Art Cross

Template:Short description {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters | check | ignoreblank = y | unknown = Template:Main other | preview = Page using Template:Infobox F1 driver with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | embed | child | subbox | name | Name | image | Image | image_size | upright | image_upright | alt | caption | birth_name | birth_date | birth_place | death_date | death_place | relations | relatives | nationality | Nationality | years | Years | teams | Teams | Team(s) | team | Team | engines | Engines | current_team | current team | Current team | 2025 Team | 2026 Team | car_number | car number | Car number | races | Races | championships | Championships | wins | Wins | podiums | Podiums | points | Points | poles | Poles | fastest_laps | fastest laps | Fastest laps | first_race | first race | First race | first_win | first win | First win | last_win | last win | Last win | last_race | last race | Last race | last_position | last position | Last position | last_season | last season | Last season | bf1_years | bf1 years | BF1 Years | bf1_races | bf1 races | BF1 Races | bf1_championships | bf1 championships | BF1 Championships | bf1_wins | bf1 wins | BF1 Wins | bf1_podiums | bf1 podiums | BF1 Podiums | bf1_points | bf1 points | BF1 Points | bf1_poles | bf1 poles | BF1 Poles | bf1_fastest_laps | bf1 fastest laps | BF1 Fastest laps | signature | signature_size | signature alt | signature_alt | website | module | module1 | module2 | module3 | module4 | module5 | record template1 | record template2 | record template3 | record template4 | record template5 | career template1 | career template2 | career template3 | career template4 | career template5 | updated | Updated }} Art Cross (January 24, 1918 – April 15, 2005) was an American racecar driver. He was the first recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award in 1952.

Racing career

Cross began racing midget cars in 1938. He served as a tank commander during the Second World War, and received a Purple Heart for his wounds during the Battle of the Bulge.<ref name=NMARHOF>Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He returned to midget cars after the war, and raced in one of Pappy Hough's "Little Iron Pigs."

Cross won the first Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award after a fifth-place finish in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. Cross used his share of $27,000 from the race to purchase a farm near LaPorte, Indiana.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He finished second in the 1953 Indianapolis 500 behind Bill Vukovich. Despite it being one of the hottest Indy 500s on record, Vukovich and Cross completed the entire race without relief. Driver Carl Scarborough died from the heat. Cross' car was the "Springfield Welding Special", which was owned by Bessie Lee Paoli, who was the only female owner at the time.<ref name=NMARHOF />

After retiring from racing, he turned his attention to running the farm in LaPorte, Indiana. He later became involved in a heavy equipment business and in construction. He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.<ref name=NMARHOF />

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1952 33 20 134.288 26 5 200 0 Running 1953 16 12 137.310 8 2nd 200 0 Running 1954 45 27 138.675 14 11 200 8 Running 1955 99 24 138.750 23 17 168 24 Rod Totals 768 32

Starts 4 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 2 Retired 1

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1952	Bowes Seal Fast / Ray Brady	Kurtis Kraft 4000	Offenhauser L4	SUI	500 Template:Small	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA		20th=	2
1953	Springfield Welding / Paoli	Kurtis Kraft 4000	Offenhauser L4	ARG	500 Template:Small	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	10th	6
1954	Bardahl / Ed Walsh	Kurtis Kraft 4000	Offenhauser L4	ARG	500 Template:Small	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	ESP	NC	0
1955	Bardahl / Ed Walsh	Kurtis Kraft 500C	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	500 Template:Small	BEL	NED	GBR	ITA			NC	0

External links

• Obituary

Template:US-autoracing-bio-stub