Danny Kladis

Danny Kladis (February 10, 1917 – April 26, 2009) was an American racecar driver. He was born in Crystal City, Missouri and died at Joliet, Illinois.^[1] 92-year-old Kladis was the oldest living Indy 500 starter at the time of his death.^[1]

Danny Kladis

Born	(1917-02-10)February 10, 1917
Died	April 26, 2009(2009-04-26) (aged 92)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1950–1952, 1954–1955, 1957
Teams	Kurtis Kraft, Bromme, Diedt, Maserati
Entries	6 (1 start)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1957 Indianapolis 500

Racing career

Kladis started racing in midget cars in 1935.^[1] He stopped racing in the 1940s when all racing in the United States stopped for World War II. During the war, he was a pilot in the United States Army.^[1] After the war, he started in the 1946 Indianapolis 500 for Andy Granatelli and finished 21st.^[1] He drove 50 laps as a relief driver for Spider Webb in the 1954 Indianapolis 500.^[1] Kladis attempted to make the field until the 1957 Indianapolis 500 but was unsuccessful.^[1]

Career awards

Kladis was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2007.^[1]

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. In the 1954 Indianapolis 500, Danny Kladis drove in relief of Spider Webb. As a result of this shared ride, Kladis participated in 1 World Championship race but scored no World Championship points.

Personal life

Kladis was the father of seven children:^[1] George, Joanne, Carole, Ciciela, Christopher, Danny Jr, and Michael.

Racing record

Indy 500 results

Year Car Chassis Engine Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1946 59 Miller Ford 33 118.890 32 21 46 0 Towed 1949 58 Lencki Failed to qualify 1950 39 Maserati Maserati Failed to qualify 1951 89 Miller Miller Failed to qualify 1952 19 Diedt Offy Failed to qualify 1954* 65 Bromme Offy - - - 30 ? ? Fuel pump 1955 93 Kurtis Kraft Offy Failed to qualify 1957 72 Maserati Maserati Failed to qualify 84 Mercedes Jaguar Failed to qualify Totals 46 0

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

* shared drive with Spider Webb

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Pts
1950	Federal Engineering	Maserati 8CTF	Maserati 3.0 L8 s	GBR	MON	500 DNQ	SUI	BEL	FRA	ITA			NC	0
1951	Trainor Chicago	Trainor Special	Miller L6 s	SUI	500 DNQ	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	ESP		NC	0
1952	Tuffanelli-Derrico	Diedt Tuffanelli Derrico	Offenhauser 4.5 L4	SUI	500 DNQ	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA		NC	0
1954	Advance Muffler	Bromme D	Offenhauser 4.5 L4	ARG	500 30	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	ESP	NC	0
1955	Roy McKay	Kurtis Kraft 3000	Offenhauser 4.5 L4	ARG	MON	500 DNQ	BEL	NED	GBR	ITA			NC	0
1957	Morgan Engineering	Maserati 4CLT/48	Maserati 4CLT 1.5 L4 s	ARG	MON	500 DNQ	FRA	GBR	GER	PES	ITA		NC	0
	Safety Auto Glass	Mercedes W154	Jaguar 3.4 L6			500 DNQ
Source:^[2]^[3]^[4]

References

1. "Oldest former Indy 500 driver dies at 92". Yahoo!. April 28, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
2. "Danny Kladis – Involvement". StatsF1. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
3. "Danny Kladis". champcarstats.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
4. . historicracing.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.