“Big Bob” Veith possessed a “gunslinger” reputation. A driver capable of climbing into an unfamiliar car, and with little or no practice, and sticking it in racing’s most exclusive starting lineup, the Indianapolis 500.
During an era when it was common for half the entries to miss the show, from 1956 through 1968, Veith made the 500 11 times.
Born in Tulare, California, on November 1, 1926, he didn’t become interested in auto racing until his discharge from the Merchant Marines following WWII. The 19-year-old quickly became restless with civilian life. Like many veterans, he missed the adrenaline rush of facing and surviving the dangers of war and found that racing offered the closest alternative.
Veith joined the newly formed Northern California Roadster Association (NCRA) and banged wheels with the likes of Bob Sweikert, Elmer George, and Ed Elisian. He turned to the midgets for a time and then went back to roadster racing, capturing the 1953 Bay Cities Racing Association championship.
In 1954, Veith prepared to step away from racing and settle into managing his new trucking company. However, Bill Vukovich Sr. made him a better offer. “I’m going to Indianapolis in May,” said Vuky, who had taken Veith under his wing, “and if you want to get serious about racing, you can go back with me. I’ll help hook you up with the AAA.”
Veith jumped at the opportunity.
But come the day that they were to leave for Indianapolis, Veith arrived late at Vuky’s Fresno home. Vuky, a stickler for promptness, had left him behind. Veith tore after him in a mad rush and finally caught him a hundred miles down the road in Bakersfield.
Veith’s perilous run to overtake Vuky wasn’t nearly as harrowing, however, as the remainder of the trip to Indy. Vuky, his midget in tow, seldom speaking as was his manner, drove flat-out, passing traffic at will, even around blind, mountainous curves.
Somehow, they arrived safely. True to his word, Vuky introduced Veith to drivers, car owners, and officials. He then arranged for Veith to work as a stooge with Jimmy Reece’s team. After the 500, Vuky secured Veith a ride in the #45 Gerhardt midget, the same car with which Vuky had won the 1950 AAA championship.
Veith’s success in the midgets earned him rides in the AAA sprint cars, which ran regularly on the Midwest’s ultra-fast, high banks. While hazardous, success on the “Hills” traditionally assured a driver a shot at Indianapolis.
Veith got his in 1956.
Driving the Federal Engineering Special, he took Rookie of the Year honors with a seventh-place finish. Many observers believed an Indianapolis win lay in Veith’s future.
His best opportunity for a spot on the Borg Warner trophy came in 1958. Driving one of Bob Bowes’ cars, meticulously maintained by legendary mechanic George Bignotti, Veith qualified fourth and took the green with lofty expectations.
Just ahead of him, however, former schoolmate Ed Elisian plowed into Dick Rathmann as the tightly bunched field barreled into turn three on the first lap. Attempting to avoid the melee, Jimmy Reece stood on the brakes. Trying to miss Reece, Veith spun in front of Pat O’Connor. In a desperate move to get around Veith, O’Connor rode over Reece’s wheel and flipped to his death.
Veith’s race was over.
A month later, Veith became one of 20 American drivers selected to compete in the “Race of Two Worlds” at Monza, Italy. He qualified with the second fastest time in the car he’d driven at Indianapolis. Racing at 170mph, he finished third in the first heat, followed by a second in heat two. Unfortunately, his car broke during the third heat, but his overall performance clearly demonstrated his skill with an Indy car.
Veith ran eight more Indianapolis 500s and handily made the challenging transition from front-engine roadsters to rear-engine cars in 1964, when he qualified the MG Liquid Suspension Special that AJ Foyt tested and turned down. He was running third when the Offy burned a piston.
1968 was his last 500. He retired quietly to his ranch in Hales Grove, California. In retirement, his interests shifted from the violent challenge of racing to the tranquility of Northern California’s rivers and streams. As a board member of the Salmon Restoration Association, he worked diligently to restore the area’s wild salmon runs.
Inducted into both the Bay Cities Racing Association and the Indianapolis 500 Halls of Fame, Bob Veith remained honored to carry the title of Indianapolis 500 driver until his death on March 29, 2006.
