Lifelong Hoosier has ties to the first Indy 500

Lifelong Hoosier has ties to the first Indy 500

SPEEDWAY, Ind. - In the early days of the Indianapolis 500, you wouldn't see just one person in the car. “The cars back then had two seats because the driver needed a riding mechanic to go along with him to tell him when cars were getting ready to pass, to tell him when the oil pressure was getting low, etc.,” said Jackie Harrell, a Hoosier with ties to the first Indy 500. Riding mechanics were seen alongside drivers between 1911 and 1922 and ag…