Rolla Vollstedt passed away [Indycar team owner]

[erwin greven]

Iconic IndyCar team owner Vollstedt passes away

For three decades he was a designer, builder, fabricator, dreamer, adventurer and racer to the core. He gave Jimmy Clark his final IndyCar ride, brought the first female driver to Indianapolis in 1976 with Janet Guthrie and helped Len Sutton, Billy Foster, Cale Yarborough and Tom Sneva start their careers.

But Rolla Vollstedt, who passed away Sunday at the age of 99, was the embodiment of why people use to spend all their time, money and effort inside the walls of Gasoline Alley every May.

Like A.J. Watson and Bill Finley, Vollstedt (pictured above with driver Arnie Knepper in 1968) was never blessed with big budgets but parlayed his work ethic and practicality into 15 starts at Indianapolis from 1964 to 1983.

"Rolla lived for the month of May," said Dick Simon, who spent seven years driving for Vollstedt while becoming partners and fast friends.

A World War II veteran wounded in Europe, the native of Portland, Oregon returned home and got hooked on racing. He built a track roadster and hired Sutton to drive and they terrorized tracks from L.A. to Seattle.

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/14521 ... asses-away

[Cheeveer]

99 is not a bad age to get to. RIP.

Some great looking cars from his stable.





Jim Clark's last Indy car ride:

[MonteCristo]

Car making legend. Glad he lasted so long. RIP.