The
Fastest School Teacher at Indy
Race Track Legends-How does one become
a race car driver? What do you study? How do
you train for such a dangerous profession? It
appears that there is no one way to enter the
field of auto racing. Some have started out
as amature racers in go-karts and other forms
of racing and worked their way into the professional
ranks. There is no right way. Tom Sneva, of
Indy Car fame, entered the world of racing after
matriculating for a degree in math and working
as a school teacher. How did he ever make that
leap from teaching to racing? "It came down
to a choice. I had taught four years and really
liked it, but when a chance to race full time
came along, I could not pass it up. I loved
racing" reports Sneva. He had done some racing
in the Northwest in the late 60's and early
70's. In 1974, he got a chance to drive at Indy
and it was the start of a 15 year tenure in
Indy Car racing. Sneva had a great career in
racing and is recognized as a true champion
in a sport that selects and test its champions
well. He became the first person to set a lap
speed of over 200 mph (200.535 mph) done in
1977 at Indianapolis, the same year he won the
Indy Car Series Championship. Shown on this
page is a photo of the Number 5 Patrick Racing
Texaco Star, winner of the 1983 Indianapolis
500, driven by Sneva. |
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