Mike Nazaruk
Encyclopedia
Mike Nazaruk was an American
racecar driver. He raced midget cars
, sprint cars
, and IndyCars
. He was nicknamed "Iron Mike."
Nazaruk served as a U.S. Marine in the Battle of Guam and the Guadalcanal campaign
in World War II
. He promised himself that if he lived through the war he would become a race driver.
en route to winning the 1948 track championship.
Nazaruk was the 1949 American Racing Drivers Club
(ARDC) midget car champion. The series tours the East Coast of the United States.
Nazaruk joined the AAA
in 1950. He won 14 national midget tour events, including the 1950 Night Before the 500, and the first midget car event at Terre Haute Action Track
in 1953. He finished fifth in the 1954 National Midget car points.
in 1951
. He competed in two more Indianapolis 500, including a fifth place finish in 1954
.
Nazaruk was killed in a sprint car
race at Langhorne Speedway
on May 1, 1955.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
racecar driver. He raced midget cars
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...
, sprint cars
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
, and IndyCars
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,...
. He was nicknamed "Iron Mike."
Nazaruk served as a U.S. Marine in the Battle of Guam and the Guadalcanal campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
in 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...
. He promised himself that if he lived through the war he would become a race driver.
Midget car career
He raced after he returned home. He won the track championships at Staten Island, New York, and Rhinebeck, New York in 1947. He scored over twenty feature wins at Middletown, New YorkMiddletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
en route to winning the 1948 track championship.
Nazaruk was the 1949 American Racing Drivers Club
American Racing Drivers Club
The American Racing Drivers Club is an open-wheel midget car racing sanctioning body that operates primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and New England areas of the United States.-History:...
(ARDC) midget car champion. The series tours the East Coast of the United States.
Nazaruk joined the 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,...
in 1950. He won 14 national midget tour events, including the 1950 Night Before the 500, and the first midget car event at Terre Haute Action Track
Terre Haute Action Track
Terre Haute Action Track is a half mile dirt track located at the Vigo County, Indiana fairgrounds on U.S. Route 41 along the south side of Terre Haute, Indiana. The track hosts annual United States Automobile Club midget car, sprint car and Silver Crown events. Notable drivers that have competed...
in 1953. He finished fifth in the 1954 National Midget car points.
Championship car career
Nazaruk finished second in his first Indianapolis 500Indianapolis 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...
in 1951
1951 Indianapolis 500
The 1951 Indianapolis 500 an automobile race which was held on Wednesday, May 30, 1951 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the opening race of the 1951 AAA National Championship Trail and the second race of the 1951 World Championship of Drivers....
. He competed in two more Indianapolis 500, including a fifth place finish in 1954
1954 Indianapolis 500
The 1954 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 31, 1954 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :...
.
Nazaruk was killed in a sprint car
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
race at Langhorne Speedway
Langhorne Speedway
Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia....
on May 1, 1955.
Career awards
- He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of FameNational Sprint Car Hall of Fame & MuseumThe National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members....
in 1996. - He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of FameNational Midget Auto Racing Hall of FameThe National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summer.-A-C:...
in 2003.
Indy 500 results
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