.
 
Palmer took driving the pace car very seriously. He practiced every morning for a month by running five to ten laps around the track. As his guide of when to start breaking, he utilized a small flagpole. Harlan Fengler, chief steward of the Indianapolis 500 who had been coaching him, was very positive about his driving and said, “Eldon is no stranger to speed having driven in drag meets. It’s just a matter of getting used to setting a good pace to give the field the best possible start.”
 
On race day, Palmer planned to go down the backstretch at about 70 mph. He would pick up speed as he entered Turn 3 and when he came off of Turn 4, he would be going about 80-85 mph. He would then accelerate to about 105 mph when he entered the pit road gate and would continue to accelerate up to 120 mph when he crossed the start-finish line.
 
Tony Hulman, astronaut John Glenn, and ABC sportscaster Chris Schecter joined Palmer in the Dodge Challenger for the pace lap. All went as Palmer had practiced until he entered pit row. It was then he noticed that the flagpole he had been using to indicate when he should start breaking was missing. It was then too late. The Dodge Challenger was going down pit row about 120 mph when Palmer slammed on the brakes. This was before anti-lock brakes. The car locked up and slid at a 45-degree angle, left the pavement, tore through about 50 feet of grass, struck a three-foot metal post, and slammed into a temporary stand occupied by about 50 photographers anxious to record the start of the race. Although the numbers varied, about twenty-two people were injured, including Tony Hulman who suffered a sprained ankle. Many after being treated at the infield hospital were able to return to the race.
 
The pace car used to start the Indianapolis 500 is normally given to the winning driver but this car was damaged.  Palmer kept the damaged pace car which had a 383 cubic inch V8 engine for about 35 years which he had repaired.  He sold it in 2006 to Steve Cage, the owner of Stratosphere Quality. Cage, who collects vintage automobiles, primarily muscle cars, told Indianapolis Star reporter Gregg Doyle he invited Palmer to see his collection of cars. At the end of the tour, there was an easel with a picture of the 1971 Dodge Caravan pace car. Cage said, “Eldon, I’d like to have your car here.” It took a couple of days before Palmer simply replied to come get the car. Cage paid $200,000 for the car.
 
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