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THE LAST PRE - WW II INDY DRIVER GONE - - - - -

To: speedtimer@charter.net, saltracer@awwwsome.com, wspotter@jps.net,
Subject: THE LAST PRE - WW II INDY DRIVER GONE - - - - -
From: FastmetalBDF@aol.com
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 13:59:05 EST
        Glen, Tom, Wes, and Doug,  I wondered if any of you remember a
former ( SCTA or AAA or USAC ??? ) official at Bonneville, by the name
of George Connor ?   Mr. Connor died this past Thursday, in Hesperia, CA ,
at the age of 94, and apparently is the last of the Indy 500 racedrivers
who had competed at that famed oval prior to World War II .
       His best pre-war finish was ninth in 1937, and his best overall 500
finish was third place, in 1949 . His final appearance at Indianapolis
was in 1952, when he finished in eighth position .  He retired from
racing in 1954 at the age of 48, and took a job with the Ford Motor
Company, and his obituary gave no dates or details on his position
at any events held on the Bonneville Salt Flats ....... merely stating
he had been an official there .  Do any of you senior salt guys recall
this gentleman ?   Having been born around 1906 or 1907, he certainly
grew up in ..... and was a part of ..... the great era of the American 
automobile's evolution and the wonderful racing that sprang from it !
      He must have been an old timer with thousands of great memories
and racing stories !!!     Anybody on the list know him or work
with him in years gone by ???
      He is now a permanent part of the Racing History of
                            The Twentieth Century  ......
Let' s hope he has some great bench racing with the MANY, MANY
            other racers, famous or not, that went before him .......

  Bruce Ferguson

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