Art Cross
| Born | January 24, 1918 Jersey City, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Died | April 15, 2005 (aged 87) LaPorte, Indiana |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  American |
| Active years | 1952–1955 |
| Teams | Kurtis Kraft |
| Entries | 4 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 8 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1952 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last entry | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
Art Cross (January 24, 1918 – April 15, 2005) was an American racecar driver. He was the first recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award in 1952.
Racing career
Cross began racing midget cars in 1938. He served as a tank commander during the Second World War, and received a Purple Heart for his wounds during the Battle of the Bulge.[1][2] He returned to midget cars after the war, and raced in one of Pappy Hough's "Little Iron Pigs."
Cross won the first Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award after a fifth-place finish in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. Cross used his share of $27,000 from the race to purchase a farm near LaPorte, Indiana.[3]
He finished second in the 1953 Indianapolis 500 behind Bill Vukovich. Despite it being one of the hottest Indy 500s on record, Vukovich and Cross completed the entire race without relief. Driver Carl Scarborough died from the heat. Cross' car was the "Springfield Welding Special", which was owned by Bessie Lee Paoli, who was the only female owner at the time.[1]
After retiring from racing, he turned his attention to running the farm in LaPorte, Indiana. He later became involved in a heavy equipment business and in construction. He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.[1]
Indianapolis 500 results
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Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Bowes Seal Fast / Ray Brady | Kurtis Kraft 4000 | Offenhauser L4 | SUI | 500 5 |
BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | NED | ITA | 20th= | 2 | |
| 1953 | Springfield Welding / Paoli | Kurtis Kraft 4000 | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | 500 2 |
NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | 10th | 6 |
| 1954 | Bardahl / Ed Walsh | Kurtis Kraft 4000 | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | 500 11 |
BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 |
| 1955 | Bardahl / Ed Walsh | Kurtis Kraft 500C | Offenhauser L4 | ARG | MON | 500 17 |
BEL | NED | GBR | ITA | NC | 0 |
References
- ^ a b c Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "RetroIndy: Indy 500 drivers who served in the military". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ "The lost Art of storytelling". The South Bend Tribune. 22 April 2005. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
