Sam Hanks: The Reluctant Champion Who Finally Won Indianapolis

Victory in the 1957 Indianapolis 500 came on Sam Hanks's 13th start at the Brickyard, and he stepped away from driving right there in Victory Circle just after the chequered flag fell. His career had begun with midget racing during the 1930s and ended with him on the front row at Indianapolis in the 1950s.

Hanks was born in Columbus, Ohio, on July 13, 1914, and by the time he was six the family had relocated to Alhambra, California. After passing through Alhambra High School, he began his racing career in Southern California, competing in midget and Championship events and travelling the country to do so. That roving apprenticeship produced a driver at home in any four-wheeled machine, whether the surface beneath him was dirt or asphalt.

How did Sam Hanks start his racing career?

Hanks secured his maiden title in 1937 with the AMA West Coast midgets crown. His first victories on board tracks came two years afterwards, at Soldier Field, where he won twice, and 1940 brought him the VFW Motor City Speedway title in Detroit.

War cut short that promising start, yet when it ended he picked up where he had left off, competing with undiminished drive. While serving with the Army Air Corps through World War II, his racing was put on hold; afterwards he came back to the sport eager as ever. A URA Blue Circuit Championship followed in 1946, then victory in the Night before the 500 midget race in 1947. Come 1949 he held the AAA National Midget title, proof of how well he could handle different forms of racing.

He won the race, and in Victory Circle he announced that he was retiring immediately. It was a perfect exit: the veteran finally had his crown, and he chose to walk away on his own terms.

What cars did Sam Hanks drive?

Hanks raced midget and Championship cars throughout his career, and his most famous mount was the Bardahl Special, the car in which he won the 1953 AAA National Championship. He also drove USAC Stock cars, winning the 1956 Pacific Coast championship in that category.

The Bardahl Special was a front-engined roadster of the kind that dominated Indianapolis in the early 1950s, and Hanks knew how to coax the best from it. His stock car success showed a different side of his talent: the ability to race wheel-to-wheel on short tracks and road courses, not just on the wide-open speedways. That breadth of experience made him one of the most complete American drivers of his generation.

Sam Hanks at the Indianapolis 500

Hanks first appeared at Indianapolis in 1941, where he was credited 33rd after withdrawing following a practice crash. He returned after the war and became a fixture at the Speedway, eventually making 13 appearances. His breakthrough came in 1957, when he won on what was his 12th actual start. The victory was the only one he scored in World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis, but he also finished in the top three four times in WDC events, scoring 20 World Drivers' Championship points across his eight WDC races at the Brickyard.

1957: The breakthrough win

By 1956, Hanks was considering retirement after the Indianapolis 500. He had been racing for two decades and had yet to win the one race that mattered most to him. But George Salih, the owner of his car, urged him to return for one more attempt in 1957. Hanks agreed, and the decision paid off. He won the race, and in Victory Circle he announced that he was retiring immediately. It was a perfect exit: the veteran finally had his crown, and he chose to walk away on his own terms.

Why did Sam Hanks retire after winning Indy?

Hanks had already been contemplating retirement before the 1957 race, and winning the Indianapolis 500 gave him the perfect moment to step away. He completed his stock car contract after the Indy win, but the Brickyard victory was his last major race. He never returned to competition as a driver.

What records did Sam Hanks hold?

Hanks went 13 times to the Indianapolis 500 before taking his maiden victory there in 1957, and for many years no one had needed more starts to break through. Tony Kanaan equalled that tally in 2013, winning on his 13th outing. Hanks, it is thought, stands alone among Indianapolis racers in having competed before World War II, worn a military uniform, and later come back to the Speedway to compete once more.

Sticking with it, year after year, helped define how he is remembered. At a time when the Indianapolis 500 was punishing for both cars and those driving them, Hanks returned again and again, getting to know the circuit and sharpening his skills. His 1957 victory owed nothing to luck; it came after seasons of falling just short and gradual gains.

Sam Hanks' life after racing

After retiring, Hanks remained involved with the Indianapolis 500 as the pace car driver from 1958 to 1963. He also portrayed himself in a 1957 TV episode of 'The Comedians'. Away from the track, he was conjectured to be a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln, a curious footnote to a life already full of unlikely turns.

Hanks died in Pacific Palisades, California, on June 27, 1994, at the age of 79. He had experienced ill health for three years before his death.

What is Sam Hanks' legacy?

Hanks's first major accolade came in 1971, courtesy of the Automotive Hall of Fame, which presented him with a Distinguished Service Citation. A decade later, in 1981, the Auto Racing Hall of Fame welcomed him as an inductee. Three years after that, two more honours followed, bestowed by the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998 he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, then the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000, and in 2005 the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. The Alhambra High School Hall of Fame also counts him among its honourees.

The appeal of his story lies in the example it sets about not giving up. He was not someone with inborn gifts who triumphed from day one; instead, he spent years as an ordinary racer, enduring disputes and disappointments, before success finally arrived. The fact that he quit the sport immediately afterwards only adds to the legend.

Sam Hanks' career statistics

Frequently asked questions

How many times did Sam Hanks race at Indianapolis?

Hanks made 13 appearances at the Indianapolis 500. He first raced there in 1941, though he withdrew after a practice crash and was credited 33rd. His final appearance was his winning drive in 1957. He won on his 12th actual start.

What year did Sam Hanks win the Indianapolis 500?

Sam Hanks won the Indianapolis 500 in 1957. It was his 13th appearance at the Speedway and his 12th actual start. He announced his retirement in Victory Circle immediately after the race, ending his driving career on the highest possible note.

What championship did Sam Hanks win in 1953?

In 1953, Sam Hanks won the AAA National Championship driving the Bardahl Special. It was the pinnacle of his Championship car career and cemented his status as one of the top American drivers of the early 1950s.

Was Sam Hanks related to Abraham Lincoln?

Some have suggested that Sam Hanks shared ancestry with Abraham Lincoln. No conclusive evidence has ever emerged for this, yet the idea persists as a well-loved detail in accounts of his life, lending an extra dash of historical colour to a man who was already a compelling figure.