Emil Andres

22/7/1911 - 20/7/1999

Record updated 20-Jul-21

Andres was part of the midget car racing "Chicago Gang" with Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rourke, Paul Russo, Jimmy Snyder and Wally Zale. They toured tracks in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

Emil Andres
Andres started racing sprint and stock cars and in 1932 he became the Midwest Stock Car champion. It was his success in stock cars that led him to try to qualifying for the Indy 500

He drove relief in the 1935 Indy 500 and again in 1936 when he retired after 467 miles.

In 1938 he was forced out at 120 mile mark when he crashed in the second turn and a flying wheel hit and killed a spectator (Everett Spence) in the infield.

1939 he went out at the 55 mile mark with a broken water manifold and in 1940 he was flagged down after Shaw had won in the rain.

He qualified in 1941 at 122.266, However On the sixth lap, in a closely bunched field, the front wheel drive car driven by Louis Tomei, tried to pass some other cars and dropped below the white apron line on the inside of the track.

Emil Andres was alongside Tomei's car and Joe Thorne was slightly behind. When Tomei went below the white line his car slid back up the track. The wheels of the Tomei and Andres car locked and forced Andres into the wall.

Prior to the race Andres car had been in the garage when a fire broke out and his crew had to carry the car out piece by piece from the blazing building. The crew worked up to race time assembling the car having lost many special tools in the fire. To make matters worse the wrong fuel was put in the tank. The crew was going to start it anyway but was told it would blow up if they did. AAA officials threatened to start the race without Andres and he countered that if they did he would push the car into the middle of the track and leave it there.

Meanwhile as his crew were siphoning off the wrong fuel and refilling it when the pace lap had started and Andres spent the entire pace lap catching up. After the wreck and on returning to the pits he refused an interview except to say he had been hit from behind.

Retained his links with the Indy 500 Oldtimers association right up until his death, being honorary chairman. He became a USAC and Champ Car official and in 1968, moved to Flossmoor where he farmed in his spare time. He died after a fall at his home.



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