"Iron Mike" Nazaruk had finished in 2nd place
as a rookie in the 1951 Memorial Day Classic. For the 1954
Indianapolis 500® his car owner, Lee Elkins, bought him a
brand-new Kurtis Kraft KK500C. The month of May was cold, windy,
and rainy, preventing the field from getting much track time
before time trials began. Two days before the first day of
qualifying, Nazaruk blew a "hole as big as a volleyball"
in his Meyer-Drake "Offy" and scattered parts for
hundreds of feet down the front straight. Nazaruk had to wait for
a new engine to be flown in from California. On the second weekend
of qualifying he turned in a speed of 139.589 mph, good for the 14th
position in the starting field. In the race, Nazaruk advanced
through the field, but poor pit stops delayed him. His first stop
on Lap 71 for tires and fuel took a minute and five seconds.
Nazaruk made his second pit stop on Lap 137 from 2nd
place, behind Jimmy Bryan but ahead of Bill
Vukovich, who had just completed his final stop. During
the stop for refueling and new tires, the engine stalled, and the
crew had to push the car to re-start it. This drama took two
minutes and ten seconds before #73 resumed racing. Nazaruk
finished in 5th place. Bill Vukovich won the 1954 Indianapolis 500®
at an average speed of 130.840 mph.
started 14th
finished 5th
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