Jimmy Daywalt set speed records for laps #50 and #60 during the 1954 '500'. Photo from the 1955 '500' Program

The annual drivers' meeting was held in the front straight stands. Jimmy is in the middle of the front row (since he qualified second). Photo from the Rick Popely's Indianapolis 500 Chronicle

The Sumar team entered three cars, but only Jimmy Daywalt made the show, qualifying the No. 19 car second and leading eight laps before he crashed. To Daywalt's right are Jerry Hoyt, car-owner Chapman Root, and chief mechanic John Blough. Photo from the Rick Popely's Indianapolis 500 Chronicle

Daywalt after qualifying 2nd for the 1954 Indy 500. Photo provided by Paul Johnson.

Photo was sold on Ebay

Jimmy in a photo of the front row qualifiers of the 1954 Indianapolis 500

Daywalt (left) and Jimmy Bryan share the spotlight with McGrath by wining the other front row starting positions. Photo from the 1955 '500' Program.

Colonel A. W. Herrington presents membership certificates to Ernie McCoy, Bill Vukovich, and Jimmy Daywalt. Photo from the 1955 '500' Program

THE SUMAR COMBO – The new Sumar Special and its driver Jimmy Daywalt pictured above will carry the hopes of Sumar Enterprises and the city of Wabash in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 500-Mile race classic Monday. The local auto driver finished sixth in the 1953’500’ and was named “Rookie of the Year”

Only a few minor preliminaries remained on the docket as the temp for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 500-Mile race reached fever pitch Friday for Monday’s annual speed classic, an endurance test for car and man, at the Hoosier’s capital’s West Sixteenth street 2 ½ mile oval.

The eyes of local racing enthusiasts will be focused on the middle position of the first row of the 33-car starting field when it roars by the starting line around 10 a.m. Monday. In that particular spot driving the blue and white new Sumar Special will be Wabash’s own Jimmy Daywalt, a boyish looking individual of 28 years.

Handsome Jim is making his second appearance in the famous racing show. Last year Daywalt gained “Rookie of the Year” honors when he drove to a sixth place finish in the Memorial Day race.

Veteran race observers will tell you that Daywalt has a better than average chance of cracking the coveted winner’s circle for the first time. His average qualification speed of 139.789 miles per hour posted on the first day of time trials is the third fastes (sic) in the field.

Jack McGrath, Inglewood, Calif., grabbed the pole position for the race with a record smashing 141.033 while Cal Niday of Tacolma, Calf., qualified with a 139.838. The latter is back in the first spot on the fifth row due to the fact he didn’t qualify on the opening day of trials.

The old qualification mark of 139.034 set by the late Chet Miller in 1952 was broken by McGrath and nine others, which included Daywalt.

DAYWALT has the courage, the car, and is determined to take the checkered flag first Monday. He has been in training all through the winter months and is at the peak of condition. Both he and Chapman S. Root, Terre Haute multi-millonaire who owns the new Sumar Special, feels that Jimmy can turn the trick, providing he gets the usual breaks it takes to win.

Talk around the garages, pits, hotels, bars, etc., is that the winner will be forced to break the present race record by almost two miles per hour. Individual predictions of the 17 pilots who voiced their opinions ranged from 129 o 132.5 miles an hour and their forecasts averaged 130.535. Sixteen of the drivers declined to make a definite prediction.

The present record, set by Troy Ruttman in 1952, is 128.922. Bill Vukovich won last year’s race with an average speed of 128.740, easing up during the last 70 pals after gaining a commanding lead with an average of 130.548 for the first 130 laps.

ROOTS NEW Sumar __ $35,000 investment, is one of the brand new Kurtis-Kraft 500C series “roadsters.” It is rear-drive powered by a 270 cubic inch Meyer-drake engine which is tilted at 30 degrees. The drive shaft runs to the left of the driver and Daywalt’s cockpit is offset to the right.

Jimmy was on the track Wednesday for a practice run as was his close friend Duane Carter. Both hit speeds up to and between 136 and 137 miles per hour.

The guess is, Daywalt will hard and fast right from the beginning. He has indicated that he hopes to drive about 136 miles per hour and with time chopped off for pit stops and yellow flags, hopes to average around 131 miles per hour for the 500 miles.

PRE-RACE activity ended Thursday and most of the driver’s attention (although their minds are still on the race) have been turned to the banquets, shin-digs, etc. Daywalt will attend the annual meeting of the Champion 100-Mile-an-Hour-club Friday evening at the Indianapolis athletic club and the Borg-Warner reception and buffet at the Columbia club Saturday.

Final instructions will be given to all contestants by Speedway AAA officials at the drivers’ meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Pagoda yard near the starting line and the Firestone party will follow at the Speedway Country club.

The annual victory dinner will be held Tuesday night at the Claypool hotel, when a purse of approximately $250,000 will be divided among the 33 contestants.

All gates to the grounds on race day will open at 4 a.m. (CST) to enable the Speedway’s Safety Patrol to have ample time to get the record crowd of over 175,000 inside the speedway fences by race time. Officials stated the race will start promptly at 10 a.m.

GOOD LUCK JIMMY

THE BANNERS of Wabash will be flying high at the starting line of the 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 31. They’ll be in the person of Jimmy Daywalt, who only a year ago drove in his initial 500-Classic.

Daywalt, whose ultimate dream in life is to win the Memorial Day race, the top achievement in the auto racing world, certainly is making great strides in reaching that pinnacle of success. When they lined up for the 1953 500-miler Daywalt was back in the seventh row, but this year when they move up to the starting mark the handsome Wabash driver will be in the first row along with record-smashing Jack McGrath and Jimmy Bryan, the Arizona cowboy.

McGrath burnt up the 2 ½ mile Indianapolis speedway oval Saturday in qualifying, but the 28-year old local driver wasn’t far behind. McGrath shatter the late Chet Miller’s record of 139.034 with a sizzling 141.033, but Daywalt better the old mark with a 139.789. So did Bryan with a 139.665.

In that throng of thousands of sun-baked fans were many of Jimmy’s staunchest supporters, the racing followers form his hometown, Wabash. Their hears pounded as the new Sumar Special, owned by Chapman Root of Terre Haute and piloted by Daywalt, whirled around the curves, along the backstretch and down the straightaway in front of the Pagoda.

And when it was over they applauded clear and loudly and when the race is over May 31 they’ll be the same ones who will be there cheering for Jimmy, no matter what the outcome is. To them he has already reached the top and they’re going to place along the all-time Wabash greats – The George Mulles, the WAA, the Red Milliners, the Larry Marks and the many others who have given Wabash its acclaim as a “sports town.”

Perhaps young Jim will be the greatest of them all. It’s a strenuous effort to pilot a race car for 500 miles. It takes guts, determination, confidence or what have you, but this writer will tell you one thing, Jimmy Daywalt has them all. To top it off he’s a gentleman and what we know about it, that’s what good athletes are made of whether they drive a race car, are a race jockey or kick a football.

So, Mr. Daywalt, we believe you know how you stand with Mr. and Mrs. Wabash and Junior Wabash. Just remember our hearts are out to you and you’ll always be part of our memories in sports.

Indianapolis – Wabash’s Jimmy Daywalt climbed another rung up the ladder on the road to greatest in the auto racing world here Saturday afternoon.

The sun-tanned driver from the banks of the Wabash river will be one of the front row occupants in the 500-Mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 31. This came as a result of Daywalt’s record breaking qualifying time Saturday at the West Sixteenth street 2 ½ mile oval.

Daywalt was clocked in 139.797, which is better than the old mark set by the late Chet Miller in a Novi in 1952, but the Wabashian had to relinquish laurels to Jack McGrath of Inglewood, Calif., who turned the 10-mile qualifying run in 141.033 shortly before Daywalt qualified.

The 28-year old Daywalt still looking much like a smiling college boy, wheeled the new Sumar Special, owned by Chapman S. Root, Terre Haute multi-millionaire, over the 10-mile distance in 1 minutes 17.58 seconds.

His lap times and average speeds looked like this for the laps.

Time                Speed

1:03.98            140.669

1:04.30            139.969

1:04.46            139.621

1:04.79            138.910

Following his run, Daywalt admitted he was “scared” and stated also that he “eased up” after his sizzling first lap. A new gadget, which helped to speed up the car must have helped, Daywalt said. In a practice run earlier in the day, Jimmy whipped around at a speed of 138 miles per hour and decried it was timed to qualify. Both he and his crew figured Daywalt could have done 140 or better.

Jim told this writer he would take it easy until the day of the race. The new Sumar (No. 19) car will be completely dismantled by its crew at the Sumar Enterprises garage on the speedway grounds. This is done to check all deficiencies and to replace imperfect or worn out parts with new ones.

McGrath drove the new Hinkle special in his record breaking qualifying run. The 34-year old man is the head mechanic of his own car.

He’ll be holding the pole position on race day on the front row, with Daywalt in the middle spot and Jimmy Bryan, a cowboy from Phoenix, Ariz., on the outside. Bryan zipped around at an average of 139.665 in the white colored Dean Van Lines special, the same car that won the Hoosier 100 at the Indianapolis Fair Grounds last fall.