Sam Hanks
Hanks, circa 1957
Born	Samuel Dwight Hanks (1914-07-13)July 13, 1914 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died	June 27, 1994(1994-06-27) (aged 79) Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
Championship titles
AAA West CoastMidget Car (1946) AAA NationalMidget Car (1949) AAAChampionship Car (1953) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1957)
Champ Car career
43 races run over 14 years
Best finish	1st (1953)
First race	1940Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1957Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win	1953 Springfield 100 (Springfield)
Last win	1957Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles 4 17 1
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1950–1957
Teams	Kurtis Kraft,Salih
Entries	8
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	4
Careerpoints	20
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 Indianapolis 500
First win	1957 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1957 Indianapolis 500

Samuel Dwight Hanks (July 13, 1914 – June 27, 1994) was an Americanracing driver who won the1957 Indianapolis 500.^[1][2] He was abarnstormer, and racedmidget andChampionship cars.

Hanks was born inColumbus, Ohio and lived inAlhambra, California from the age of six.^[3] He attendedAlhambra High School.^[4]

Hanks won his first championship in 1937 on theWest Coast in the American Midget Association (AMA). He barnstormed the country, racing on theboard tracks atSoldier Field inChicago. Hanks reportedly won the first two board track races at Soldier Field in 1939.^[5] He won the 1940 VFWMotor City Speedway championship inDetroit. During theSecond World War, Hanks served in theArmy Air Corps.^[6]

After World War II, Hanks captured the 1946United Racing Association (URA) Blue Circuit Championship. He won the 1947Night before the 500 midget car race. He was the 1949AAA National Midget champion. He won the1953 AAA National Championship in theBardahl Special. He won the 1956 Pacific Coast championship in theUSAC Stock cars.

Hanks considered retiring following the1956 Indianapolis 500, but agreed to return for the1957 race at the urging of car ownerGeorge Salih.^[4] 1957 was his 13th appearance in the 500, although in 1941, he merely was credited with finishing 33rd despite not racing, he had been injured in a practice crash the day before the race and withdrew. In his twelfth race where he raced on the track, he finally won, setting a record for the most tries before becoming awinner at Indy and announced his retirement from racing inVictory Circle (Tony Kanaan would win his first Indy in his 12th Indy 500 appearance in 2013).^[5] He did not stop racing immediately following his victory, however, but completed his contract to run astock car for the remainder of the 1957 season.^[4][7]

TheAAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in theFIAWorld Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards theAAA/USACNational Championship.

Hanks participated in eight World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He won once, and finished in thetop three four times.^[1] He scored 20 World Drivers' Championship points.

Hanks portrayed himself in the episode "The Comedians" of theCBS situation comedyMr. Adams and Eve, starringIda Lupino andHoward Duff. The episode aired on November 8, 1957.^[8]

He drove thepace car at theIndianapolis 500 from 1958 to 1963.^[5]

Hanks is believed to be the only Indianapolis 500 driver to participate in the race before World War II, serve in the war effort, then return to race again after the war. It has also been conjectured that Hanks may have been a distant relative toAbraham Lincoln.^[9]

Having experienced ill health for three years, Hanks died at his home inPacific Palisades, California on June 27, 1994, aged 79.^[4]

Hanks has been inducted into the following halls of fame:

• Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1981)^[10]
• National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1984)^[5]
• Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame (1984)^[11]
• National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1998)^[12]
• Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2000)^[13]
• West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame (2005)^[14][15]
• Alhambra High School Hall of Fame^[16]

Hanks has been awarded the following honors:

• Automotive Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Citation (1971)^[17]

• 1946 table only includes results of the six races run to "championship car" specifications. Points total includes the 71 races run to "big car" specifications.^[18][19]

* Shared drive withDuane Carter

• Sam Hanks - ChampCarStats.com
• Sam Hanks driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• 1914 births
• 1994 deaths
• Racing drivers from Columbus, Ohio
• Racing drivers from Los Angeles
• Champ Car champions
• Indianapolis 500 drivers
• Indianapolis 500 winners
• AAA Championship Car drivers
• 20th-century American sportsmen
• Formula One race winners
• National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees
• USAC Championship Car drivers
• USAC Stock Car drivers
• Alhambra High School (Alhambra, California) alumni
• Racing drivers from Alhambra, California

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