Mel Hansen

Mel Hansen
Mel Hansen
Born	Melvin Lloyd Hansen; July 11, 1911; Redfield, South Dakota, U.S.
Died	June 5, 1963 (aged 51); San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Champ Car career
	21 races run over 7 years
Years active	1939–1941, 1946–1949
Best finish	9th (tie) – 1940
First race	1939 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1949 DuQuoin 100 (DuQuoin)
First win	1948 Atlanta 100 (Lakewood)
Last win	1949 Springfield 100 (Springfield)

Melvin Lloyd Hansen[1] (born July 11, 1911, Redfield, South Dakota – Died June 5, 1963, San Bernardino, California) was an American racecar driver. Hansen was nicknamed the "Firecracker Kid" because he loved to throw the explosive devices under chairs and behind people who were gathered in groups.[2]

Racing career

Hansen grew up in Bloomington, California, and began racing in stock cars in 1931 at the Riverside Fairgrounds. He continued to race these cars at other Inland Empire tracks in Riverside and Colton in the early 1930s. As this early version of track roadsters waned, he switched to midget car racing, where he achieved great success.

Midget car career

Hansen's first big win was the 1939 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Gilmore Stadium in Rex Mays' Offenhauser. Hansen raced his midget car throughout the nation in 1940, and won 53 features that season.[2] He also claimed the track championship at Fort Miami Speedway in Toledo, Ohio, that season. He won the 1942 track championship at VFW Motor Speedway in Detroit. Hansen raced in the United Racing Association in California, and won the 1945 URA Blue Circuit championship.

Championship car career

Hansen competed in six Indianapolis 500s. He best finish was an eighth-place finish in the 1940 Indianapolis 500. He won the 100-mile AAA Championship race at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1948, and won the 100-mile AAA Championship race at Springfield, Illinois, in 1949.

Accident

Hansen was paralyzed after a midget racing crash on September 8, 1949, at Detroit, and he died on June 5, 1963, in San Bernardino, California, after being a paraplegic for fifteen years.[2]

Career award

Hansen was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1993.[2]

Complete AAA Championship Car results

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Pos	Points
1946	INDY 11	LAN DNP	ATL	ISF	MIL	GOS									20th	100
1947	INDY 27	MIL	LAN DNS	ATL	BAI	MIL 4	GOS	MIL 13	PIK	SPR 13	ARL				25th	169.5
1948	ARL	INDY 25	MIL 14	LAN DNS	MIL 18	SPR 16	MIL 15	DUQ 16	ATL 1	PIK	SPR 11	DUQ 11			22nd	220
1949	ARL	INDY DNS	MIL DNS	TRE 2	SPR 1	MIL 16	DUQ 14	PIK	SYR DNQ	DET	SPR	LAN	SAC	DMR	15th	376

Indy 500 results

Year	Car	Start	Qual	Rank	Finish	Laps	Retired
1939	49	14	121.683	25	19	113	Crash Pits
1940	31	5	124.753	7	8	194	Flagged
1941	9	21	124.599	6	29	11	Rod
1946	4	27	121.431	17	11	143	Crankshaft
1947	38	29	117.298	27	27	32	Pushed
1948	17	33	122.117	32	25	42	Too slow
Totals						535

Starts	6
Poles	0
Front Row	0
Wins	0
Top 5	0
Top 10	1
Retired	5

References

"Mel Hansen". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
Biography Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Mel Hansen". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-30.

[NMARHoF-2] Biography Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame