Persistence pays at Indianapolis

Sam Hanks raced at Indianapolis for well over a decade before winning the 1957 Indianapolis 500 and announcing his retirement in victory lane.

Sam Hanks was born in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States, on July 13, 1914, and grew up in Alhambra, California. He won his first championship in 1937 in West Coast midget racing and spent the following years racing across the country, including on the board tracks at Soldier Field in Chicago. During the Second World War he served in the Army Air Corps.

After the war he won the 1946 United Racing Association Blue Circuit title and became the 1949 AAA National Midget champion. When the Indianapolis 500 became part of the World Championship in 1950, his starts there began to count in our record, beginning with the 1950 Indianapolis 500. He finished third in both 1952 and 1953, and in 1953 he also won the AAA National Championship.

Hanks finished second at the 1956 Indianapolis 500 and thought about stopping, but car owner George Salih persuaded him to return. At the 1957 Indianapolis 500, driving Salih's car, he won at last, at that time the record number of attempts before a first victory at the race, and he announced his retirement in victory lane. He completed his stock car commitments for the rest of that season.

Our record shows 9 starts, 1 win and 4 podiums at Indianapolis across eight seasons, all in Offenhauser powered cars. He later drove the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 from 1958 to 1963 and was inducted into several halls of fame, including the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000. Hanks died in 1994.

0 world titles, 1 wins, 0 pole positions, 9 starts.

Teams

Victories

• Indianapolis 500 1957