Jake and Mike Talk About the Retirements of Indy 500 Legends

Tonight on Beyond the Bricks, Jake and Mike talk about notable retirements in Indy 500 history. They lead off the show with AJ Foyt. Jake and Mike talk about Foyt’s decision to retire in 1993, and we hear PA audio from Foyt’s retirement announcement. AJ talks about what caused his decision to retire, and Robby Gordon’s crash. Jake and Mike then talk about Kenny Brack’s Indy 500 win in 1999. They then shift their attention to Johnny Rutherford’s retirement, and how he officially retired in 1994, although he had not run for several years by that point. We also hear about Mario Andretti’s retirement, and how he was annoyed that they cleaned his car after the final race.  In the second half of the show, we hear some retirement announcements from drivers in the 50s, including Johnnie Parsons, who explains to Sid Collins why he retired in 1959. He talks about the trouble with his car, and what makes a driver decide to retire. We heard about Pat Flaherty and the reason he decided to retire. Pat talks about how he feels after retiring, and what he plans on doing after his career. We also hear about some odd items Mike received from Pat when he sent away for an autograph once.  In the final segment of the show, we hear retirements from Gene Hartley and Jack Turner. Gene talks about how he is working too much with his own business and cannot keep working and racing both. We also hear about Gene’s father who was still racing after Gene retired. We also hear Sid Collins talk about Jack Turner’s retirement that same year after a crash. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.