Nabors and Shaw Share IMS Memories

Speedway Redevelopment Commissioner Bill Jones and Jim Nabors.

Photo by Jay Thompson

(posted May 23)

Part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tradition is Jim Nabors singing Back Home Again In Indiana. Nabors recalled the first time he sang the song at the start of the race in 1972. It was pure chance that Nabors found himself singing to a crowd of hundreds of thousands people.

"I was sitting in the stands. Tony Hulman walked up the stands and asked me to sing. There was no rehearsal." he said.

Nabors' story was just one of many that circulated the Allison Mansion after the official 100 year kickoff celebration was completed on May 22.

Bill Shaw, the son of race car driver Wilbur Shaw, had no idea what to expect when he was invited to attend the kickoff.
Shaw's father orchestrated the sale of IMS between Eddie Rickenbacker and Tony Hulman.

Wilbur Shaw is credited for saving the IMS from turning into a housing subdivision. Shaw became the IMS President in 1945, but during the WWII, Wilbur set up an aviation sales department at Firestone to help prepare the company with war contracts.

"He actually had patents," Linda Kirk said. Kirk explained when "I first met Bill 14 years ago. I realized that our lives were vastly different. He is so causal about the people he knows. He grew up with "Little Mari" Hulman George. He referred to Mr. And Mrs. Hulman as Uncle Tony and Aunt Mary."

Kirk discussed her childhood fantasy with him that she always wanted to visit Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. She said he responded "without batting an eye" that "Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were really nice to me, but Hopalong Cassidy is really the best." She said movies stars, including Clark Gable, would visit the Shaw's home.

"They were my heroes that floated through the house at one time or another" he said.
"Roy Rogers taught me to spin a pistol and drop it back in my holster. They were neat guys."

Wilbur Shaw also had close friends with aviators and engineers.

Bill classified his dad as a self taught engineer who designed the channel tread tire to prevent heavy WWII bombers from picking up mud while operating in grass and dirt fields. Shaw also developed self sealing fuel tanks that could sustain 50 caliber gun fire without the tank exploding.

Despite Wilbur Shaw's engineering and racing accomplishment as a three time 500 winner, Bill said his first image of his dad is riding a lawn mower with no shirt and wearing sandals. Wilbur was killed in a plane crash at the age of 52.

Bill explained he grew up in a concrete, steel and glass home dubbed "Fort Shaw" at 106th and Springmill Road. He said the house was built to commercial standards because it was built by the same firm that made improvements to the track. The home could "withstand enormous torment."

His parents had a truck load of IMS bricks at the house from when they were removed to asphalt the track. His parents gave the bricks away, but Bill failed to keep one from the stack. He visited the area in 1994, and while walking along Williams Creek, he found an old IMS brick. He saw the brick as one of the last opportunities to retain memories of Fort Shaw, so he picked it up.