Carl Scarborough
{{Short description|American racecar driver}}
{{Infobox F1 driver
| name = Carl Scarborough
| nationality = {{flagicon|USA}} American
| birth_date = {{birth date|1914|07|03}}
| birth_place = Benton, Illinois, United States
| death_date = {{death date and age|1953|05|30|1914|07|03}}
| death_place = Speedway, Indiana, U.S.
| Years = {{F1|1951}}, {{F1|1953}}
| Team(s) = Kurtis Kraft
| Races = 2
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Podiums = 0
| Points = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest laps = 0
| First race = 1951 Indianapolis 500
| First win =
| Last win =
| Last race = 1953 Indianapolis 500
|}}
Carl Scarborough (July 3, 1914 – May 30, 1953) was an American racecar driver. He died from heat exhaustion during the 1953 Indianapolis 500, a race in which several drivers experienced heat-related illness. The race was Scarborough's second entry in the Indianapolis 500. He had also been the national champion in both big car and midget car racing. After he died, race officials announced plans to inspect Indy 500 vehicles for suitable ventilation.
Early life and career
Scarborough was born in Benton, Illinois on July 3, 1914.{{cite web|title=Carl Scarborough|url=http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/driver/546.html|publisher=ESPN F1|accessdate=November 29, 2013}} Before his entries in the Indianapolis 500, he had participated in "outlaw" racing in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Early in his racing career, Scarborough sat out for two years after sustaining injuries as the passenger in a car crash. In 1946, Scarborough was the national midget car racing champion.{{cite news|title=Carl Scarborough shatters record|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CvxOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6v8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4748,2770543|accessdate=November 29, 2013|newspaper=Toledo Blade|date=July 3, 1947}} He also won the national big car title that year, becoming the first driver named the Central States Racing Association national champion in both categories.
While attempting to qualify for the 1951 Indianapolis 500, he ran the second fastest qualifying lap that had ever been recorded at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.{{cite news|title=Test second fastest|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9-VXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L_YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1872,1187376|accessdate=November 29, 2013|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|date=May 19, 1951}} He finished 18th in that race; within four years, eleven of the 35 men in the 1951 race's starting lineup had died, mostly in race-related incidents.{{cite news|title=Rookie drivers hike speed mortalities|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mIUeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hcsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2132,3231428|accessdate=November 29, 2013|newspaper=The Daytona Beach News-Journal|date=May 26, 1955}}
Death and legacy
Scarborough started the 1953 Indianapolis 500 on the seventh row. He qualified for the race with an average speed of {{Convert|135.936|mph}}.{{cite news |title = Starting lineup at Indianapolis |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TEohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WoEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1234,4602775 |access-date = November 29, 2013 |newspaper = Schenectady Gazette |date = May 26, 1953 |via = Google News}} During Scarborough's first pit stop, he felt sick from the heat and fumes at the race. After a fuel spill during the pit stop, a minor fire broke out involving the side of Scarborough's car. Scarborough climbed over the pit wall and collapsed onto a chair.{{cite book |last = Reed |first = Terry |title = Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500 |year = 2005 |publisher = Potomac Books |isbn = 1574889079 |page = [https://archive.org/details/indyraceritualof00reed/page/163 163] |url = https://archive.org/details/indyraceritualof00reed |url-access = registration |quote = carl scarborough indianapolis 500. }} Bob Scott replaced Scarborough on the track. Scott's own car had experienced mechanical difficulties early in the race. He finished the race for Scarborough in twelfth place.
Scarborough was taken to the speedway's hospital, where he died.{{cite book |last = Davidson |first = Donald and Rick Schaffer |title = Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500 |year = 2006 |publisher = MBI Publishing Company |isbn = 1905334206 |page = 127 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CeCxyf0BpgUC&dq=carl+scarborough+indianapolis+500&pg=PA127 |via = Google Books }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} His temperature was recorded as {{Convert|104|F}} on admission to the hospital. Physicians there unsuccessfully performed open-heart massage before Scarborough was pronounced dead.{{cite book |last = O'Leary |first = Mike |title = Rodger Ward: Superstar of American Racing's Golden Age |year = 2005 |publisher = MotorBooks International |isbn = 0760321779 |page = 43 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LI572uvNRAkC&dq=carl+scarborough+indianapolis+500&pg=PA43 |via = Google Books}} The temperature was {{Convert|91|F}} in Indianapolis that day; nine drivers were treated for heat-related illness. Driver Pat Flaherty suffered minor injuries when he fainted and crashed into a wall later in the race.{{cite news |last = Allan |first = Chris |title = Indy tension high with new speeds |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zIIuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=O6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6042,1338800 |access-date = November 29, 2013 |newspaper = The Montreal Gazette |date = May 27, 1972 |via = Google News}}{{cite news |last = Grimsley |first = Will |title = Bill Vukovich wins Indianapolis classic |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-Z9aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NU8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6049,6954357 |access-date = June 1, 2022 |newspaper = St. Petersburg Times |date = May 31, 1953 |via = Google News}} The track temperature reached {{Convert|130|F}}.{{cite news |title = It could be a hot one in today's Indy 500 race |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XO9VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1948,6878988 |access-date = November 29, 2013 |newspaper = The Register-Guard |date = May 27, 1972 |via = Google News}}
Scarborough was the second person to die at that year's event. Chet Miller died in a crash during a practice run before the official start of the race.{{cite news |title = Rites held today for Scarborough, "500" victim |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RzpjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GnQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2738,5083479 |access-date = November 29, 2013 |newspaper = The News-Sentinel |date = June 1, 1953 |via = Google News}}
At the time of his death, Scarborough lived in Clarkston, Michigan with his wife and three children. He had been racing in some capacity for 18 years. After Scarborough's death, Indy 500 officials instituted a new rule that cars would be inspected to ensure adequate ventilation before the following year's race.{{cite news |title = Entry fee at Indianapolis is doubled |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dWgmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nv8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2789,1220987 |access-date = November 29, 2013 |newspaper = The Gettysburg Times |date = October 15, 1953 |via = Google News}} Scarborough was elected to the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.[http://www.mmshof.org/inductees/Scarborough_Carl.html Carl Scarborough] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727091240/http://www.mmshof.org/inductees/Scarborough_Carl.html |date=July 27, 2011 }}. Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
Indy 500 results
| ---- valign="top"
| {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||
| Year
!Car !Start !Qual !Rank !Finish !Laps !Led !Retired | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951
|73 ||15 ||135.614 ||4 ||18 ||100 ||0 ||Axle | |||
| 1953
|73 ||19 ||135.936 ||21 ||12 ||190 ||0 ||Flagged | |||
| colspan="6"|Totals | 290 | 0 |
|
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| Starts
|2 |
|---|
| Poles
|0 |
| Front Row
|0 |
| Wins
|0 |
| Top 5
|0 |
| Top 10
|0 |
| Retired
|1 |
|}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Racing-Reference driver|Carl_Scarborough}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarborough, Carl}}
Category:People from Benton, Illinois
Category:Racing drivers from Illinois
Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers