| Birth name | Eugene Wesley Larson |
|---|---|
| Birth date | January 21, 1923 |
| Birth place | Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. |
| Death date | June 11, 1966 (aged 43) |
| Death place | Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Years | 1951–1953, 1956–1959, 1964–1966 |
|---|---|
| Total champ races | 51 |
| Years in champ | 10 |
| Best champ pos | 4th – 1958 |
| First champ race | 1956 Hoosier Hundred (ISF) |
| Last champ race | 1965 Bobby Ball Memorial (Phoenix) |
| First champ win | 1956 Golden State 100 (Sacramento) |
| Last champ win | 1958 Bobby Ball Memorial (ASF) |
| Champ wins | 5 |
| Champ podiums | 12 |
| Champ poles | 9 |
| Years | –, – |
|---|---|
| Teams | Meyer, Kurtis Kraft, Snowberger, Watson |
| Races | 5 (2 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1952 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last race | 1959 Indianapolis 500 |
Eugene Wesley "Jud" Larson[1] (January 21, 1923 Grand Prairie, Texas – June 11, 1966 Reading, Pennsylvania) was an American racecar driver.
Career
Larson drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1956-1959 and 1964-1965 seasons with 53 starts, including the 1958 and 1959 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 38 times, with 7 victories.
Less than two weeks before his death, Larsen pulled ahead of pole-sitter Greg Weld during the second lap of a feature USAC sprint race in Winchester, and held onto his lead to win the thirty-lap race.[2]
Accident, death and interment
Larson died on June 11, 1966, as a result of injuries sustained in a sprint car crash at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway in Berks County, Pennsylvania that also claimed the life of Red Riegel. According to The Kansas City Star, "Authorities said the accident occurred when the wheels of their cars locked during the second lap of the featured event." Both cars then "went up a short embankment around the first turn near the grandstand and tumbled back onto the track two times in succession," pinning both men inside their respective cars. A crowd of roughly six thousand witnessed the accident.[3] Larson was buried at the Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery and Mausoleum in Pflugerville, Texas. Mario Andretti was among those who later paid tribute to him.[4]
Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | INDY | MIL DNQ | LAN DNQ | DAR | SPR | MIL | DUQ | DUQ | PIK | SYR | DET | DNC | SJS | PHX | BAY | - | 0 | |||
| 1952 | INDY DNS | MIL DNQ | RAL | SPR | MIL | DET | DUQ | PIK | SYR | DNC | SJS | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||
| 1953 | INDY DNQ | MIL | SPR | DET | SPR | MIL | DUQ | PIK | SYR | ISF | SAC | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||
| 1956 | INDY | MIL | LAN | DAR | ATL | SPR | MIL | DUQ | SYR | ISF 4 | SAC 1 | PHX DNQ | 22nd | 320 | ||||||
| 1957 | INDY DNQ | LAN 16 | MIL | DET 4 | ATL 2 | SPR 2 | MIL 8 | DUQ 1 | SYR 6 | ISF 1 | TRE 22 | SAC 3 | PHX 12 | 5th | 1,170 | |||||
| 1958 | TRE 5 | INDY 8 | MIL 9 | LAN 3 | ATL 1 | SPR 13 | MIL | DUQ 7 | SYR 5 | ISF 17 | TRE 22 | SAC 2 | PHX 1 | 4th | 1,250 | |||||
| 1959 | style="background:#cfcfff; | DAY 16 | TRE | style="background:#efcfff; | INDY 29 | MIL 4 | style="background:#dfdfdf; | LAN 2 | SPR DNS | MIL | DUQ | SYR | ISF | TRE DNP | SAC | PHX | 20th | 280 | |||||
| 1964 | PHX | TRE DNQ | INDY DNQ | MIL DNQ | LAN 10 | TRE 15 | SPR 11 | MIL 17 | DUQ 6 | ISF 4 | TRE | SAC 6 | PHX 6 | 13th | 490 | |||||
| 1965 | PHX 12 | TRE 5 | INDY DNQ | MIL | LAN DNQ | PIP | TRE 6 | IRP 19 | ATL 16 | LAN 12 | MIL 7 | SPR 8 | MIL 9 | DUQ 4 | ISF 3 | TRE 8 | SAC 5 | PHX 8 | 9th | 1,028 |
| 1966 | PHX | TRE DNQ | INDY DNP | MIL | LAN | ATL | PIP | IRP | LAN | SPR | MIL | DUQ | ISF | TRE | SAC | PHX | - | 0 | ||
Indianapolis 500 results
| Year[5] | Car | Start | Qual | Rank | Finish | Laps | Led | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 44 | 19 | 143.512 | 11 | 8 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 1959 | 7 | 19 | 142.298 | 23 | 29 | 45 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| Totals | 245 | 0 | ||||||
| Starts | 2 |
|---|---|
| Poles | 0 |
| Front Row | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Top 5 | 0 |
| Top 10 | 1 |
| Retired | 1 |
World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Larson participated in two World Championship races but scored no World Championship points.
Awards
Larsen was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1992.
References
- ^ "Jud Larson". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ "Jud Larson Annexes Winchester Feature." Muncie, Indiana: The Star Press, May 30, 1966, p. 9 (subscription required).
- ^ "Crash Is Fatal to Jud Larson." Kansas City, Missouri: The Kansas City Star, June 12, 1966, Sports section, front page (subscription required).
- ^ "Mourns Loss of Jud Larson—Andretti in LeMans Classic." Shreveport, Louisiana: The Shreveport Journal, June 17, 1966, p. 14 (subscription required).
- ^ Jud Larson Indy 500 Race Stats Archived 2007-10-16 at the Wayback Machine