Jim Malloy was born May 23, 1935 in Columbus Nebraska. A football and baseball player, he attended Colorado State University for a while before he began his racing career in 1955. He quit racing to work in Denver; but he wanted to go racing so badly that he suddenly cleaned off his desk, split a $100 with his wife and proclaimed he was going racing. He started with sprint cars out east. By 1968 he had made it to Indy and was the fastest rookie qualifier. He drove the Jim Robbins car to 22nd place. "> Jim Malloy - May 1969 He took the car in 1969 to a 11th place finish. In 1970, Malloy's suspension broke on the pace lap and so he finished in last place. In 1971, Malloy drove Dan Gurney's Olsonite Eagle in the Indy 500. He started from 10th and finished 4th. Gary Bettenhausen decided to switch to Penske in '72, and Malloy was happy to take his seat at Gerhardt - an Eagle with turbo-Offy power for the 1972 season. This should be his best season yet. On May 1, at the beginning of the 1972 practice season, Jim Malloy was sent out to test the track, for he had been driving at speeds as high as 185 mph during tire tests. He drove 180 mph and decided with the chief steward, Harlan Fengler, that the 170 mph limit could be lifted for '72. Jim Malloy - May 1972 On Sunday Morning, May 14th, he turned in a lap at 186mph and was going into the 3rd Turn when he lost control of the car. He had no time to apply the brakes and the Thermo King Eagle veered right and crashed almost head-on into the wall. There were skid marks for 75 feet and car parts scattered 150 yards away. A USAC official said it crumpled up the steering column and folded the tub right back into the rest of the car. It took more than 10 minutes to extricate Malloy, unconscious, fom the car. He had head injuries, fractures of both legs and hips, a broken right arm, and second-degree burns on his hands and feet. Never having regained consciousness, Malloy died four days later - five days before his 37th birthday. Malloy's parents and his wife, Mary, were with him. He and Mary had two sons, Jim and Pat, and a daugher, Cheryl. Jim Malloy's best Indycar finish was 2nd in the 1969 Milwaukee 150. Jim Malloy's Indy 500 Record Year Car# Car Laps completed Start Finish 1968 27 Jim Robbins 64 - rear end 14 22 1969 10 Jim Robbins 165 13 11 1970 31 Stearns Mfg 0 - wreck 9 33 1971 42 Olsonite 200 10 4