Rare Pic of Foyt's Mystery Crash at Michigan

[KnockOff]

Someone insert a "Merle" pic since this thread has undergone a major hijacking.

[cheeseczar]

Can't add much except that I was watching as well and remember being very concerned. Now that I see this picture, YOWZA!! The ARMCO .

I loved...LOVED that car. Maybe one of my all time favourites!

[Dick Ralstin]

Hey Knockoff,

That was a wierd one, something happened to the car, it just didn't want to turn left.

I don't believe it was a right front tire or supension failure, the car would have have made a hard right tune and hit more nose first.

It seems if it was oil on the track, or debris in the groove, the car should have spun.

The way it was Foyt just seemed to "drift" high in the grove until it finally got to the wall and you know if it could have been turned more the Texan would have turned the damn thing.

I do know one thing he was one hurting gator when they got him out of the car --- but you never saw a whiter fence than the one around his Ranch.

[Jamski]

I seem to recall a story that Foyt had worn a heavyweight firesuit that day as opposed to his first choice, which was lighter and cooler and would've afforded the same fire protection. As it was, he darned near lost his arm, and without the additional protection provided by the tougher material, he might well have.

Anyone else remember that?

[roadracer]

Man that's brutal-looking. I was watching that one too, but had never seen that shot.

Michigan wasn't too kind to AJ in that era - he and Cogan got together, he and Rebacque (an attempt at spelling), and this one.

That armco is medieval stuff.

[Indy500fanatic]

That armco is medieval stuff.

Ask Merle Bettenhausen about the backstretch armco at Michigan...

[volindyfan]

Ask Merle Bettenhausen about the backstretch armco at Michigan...

Didn't Merle try to exit the car before it had come to a stop and took a second hit into the armco?

[JBaiza]

Was that the last time Merle was in an Indy car? I seem to remember one other person who had a bad one on the backstretch at Michigan in the 80's ....(other than Chip;s wild ride) I'll check ... Phil Krueger in 1985 per motorsport.com. My brain is fuzzy on that, did he survive? I remember a long, long yellow.

[Chris Paff]

JBaiza Was that the last time Merle was in an Indy car? I seem to remember one other person who had a bad one on the backstretch at Michigan in the 80's ....(other than Chip;s wild ride) I'll check ... Phil Krueger in 1985 per motorsport.com. My brain is fuzzy on that, did he survive? I remember a long, long yellow.

That was 1989

[theunions]

I don't believe Merle raced ANYTHING after that.

Krueger's accident was in '89 in Todd Walther's car (not visually spectacular by '80's MIS standards, but he was laid up for a while) - he did a handful of additional CART races after that.

[Indy500fanatic]

Didn't Merle try to exit the car before it had come to a stop and took a second hit into the armco?

According to the worker who pulled him out of the car, the car hit and just ground along the armco...(the worker) stayed in lot 4 at Indy the next year and he showed us the gloves he had on that day when he helped pull MB from the car. I wont go into details but all the discoloration on them told me Merle was hurt waaaay bad.

[Indy500fanatic]

Was that the last time Merle was in an Indy car? I seem to remember one other person who had a bad one on the backstretch at Michigan in the 80's ....(other than Chip;s wild ride) I'll check ... Phil Krueger in 1985 per motorsport.com. My brain is fuzzy on that, did he survive? I remember a long, long yellow.

That accident marked the last time Merle drove an Indy car....he did resume driving midgets for a few years afterwards. I remember that at Hales Corners they'd line up the midgets on the front straight before the feature and we'd watch the drivers walk out to their cars. Always knew who Merle was by the silver hook

[Indy500fanatic]

Was that the last time Merle was in an Indy car? I seem to remember one other person who had a bad one on the backstretch at Michigan in the 80's ....(other than Chip;s wild ride) I'll check ... Phil Krueger in 1985 per motorsport.com. My brain is fuzzy on that, did he survive? I remember a long, long yellow.

Part 2 LOL

I was in Michigan that year and did hang around the TW team for the wknd...pretty light blue and white car #44. Phil was very badly hurt in the wreck, the car went up the banking and hit a ton. There was a long yellow as they worked on him in the car for quite a some time. I was at the garage when they brought the car back after the race and I made the 'mistake' in looking down into the cockpit and it wasnt a pretty sight..something I'll never do again.

[Indy500fanatic]

Was that the last time Merle was in an Indy car? I seem to remember one other person who had a bad one on the backstretch at Michigan in the 80's ....(other than Chip;s wild ride) I'll check ... Phil Krueger in 1985 per motorsport.com. My brain is fuzzy on that, did he survive? I remember a long, long yellow.

Part 3....

The other really wild one was Pancho Carter at the end of that ( Chips big backstretch wreck) race...

His car got partially thru the armco and it split the car in two at the engine, IIRC he also rolled over a few times. Saw a picture of the engine when it was carted back and remember someone saying where 'the h*ll did all that wire come from'?? ( engine was bailed up in it) Ended up being the IIRC throttle cable that had stretched out (uncoiled) then wrapped itself around the engine as it tumbled down the track.

[MichaelP]

I seem to recall a story that Foyt had worn a heavyweight firesuit that day as opposed to his first choice, which was lighter and cooler and would've afforded the same fire protection. As it was, he darned near lost his arm, and without the additional protection provided by the tougher material, he might well have.

Anyone else remember that?

Yep. Herm Johnson's pit fire saved Foyt's arm because it was during the red flag the Foyt supposed changed to the thinner fire suit.

Speaking of pit fire - here's a pic my dad took (It was our first Indy car race we ever went to)