Danny Oakes was a midget car

Midget car racing

Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...

 hall of fame

Hall of Fame

A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...

 driver.

Early life

He became interested in racing when he delivered morning and evening newspapers in his hometown of Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

. His favorite day was Monday. He viewed Model T cars powered by Frontenac

Frontenac Motor Corporation

Frontenac Motor Corporation was the joint venture of Louis and Gaston Chevrolet. Louis returned to the Indy 500 racing circuit after leaving Chevrolet in 1915...

 motors parked outside a downtown Santa Barbara restaurant when the professional racecar drivers from San Francisco came to town. Oakes fantasized about the day he would become a race driver.

He began attending races at Ascot Speedway. He built a black roadster with chrome wheels that he drove to the track. The car led to an opportunity to be a mechanic on a bootlegger's racecar. Oakes drove the car at warmups at area racetracks.

Driving career

Oakes began racing at Legion Ascot Speedway in 1932 at age 21 in the Class C for beginners. Legion Ascot Speedway closed down in 1936, and Oakes switched to midget cars. He won the Pacific Coast championship three times. Oakes was one of the drivers who was unable to race in the prime of his life during the four years of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, as all racing halted during the war. Oakes was a flight inspector at Lockheed

Lockheed Corporation

The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...

.

Oakes won the first race after the war at Gilmore Stadium

Gilmore Stadium

Gilmore Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Los Angeles, California. It was opened in May 1934 and demolished in 1952, when the land was used to build CBS Television City. The stadium held 18,000. It was located next to Gilmore Field...

, the 1945 Turkey Night Grand Prix

Turkey Night Grand Prix

The Turkey Night Grand Prix is an annual race of midget cars. It has been held on Thanksgiving night most years since 1934. It is currently held in Irwindale, California.-Drivers:The event is considered a major event in the midget cars series...

. He won the 1947 Pacific AAA

American Automobile Association

AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...

 midget car championship. He later won the 1959 Pacific Coast USAC

United States Automobile Club

The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...

 championship. Oakes holds the 40 lap record at Gilmore.

He drove for 25 years in the midget cars and championship cars

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

, but he was unable to qualify for any Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 races as a driver. He attempted from 1952 to 1955. He was bumped from the field in 1954, and he did not complete his attempt in 1952. He stood by as a relief driver for his friend Alberto Ascari

Alberto Ascari

Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....

, but Ascari's Ferrari

Ferrari

Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

 was eliminated before his first pit stop.

He continued racing midgets until he was in his mid-60s. He ended his racing career as a throttleman in off-shore boat racing in his 70s.

Crew chief

He did set up the Jim Hurtubise

Jim Hurtubise

In 1957, Hurtubise started his NASCAR career running two races. Over the next twenty years, he would race 36 races, winning one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and amassing eleven top ten finishes.-Award:...

's car in 1960, which won the pole for the Indianapolis 500

1960 Indianapolis 500

The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1960. The event was part of the 1960 World Drivers' Championship; the last Indianapolis 500 to be included in the Championship.- Classification :...

 by three miles per hour. Hurtubise won the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award. Oakes was also crew chief

Pit stop

In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...

 for Johnny White

Johnny White

Johnny White , was an American racecar driver.Born in Warren, Michigan, White died in Indianapolis, Indiana. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1963 and 1964 seasons, with 11 career starts, including the 1964 Indianapolis 500...

 his 1964

1964 Indianapolis 500

The 1964 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1964. It was won by A.J. Foyt, but is best known for a fiery seven-car, second-lap accident that resulted in the deaths of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald...

 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year performance. His final attempt at Indy at qualifying Paul Goldsmith

Paul Goldsmith

Paul Goldsmith is a motorcycle Hall of Famer, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee and former USAC and NASCAR driver.- Motorcycle career :...

 in 1965

1965 Indianapolis 500

Results of the 1965 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1965.-Trivia:* It was the first time that the Indianapolis 500 was nationally televised on ABC Sports, this race was shown as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports, anchored by Charlie Brockman....

ended after mechanical failure.