July 5, 1928 - May 31, 1976
Elmer George
(Photo;snaplap.net)
Born in Hockerville, Oklahoma, USA.
He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1956 to 1963 seasons with 64 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1957, 1962, and 1963. 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. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, George was the director of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.
Elmer George
Born in Hockerville, Oklahoma, USA.
He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1956 to 1963 seasons with 64 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1957, 1962, and 1963. 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. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, George was the director of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.
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.
Elmer George was married to Mari Hulman George, daughter of Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 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.
On May 3, 1976, Mari filed for divorce. On the day of the 1976 Indianapolis 500, 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 and confronted Trolinger. At around 1 a.m., gunfire broke out, and George was shot and killed of multiple gunshot wounds. A grand jury ruled that Trolinger killed George in self-defense, and charges were dropped.
He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2005.
(Photo;jalopyjournal.com)
Mari and Elmer George - 1957.
This Day In Motorsport History - Home Page
Elmer George was married to Mari Hulman George, daughter of Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 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.
On May 3, 1976, Mari filed for divorce. On the day of the 1976 Indianapolis 500, 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 and confronted Trolinger. At around 1 a.m., gunfire broke out, and George was shot and killed of multiple gunshot wounds. A grand jury ruled that Trolinger killed George in self-defense, and charges were dropped.
He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2005.
Mari and Elmer George - 1957.
This Day In Motorsport History - Home Page
The way I always heard it, Mary Hulman George left the 1976 Indy 500 pretty early. Returning from the race later, Elmer found her in bed with her horse trainer, Guy Trolinger. Elmer ran downstairs for a gun and fired a shot or two, missing Trolinger at which point Trolinger pulled his own gun and shot and killed Elmer. Mari's father Tony Hulman not only owned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but was also one of the wealthiest businessman in Terre Haute Indiana. Poor Tony, what a mess. He had no choice but to use his money and influence to defend Trolinger (which I doubt he really wanted to do) in orderto get the whole thing to blow over.
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