Legend of Stan Bowman

[1987Carzan]

There is a hour-long PBS doc about Stan Bowman tonight at 10:30 cst, it looks interesting. I don't know much about him other than he raced sprints and midgets in the late 50's-early 60's and had success at Eldora.

[Niseguy]

He was set to takeover the Dean Van Lines ride when Chuck Hulse got hurt, but had a spindle brake at Terra Haute I believe losing his life.

[JThur1]

The list of who was going to take over the Dean Van Lines car when Chuck Hulse got hurt is quite lengthy, and curiously, something usually happened to them to prevent it from happening. One of them must be true, but it comes across as more tall tales.

[Pelican Joe]

According to the Brawner & Joe Scalzo book (and definitely take this info for what it's worth):

Stan Bowman evaluated by Brawner as a potential replacement for Eddie Sachs, but killed in a sprint car race at Terre Haute.
Bruce Jacobi drives car at Langhorne, but not retained (no reason given in book).
Hugh Randall had also been evaluated, but Brawner decided Jacobi was a better option. Randall is then killed during the 1962 Langhorne race.
Don Davis also got a look, but was killed at New Bremen in August 1962.
Roger Penske was asked, but wasn't interested.
Fireball Roberts was asked, but also was not interested.
Curtis Turner was interested (I believe this was while he was banned from NASCAR) and attempted to qualify at Springfield, but did not make the show.
Troy Ruttman finished the season for Brawner, but was not retained for 1963.
Chuck Hulse was hired for the 1963 season, but was injured in a sprint car race at New Bremen before Indy.
Ralph Ligouri showed up at Brawner's house asking about the ride, but was turned away because he was "loud mouthed".

It was then that he ran into Mario Andretti.

[TommyTipover]

In 1962 Stan Bowman won the very first USAC Sprint car race ever held at Eldora Speedway. Stan was driving the Beck Construction Spl of Harold and Sonny Beck. Both were relatives of our family and Sonny built my parents house by hand in 1978. Stan's fatal Terre Haute accident was shortly after his Eldora victory but he was not driving the Beck car in that race. This is a picture of Stan in the Beck car at Salem. Harold is in the white hat and Sonny in the white t-shirt.

Stan Bowman Salem with Harold Beck.jpg

[JThur1]

According to the Brawner & Joe Scalzo book (and definitely take this info for what it's worth):

Stan Bowman evaluated by Brawner as a potential replacement for Eddie Sachs, but killed in a sprint car race at Terre Haute.
Bruce Jacobi drives car at Langhorne, but not retained (no reason given in book).
Hugh Randall had also been evaluated, but Brawner decided Jacobi was a better option. Randall is then killed during the 1962 Langhorne race.
Don Davis also got a look, but was killed at New Bremen in August 1962.
Roger Penske was asked, but wasn't interested.
Fireball Roberts was asked, but also was not interested.
Curtis Turner was interested (I believe this was while he was banned from NASCAR) and attempted to qualify at Springfield, but did not make the show.
Troy Ruttman finished the season for Brawner, but was not retained for 1963.
Chuck Hulse was hired for the 1963 season, but was injured in a sprint car race at New Bremen before Indy.
Ralph Ligouri showed up at Brawner's house asking about the ride, but was turned away because he was "loud mouthed".

It was then that he ran into Mario Andretti.

Scalzo. 'nuff said.

It's true that the Dean car had gone through quite a few drivers immediately before Hulse was hired, but the problem is all of the tales specifically about who was set to replace Hulse. Hulse was in the car for all of 1963 and into 1964 when he had the accident at New Bremen. According to folklore multiple drivers were the chosen replacement, only to suffer some terrible fate.

Again, tall tales, ghost stories and failing memories. I can't find it, but Michael Ferner had a great post that debunked the myth about one of the chosen replacements, and the situation in general.

[JThur1]

He was set to takeover the Dean Van Lines ride when Chuck Hulse got hurt, but had a spindle brake at Terra Haute I believe losing his life.

How is this scenario possible?

Bowman died nearly two years before Hulse was injured, and a year before Hulse even had the Dean ride.

[Niseguy]

I get it I f'ed up. 60 years later you recall something/.

[JThur1]

I get it I f'ed up. 60 years later you recall something/.

No worries. It happens Sounds like he was in the mix for the ride at an earlier point.

[JThur1]

If it makes you feel any better, Niseguy, I wasn't piling on with the multiple posts. It was because I was slow on the uptake on this one myself. Your post made me originally think of a couple of other drivers rumored to replace Hulse, one of whom died a year before Hulse was injured. It only sank in later about Bowman being off. It didn't occur to me at first. Mea culpa.

And it isn't just you with the stories about someone replacing Hulse that had some horrible fate befall them, I've read them several places, involving at least 3 or 4 different drivers. Is TF worse about that? Of course it is , but I've seen them in print too.

[Coyote]

I loved that Scalzo - Brawner book. Great read.

I figure some of the facts are about as loose as the Foyt book with Neely. Who cares, they make good stories!

[JSJLW]

In fact Penske from what I understood was forced to retire when he bought/got his first Car Dealership.

How was he supposed to know that he would get a Top Notch Ride soon afterwards.

I think I heard it at Indy One Year, not sure when.

[Michael Ferner]

I loved that Scalzo - Brawner book. Great read.

I figure some of the facts are about as loose as the Foyt book with Neely. Who cares, they make good stories!

Who cares? Well, I do. You can invent and enhance all kinds of stories, but then fess up and don't try to sell it off as history. There's a word for it, it's called lying.

[atrackforumfan]

Is there a Scalzo nickname generator? Like Michael Ferner, the Pedantic Prussian?

[Michael Ferner]

Oh, so it's pedantry to point out lies? No wonder your country is in so much trouble...