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Elmer George

{{Short description|American racing driver (1928–1976)}}

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Elmer George

| image =

| caption =

| nationality =

| birth_name = Elmer Ray George

| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|07|05}}

| birth_place = Hockerville, Oklahoma, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1976|05|31|1928|07|05}}

| death_place = Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.

| titles =

| awards =

| module1 = {{Infobox Champ Car driver|child=yes

| years = 1954–1964

| Total_Champ_Races = 58

| Years_In_Champ = 11

| Champ_Car_Team =

| Best_Champ_Pos = 10th – 1957

| First_Champ_Race = 1955 Golden State 100 (Sacramento)

| Last_Champ_Race = 1963 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)

| First_Champ_Win = 1957 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse)

| Last_Champ_Win =

| Champ_Wins = 1

| Champ_Podiums = 4

| Champ_Poles = 1

}}

| module2 = {{Infobox F1 driver

| child = yes

|Years = {{F1|1955}}, {{F1|1957}}–{{F1|1958}}

|Team(s) = Kuzma, Kurtis Kraft, Schroeder

|Races = 3 (1 start)

|Championships = 0

|Wins = 0

|Podiums = 0

|Points = 0

|Poles = 0

|Fastest laps = 0

|First race = 1955 Indianapolis 500

|First win =

|Last win =

|Last race = 1958 Indianapolis 500

}}}}

Elmer Ray George{{Cite web |title=Elmer George |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/GeorgeElmer.htm |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=www.champcarstats.com}} (July 15, 1928 – May 31, 1976){{cite web |url=http://www.chicanef1.com/indiv.pl?name=Elmer%20George|title=Elmer George |work=Chicane F1 |access-date=15 July 2017}} was an American race car driver.

Born in Hockerville, Oklahoma, George died in Terre Haute, Indiana. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1956–1963 seasons with 64 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1957, 1962, and 1963.{{cite episode|series=The Talk of Gasoline Alley|series-link=Donald Davidson (historian)|station=WFNI|airdate=May 2, 2012}}

He finished in the top ten 36 times, with one victory, in 1957 at Syracuse.

George was also the 1957 USAC Sprint Car Series champion.

1962 [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|Bobby Ball Memorial race]]

On November 18, 1962, George suffered cuts and a left shoulder injury in a USAC Champ Car race held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. Having hit another car's bumper, George lost control of his HOW Special, hit the guard rail before the grandstand, slid and headed towards the stands where he broke through a chain-link fence, landing upside down. 22 spectators were injured as a result.{{cite news|title=Race car hits crowd, hurts 23|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gP1OAAAAIBAJ&pg=5315%2C187761|newspaper=The Blade|date=November 19, 1962|location=Toledo, Ohio|agency=Associated Press}}

Personal

Elmer George was married to Mari Hulman George, daughter of Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.{{cite news|title=Husband drives wife's racing car|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8WBQAAAAIBAJ&pg=5903%2C2686963|newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel|date=June 6, 1957}} Elmer and Mari had three daughters and one son, Tony George, founder of the Indy Racing League, and Ex-CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Elmer had two children from a previous marriage, Joseph F. George and Carolyn Coffey.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, George was the director of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.

On May 3, 1976, Mari filed for divorce.{{cite news

| url = https://www.espn.com/racing/racing/indycar/indy500/2011/columns/story?columnist=oreovicz_john&id=6556363

| title = Indy at 100: Fatalities mar the '70s

| work = ESPN.com

| first = John

| last = Oreovicz

| date = 2011-05-16

| access-date = 2011-08-02}} On the day of the 1976 Indianapolis 500 (May 30, 1976), Elmer George argued by telephone with Guy Trolinger, a horse trainer at the family farm near Terre Haute, and Mari's alleged boyfriend. After the race, George drove to the farm, broke into the house and confronted Trolinger, then around 1:00 a.m., gunfire broke out, and George was shot and killed as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.{{cite news|title=Ind. horse trainer held in love triangle shooting|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G6ArAAAAIBAJ&pg=4185%2C123755|newspaper=Nashua Telegraph|date=June 1, 1976|agency=United Press International}} A grand jury ruled that Trolinger killed George in self-defense, as George was armed and also discharged his firearm during the confrontation, at which point the charges were dropped.{{cite news|title=Trollinger [Trolinger] cleared in George death|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Oms0AAAAIBAJ&pg=1955%2C948658|newspaper=Wilmington Morning Star|date=June 5, 1976|agency=United Press International}}

Award

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2005.

Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"

! Year

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! Pos

! Points

rowspan=1| 1954

| INDY

| MIL

| LAN

| DAR

|SPR

| MIL

| DUQ

|PIK

| SYR

|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| ISF
DNQ

|SAC

| PHX

| LVG

!-

!0

rowspan=1| 1955

|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY
DNQ

| MIL

| LAN

| SPR

| MIL

| DUQ

| PIK

| SYR

| ISF

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SAC
7

|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| PHX
DNQ

|colspan=2|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 37th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 60

rowspan=1| 1956

| INDY

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MIL
18

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | LAN
8

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DAR
7

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ATL
19

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SPR
DNQ

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
20

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DUQ
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SYR
18

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ISF
14

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SAC
5

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PHX
7

|colspan=1|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 20th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 410

rowspan=1| 1957

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | INDY
33

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | LAN
17

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MIL
7

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | DET
5

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ATL
15

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SPR
6

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MIL
6

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | DUQ
4

|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | SYR
1

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ISF
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
21

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SAC
10

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | PHX
16

!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 10th

!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 830

rowspan=1| 1958

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
12

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | INDY
DNQ

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MIL
17

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | LAN
13

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ATL
8

|style="background:#DFDFDF;" | SPR
2

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | MIL
DNQ

| DUQ
DNS

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SYR
16

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ISF
10

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | TRE
DNQ

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SAC
17

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PHX
8

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 19th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 300

rowspan=1| 1959

| style="background:#cfeaff; | DAY
6

| style="background:#cfeaff; | TRE
6

| style="background:#ffcfcf; | INDY
DNQ

| style="background:#ffcfcf; | MIL
DNQ

| style="background:#dfffdf; | LAN
5

| SPR

| MIL

| DUQ

| SYR

| ISF

| TRE

| SAC

| PHX

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 25th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 233

1960

| TRE

| INDY

| MIL

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | LAN
DNQ

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | SPR
3

| MIL

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | DUQ
14

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SYR
8

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | ISF
DNQ

| TRE

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SAC
13

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PHX
6

|colspan=1|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 21st

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 270

1961

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | TRE
8

| INDY

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MIL
8

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LAN
4

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | MIL
DNQ

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SPR
8

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | DUQ
14

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SYR
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ISF
15

| TRE

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SAC
6

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PHX
9

|colspan=1|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 13th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 470

1962

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | TRE
DNQ

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | INDY
17

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
18

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | LAN
DNQ

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | TRE
DNQ

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SPR
10

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
17

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | LAN
{{small|DNQ}}

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SYR
{{small|18}}

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ISF
{{small|18}}

| TRE
{{small| }}

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | SAC
{{small|3}}

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | PHX
{{small|16}}

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 18th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 229

1963

| TRE

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY
30

| MIL

| LAN

| TRE

| SPR

| MIL

| DUQ

| ISF

| TRE

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | SAC
{{small|DNQ}}

| PHX

|colspan=1|

! -

! 0

1964

| PHX

| TRE
{{small| }}

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | INDY
DNQ

| MIL

| LAN

| TRE
{{small| }}

| SPR

| MIL
{{small| }}

| DUQ

| ISF

| TRE

| SAC

| PHX

!-

!0

Indianapolis 500 results

{{col-begin|width=auto}}

{{col-break}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Year

!Car

!Start

!Qual

!Rank

!Finish

!Laps

!Led

!Retired

1957

|23

|9

|140.729

|22

|33

|0

|0

|Crash BS

1962

|21

|17

|146.092

|33

|17

|146

|0

|Engine

1963

|21

|28

|147.893

|31

|30

|21

|0

|Handling

colspan=6|Totals

|167

|0

|

{{col-break|gap=1em}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Starts

|3

Poles

|0

Front Row

|0

Wins

|0

Top 5

|0

Top 10

|0

Retired

|3

{{col-end}}

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. George participated in the 1957 Indianapolis 500, his only World Championship race. He finished 33rd and did not accumulate any championship points.

References

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Elmer}}

Category:1928 births

Category:1976 deaths

Category:Hulman–George family

Category:People from Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Category:Racing drivers from Oklahoma

Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers

Category:AAA Championship Car drivers

Category:20th-century American sportsmen

Category:National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees