Jerry Karl achieved his life’s ambition of racing in the Indianapolis 500 through perseverance and hard work. In total he started the race six times, with a best result of 13th in 1975. Although Karl never came close to winning the classic race he was a well respected driver among his contemporaries.
Early Street Races and Stock Cars
Karl started driving young, buying his first car when he was just 12. This was kept at a friend’s house to avoid his father finding out. A year later he also bought a motorcycle, resulting in run-ins with the local police. His early racing exploits were highly illegal, on the public roads of Long Island. Salvation came in the form of a local scrapyard owner who helped Karl run a 1950 Ford stock car, with which he soon started winning races.
In addition to being a talented driver, Karl was also a gifted engineer. He set up a workshop at his home using machinery purchased from an elderly widow. By the late sixties he was on the fringes of USAC championship racing, but suffered a serious crash in 1967, breaking both collarbones.
After recovering from his injuries Karl was finally granted a license to race in USAC championship events, which included the Indianapolis 500. Remarkably, it would take until 1973 before he finally qualified for USAC’s blue riband event. His efforts in previous years were thwarted by reliability problems and tiny budgets.
Karl's Indy 500 Appearances
Karl’s first Indianapolis 500 saw him driving an Eagle for the legendary Smokey Yunick, who years earlier had brought his bizarre Hurst Floor Shifter Special to the speedway. In 1974 Karl again qualified for the race, this time driving an Eagle for the Lindsay Hopkins team. He ran in the top five before a puncture sent him into the wall.
In later appearances at Indianapolis Karl drove an ex- Peter Revson McLaren which was practically an antique. Undaunted, he used his workshop to turn the car into a ground-effect machine. Karl continued to compete in USAC events until 1984, even campaigning his own car at one point (a McLaren chassis which Karl heavily modified). His career may have been very different, had he accepted an offer to drive for Roger Penske. Karl declined, preferring to stay loyal to Yunick, who had given him his big break in USAC racing.
After his racing career ended Karl indulged his other great love, aviation. He was an accomplished pilot of both planes and helicopters. Karl’s life ended at the age of 66 on February 16th, 2008, when he died in a road accident in Maryland. He left behind a wife, son and daughter.
A tribute to Indycar driver Greg Moore.
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