Mike Nazaruk

Mike Nazaruk^[1] (October 2, 1921 Newark, New Jersey – May 1, 1955 Langhorne, Pennsylvania) was an American racecar driver. He raced midget cars, sprint cars, and IndyCars. He was nicknamed "Iron Mike."^[2]

Mike Nazaruk
Born	(1921-10-02)October 2, 1921 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	May 1, 1955(1955-05-01) (aged 33) Langhorne, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Champ Car career
36 races run over 5 years
Years active	1950–1954
Best finish	5th – 1951
First race	1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1954 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse)
First win	1952 Rex Mays Classic (Milwaukee)
Wins Podiums Poles 1 6 3
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1951–1954
Teams	Turner, Kurtis Kraft
Entries	4 (3 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	1
Career points	8
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1951 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1954 Indianapolis 500

Nazaruk was of Ukrainian descent. Before racing, he worked as a florist's delivery driver and as an aircraft welder.^[3]

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.^[2]

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 York en route to winning the 1948 track championship.^[2]

Nazaruk was the 1949 American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) midget car champion.^[2] 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.

Championship car career

The car Nazaruk drove to a second place finish in the 1951 Indianapolis 500 - later repainted to look as it did when Johnnie Parsons drove the vehicle to victory in the 1950 event

Nazaruk finished second in his first Indianapolis 500 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.^[2]

Career awards

• He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996.
• He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.^[2]

Complete AAA Championship Car results

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Pos	Points
1950	INDY	MIL	LAN DNQ	SPR	MIL	PIK	SYR	DET	SPR	SAC	PHX	BAY	DAR			-	0
1951	INDY 2	MIL 8	LAN 9	DAR 8	SPR	MIL 16	DUQ	DUQ	PIK	SYR 18	DET 3	DNC 15	SJS 16	PHX 18	BAY 15	5th	1,143
1952	INDY DNQ	MIL 1	RAL 19	SPR 18	MIL 16	DET 17	DUQ DNQ	PIK	SYR 2	DNC 12	SJS 2	PHX 18				13th	530
1953	INDY 21	MIL 11	SPR	DET 6	SPR DNQ	MIL 16	DUQ 13	PIK	SYR 2	ISF 15	SAC 14	PHX				24th	205
1954	INDY 5	MIL 15	LAN 13	DAR 25	SPR 9	MIL 4	DUQ 10	PIK	SYR 17	ISF DNQ	SAC	PHX	LVG			9th	810

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1951 83 7 132.183 27 2 200 0 Running 1953 83 23 135.706 26 21 146 0 Stalled 1954 73 14 139.589 5 5 200 0 Running Totals 546 0

Starts 3 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 2 Retired 1

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the Formula One World Championship of Drivers from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Mike Nazaruk participated in three World Championship races. He finished second once (formally "on the podium") and accumulated a total of 8 World Championship points.

References

1. "Mike Nazaruk". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
2. Biography Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
3. Brown, Allen. "Mike Nazaruk". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 28 August 2018.

Records
Preceded by Cecil Green 30 years, 242 days (1950 Indianapolis 500)	Youngest driver to score points in Formula One 29 years, 239 days (1951 Indianapolis 500)	Succeeded by Manny Ayulo 29 years, 221 days (1951 Indianapolis 500)