This year will be 40 years since the fiery crash of the No. 77 car of Salt Walther at the start of the race. May 28th 1973 crash would mar what was to be fire and rain of Indy that May. Art Pollard was killed on May 12th running hot laps after already qualifying for the race in turn 1, dying from flame inhalation. After the race was eventually restarted days later after Salt's crash ended the attempt on Monday, Swede Savage hit the inside wall in turn 4 during the race and the car came apart with Swede sitting in the cockpit on the track and on fire, he passed in July from medical complications.
Salt told us that he was very anxious to get the race started and hadn't eat'n in 2 days. At the start cars were swerving wildly jockeying for position. Salt to the day he passed in 2012 maintained he was bumped from behind and that caused the accident.
We took Salt's daughter Brittney who just turned 18 to the track on pole day this year and was able to put her in touch with the track and even people from the IMS Safety Team who had assisted her father after the accident. We walked by the infield hospital and explained what the process was and showed her the helicopter that would have rushed her dad to Methodist Hospital.
Most people remember the crash, but forget that after giving only a 5% chance to live and massive injuries to his body, Salt Walther returned to the track in 1974 and put his new No. 77 McLaren in the field at the 14th position with a speed of 180.920 and finished in 17th when a piston failed on lap 141.
With the race this Sunday, lets hope it's a safe one. This will be the first Indianapolis 500 since the early 60's that Salt Walther will not be around for. We will have more details on this and more in the new book coming later this year "For the Race of Your Life".
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