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Mel Hansen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mel Hansen
Hansen, circa 1950
BornMelvin Loyd Hansen
(1911-07-07)July 7, 1911
Redfield, South Dakota, U.S.
DiedJune 5, 1963(1963-06-05) (aged 51)
Bloomington, California, U.S.
Champ Car career
21 races run over 7 years
Best finish9th (tie) (1940)
First race1939 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race1949 DuQuoin 100 (DuQuoin)
First win1948 Atlanta 100 (Lakewood)
Last win1949 Springfield 100 #1 (Springfield)
Wins Podiums Poles
2 3 2

Melvin Lloyd Hansen (born July 7, 1911 – June 5, 1963) was an American racing driver.[1][2] Hansen was nicknamed the "Firecracker Kid" because he loved to throw the explosive devices under chairs and behind people who were gathered in groups.[3]

Racing career

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Hansen grew up in Bloomington, California, and began racing in stock cars in 1931 at the Riverside Fairgrounds. He continued to race these cars at other Inland Empire tracks in Riverside and Colton in the early 1930s. As this early version of track roadsters waned, he switched to midget car racing, where he achieved great success.

Midget car career

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Hansen's first big win was the 1939 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Gilmore Stadium in Rex Mays' Offenhauser. Hansen raced his midget car throughout the nation in 1940, and won 53 features that season.[3] He also claimed the track championship at Fort Miami Speedway in Toledo, Ohio, that season. He won the 1942 track championship at VFW Motor Speedway in Detroit. Hansen raced in the United Racing Association in California, and won the 1945 URA Blue Circuit championship.

Championship car career

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Hansen competed in six Indianapolis 500s. He best finish was an eighth-place finish in the 1940 Indianapolis 500. He won the 100-mile AAA Championship race at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1948, and won a 100-mile AAA Championship race at Springfield, Illinois, in 1949.

Accident

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Hansen was paralyzed after a midget racing crash on September 8, 1949, at Detroit, and he died on June 5, 1963, after being a paraplegic for fifteen years.[2][3]

Awards and honors

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Motorsports career results

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Complete AAA Championship Car results

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Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Points
1946 INDY
11
LAN
DNP
ATL
ISF
MIL
GOS
- 0
1947 INDY
27
MIL
LAN
DNS
ATL
BAI
MIL
4
GOS
MIL
13
PIK
SPR
13
ARL 25th 169.5
1948 ARL
INDY
25
MIL
14
LAN
DNS
MIL
18
SPR
16
MIL
15
DUQ
16
ATL
1
PIK
SPR
11
DUQ
11
22nd 220
1949 ARL
INDY
DNS
MIL
DNS
TRE
2
SPR
1
MIL
16
DUQ
14
PIK
SYR
DNQ
DET
SPR
LAN
SAC
DMR
15th 376
  • 1946 table only includes results of the six races run to "championship car" specifications. Points total includes the 71 races run to "big car" specifications.[4][5]

Indianapolis 500 results

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References

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  1. ^ "Mel Hansen". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Allen. "Mel Hansen". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  3. ^ a b c d Biography Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
  4. ^ "1946 AAA National Championship Trail". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  5. ^ Capps, H. Donald (October 2009). "The Curious Case of the 1946 Season: An Inconvenient Championship" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 7 (2): 1–16.