Scottish accountants
Graham Hill (picture above) beat Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart as well as Foyt, Andretti and all the Indy 500 specialists, to win the 1966 Indy 500. Eleven of the 33 starters where eliminated in a first-lap accident right after receiving the green flag on the main stretch (picture-below). Only A.J. Foyt was injured, hurting his hand scaling the catch fence, trying to escape the wreck scene.
Only seven cars, the fewest finishers ever, were still running by the end of the race. First-time starter Jackie Stewart led by over a lap in the race in John Mecom’s Lola T90-Ford. However, inside 10 laps to go, his oil pressure dropped too low and Stewart parked the car, but was nevertheless voted the Rookie of the Year.
Fellow rookie Graham Hill inherited the lead in the second Mecom Lola T90-Ford and led a total of 10 laps to win, the first rookie winner since 1927. Impressed by the healthy prize-money earned, he declared with his wonderful sense of British humour: “I’ve brought a couple of Scottish accountants to help me with the cheque…”