SOME OF THE ORIGINAL SPEEDWAY DRIVERS TURNED THEIR CAREERS TOWARD BIGGER SITES. NAMELY THE INDIANAPOLIS 500. CHARLES VANACKER A SOUTH BEND NATIVE OWNED AND DROVE A 274 CU. INCH OFFY MIDGET DURING THE LATE 40'S. VANACKER RACED IN THE INDY 500 UNTIL 1949. IN 1950 HE ENTERED HIS CAR WITH ANOTHER DRIVER. MIKE SALAY FRROM SOUTH BEND WAS FAMOUS FOR DIRT TRACK DRIVING WITH THE BELMONT SPECIAL. ART CROSS FROM LAPORTE RACED IN THE 500 DURING THE 50'S HE FINISHED FIFTH IN 1952 SECOND IN 1953 11TH IN 1954 AND 17TH IN 1955. RED MARLEY SR. LIFELONG RESIDENT OF SOUTH BEND STARTED HIS CAREER IN THE 1920'S ON DIRT TRACK..CHARLES SZEKENDY BEGAN HIS RACING CAREER IN 1931 ON DIRT TRACKS IN THE MIDWEST AS DRIVER AND MECHANIC. IN 1947 HE HEADED TO THE BRICKYARD AS CHIEF MACHANIC FOR CHARLIE VANACKER .DDRIVERS LOYAL OT THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPEEDWAY WERE JACK BATES, TONY BETTENHAUSEN, FREDDIE FUHR ,DUANE CARTER, AL BANNELL, PAUL RUSSO, ALTON MILLIKEN, JOHNNY ROBERTS, RAY BALSLEY, PIP HENSEN, ED HADDAD, ROY NEWMAN, PETE ROMCEVICH, BUD HUSEMAN, RONNY HOUSEHOLDER, DOC SHANEBROOK, ERNIE GESSELL, DANNY KLADIS, BOB MCLEAN, RUSSELL MOONEY, MEL HANSEN, TEDDY DUNCAN, MIKE O' HALLORAN,CHARLIE SZENKENDY, GUS KLINGBIEL, MIKE SALAY, JOHNNY PARSONS, AARON WOODARD, SAM HANKS, GEORGE YOUNG, JOHNNY MCDOWELL, FRAN THURMAN, BOB MULKE, JIMMY LUDINGTON, AND LEROY WARRINER.. AFTER 50 YEARS OF RACING AT THE SOUTH BEND MOTOR SPPEDWAY THERE ARE ONLY FOUR LEFT JOE KOVATCH, CHARLIE VANACKER, TOM ROMANOWSKI, ALTON MILLIKEN. SINCE THIS HAS BEEN WROTE THEY ARE NO ORIGINAL MEMBERS LEFT. 

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