Mel Hansen was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 racecar driver. Hansen was nicknamed the “Firecracker Kid” because he loved to throw the explosive devices under chairs and behind people who were gathered in groups.

Midget car career

Hansen's first big win was the 1939 Turkey Night Grand Prix

Turkey Night Grand Prix

The Turkey Night Grand Prix is an annual race of midget cars. It has been held on Thanksgiving night most years since 1934. It is currently held in Irwindale, California.-Drivers:The event is considered a major event in the midget cars series...

 at Gilmore Stadium

Gilmore Stadium

Gilmore Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Los Angeles, California. It was opened in May 1934 and demolished in 1952, when the land was used to build CBS Television City. The stadium held 18,000. It was located next to Gilmore Field...

 in Rex Mays

Rex Mays

Rex Mays is a former AAA Championship Car race driver from Riverside, California. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and again in 1940 and finished second, he returned the next year and finished second again. Mays won the AAA National Championship in 1940...

 Offenhauser

Offenhauser

Offenhauser was an American racing engine manufacturer that operated from 1933 to 1983.The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer Harry Arminius Miller, after maintaining and repairing a 1913 Peugeot Grand Prix car of the type which...

. Hansen raced his midget car

Midget car racing

Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...

 throughout the nation in 1940, and won 53 features that season. He also claimed the track championship at Fort Miami Speedway in Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

 that season. He won the 1942 track championship at VFW Motor Speedway in Detroit. Hansen raced in the United Racing Association in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and won the 1945 URA Blue Circuit championship.

Championship car career

Hansen competed in six Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

s. He only completed one entire race, which was an eighth place finish in the 1940 Indianapolis 500

1940 Indianapolis 500

The 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the number one car Maserati 8 CTF, the same car Shaw had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third...

. He won the 100 miles (160.9 km) race at Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 in 1948.

Accident

Hansen was paralyzed after a racing crash in 1949 at Detroit, and he died on June 5, 1963 after being a paraplegic for fifteen years.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1939 1939 Indianapolis 500 The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall... 49 14 121.683 25 19 113 0 Crash Pits 1940 1940 Indianapolis 500 The 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the number one car Maserati 8 CTF, the same car Shaw had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third... 31 5 124.753 7 8 194 0 Flagged 1941 1941 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1941 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1941.Notes*Floyd Davis was the starting driver for the #16 car. On lap 72, Davis came in for a pit stop, and was relieved by Mauri Rose. Rose had started the race in another car and dropped out earlier. Rose went on to... 9 21 124.599 6 29 11 0 Rod 1946 1946 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1946 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1946.... 4 27 121.431 17 11 143 0 Crankshaft 1947 1947 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1947 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1947.Late in the race, Lou Moore teammates Bill Holland and Mauri Rose were running 1st-2nd. The pit crew displayed a confusing chalkboard sign with the letters "EZY" to Holland, presumably meaning for him to take the... 38 29 117.298 27 27 32 0 Pushed 1948 1948 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1948 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1948.... 17 33 122.117 32 25 42 0 Too slow Totals 535 0

Starts 6 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 0 Top 10 1 Retired 5