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Sunday, July 15, 2018

"1957 USAC Sprint Car Champ" Elmer George Born - July 5, 1928

July 15, 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.

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.

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