Frankie Del Roy (1912 – 1978)

His monument, bearing the USAC emblem, points out his position as Technical Director in that organization for many years. But he got his professional start in the Indianapolis 500 as a riding mechanic in the 1930 race. Riding mechanics rode in the race car alongside the driver and helped with tasks during the race. The role was common in early racing (1911-1937). In 1937, his car earned the pole position at the 500, and he was also involved with the 1941 winner Mauri Rose. In 1951, he was the chief mechanic for Mike Nazaruk, who finished second at Indy. In 1958, Del Roy was hired by USAC and part of his responsibilities included control over the certification of cars for the Indianapolis 500.

His favorite recollection of the 500 was when driver Chet Miller (buried in Crown Hill Cemetery) broke a front spring in the Ford he was driving. Unable to find a spare in their garage, Miller and his mechanic patrolled the parking lot until they found a Model T, jacked it up, and borrowed its spring, leaving a message for the car’s owner to track them down after the race. Miller returned to the race and finished 13th.