Racin Gardner
| Racin Gardner | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  American |
| Born | 25 February 1972 Buellton, California, United States |
Slick Racin Gardner[1] (born February 25, 1972, in Buellton, California), is a former professional racing driver who most notably raced in the 1996 Indianapolis 500 for Simon/Team Scandia.
Previously, Gardner tested the Green Monster land speed car at Bonneville for four years, becoming the youngest driver ever to top 500 mph in 1988 at the age of 16. He drove off-road vehicles in the High Desert Racing Association from 1991 to 1993, and was eighth in points and the rookie of the year in the American Indycar Series in 1993. After a second year in the series, he tested for the Project Indy team, which was competing in the IndyCar World Series.[2]
Gardner intended to debut in the new Indy Racing League in 1996 at Phoenix. Despite failing to pass his rookie test in the "Test at the West" because of an engine failure, Gardner was entered at the last minute with Tempero/Giuffre Racing. However, further mechanical issues in practice left him unable to pass his test and compete. At the Indianapolis 500, he competed for Team Scandia, qualifying 25th on the second day of qualifiers. He retired after 76 laps with a suspension failure, being credited with a 25th-place finish.
After Indy, Gardner would compete in one ARCA Racing Series race, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing 18th.[3] After retiring from racing, he became a stunt driver for television and motion pictures.
Racing record
[edit]Complete IndyCar Series results
[edit]| Year | Team | Chassis | No. | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tempero–Giuffre Racing | Lola T92 | 25 | Buick | WDW | PHX Wth |
35th | 10 | [4][5] | |
| Team Scandia | Lola T94 | 90 | Ford | INDY 25 |
Indy 500 results
[edit]| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 25th | 25th | Scandia | [4] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Slick R Gardner, Born 02/25/1972 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "With The Name 'Racin,' He's in the Right Business". Associated Press. May 22, 1996. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ "Driver".
- ^ a b "Racin Gardner". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "Racin Gardner". Champ Car Stats. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Racin Gardner career summary at DriverDB.com