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Show t l3 IANAPOLIS, It'ss Your Xte"' 0 3 - V is Drivers jockey for position as they round the first turn of the annual 500-mi- le auto classic 7 r y Pack: Bryan CAR you buy in '56 or '57 may not look racers starting in like the tomorrow's Memorial Day race at Indianapolis, but you can bet that many of its engineering features will have seen their first use in the annual 500- mile Speedway classic. While the race is primarily a sporting event that draws some 200,000 spectators every year, it's much more than just an exciting spectacle. It's also an unofficial proving ground whose results are closely watched and studied by Detroit engineers. Better brakes and suspension systems, tte rear-vie- w mirror, and balloon tires are only a few of cars the many standard features of present-da- y which came out of the Indianapolis classic. Experts consider the punishment absorbed by a car in the le race the equivalent of years of normal " driving. We think nothing of driving 25,000 miles on standard tires, yet Bill Vukovitch used 16 of the finest tires money can buy in winning the 1953 race. As Bill clipped off the miles, rubber was clipped off his tires. When he roared to a stop, his worn-o- ut tires were yanked oftandsent.tp automotive engineers, who studied the waytheyhad been worn down. As a result, you and I will soon be able to buy tires that will outlast and outride our oresent ones. The track's original brick surface still remains on the straightaway in front of the main grandV stands and press box, but the remainder of its 2 54- mile length is now paved with asphalt At thestart THE high-power- of the nation's speediest racing cars will be competing for these Thirty-thre- e ed trophies tomorrow. , , 500-mi- m ' ,V-- ; . X . :T This driver narrowly escaped death when a wheel flew off hi car In the gru- Experimental features of the In dianapotis race cars may be standard equipment on your future car. of the race, a field of the 33 fastest qualifiers face 200 laps around the track to complete the 500-mi- le Speedway grind. That's the distance from New York City to Cleveland, Ohio and they do it in : less than four hours! ; No wonder there's a popular saying that "Nowhere else in the world do so many travel so fast, so far to get no place.' The cars themselves all look pretty much alike, and at first glance their only differences seem to be' in color schemes and numbering. But each has some special feature which its designers and owners dif feel will make that ference between first place and "also ran. Many accessories and parts manufacturers have staffs of engineers keeping pace with developments many-thousand-doll- ars' eling Memorial Day race. and improvements in racing cars, and this experience becomes invaluable in designing and perfecting products for your car. Much of the present reliability and long life of Ntires and spark plugs can be traced directly to changes and modifications made to withstand the rigors of the big race. One equipment company producing whl-balandn- g knows from experience that systems designed to miles an keep a car's wheels in balance at 130-plhour can be safely relied on in passenger cars which rarely exceed 70 miles an hour in normal use. le While no one claims that the annual race at Indianapolis is run just to test new ideas for private automobiles, there is much truth to the advertising copywriter's claim that."the real winner at Indianapolis is your cor. us 500-mi- MAY 30, 1 54 FAMILY WEEXIY MAGAZINE |