Cal Niday (born 29 April 1914 and died 14 February 1988) was an American racing driver who participated in three Indianapolis 500 races between 1953 and 1955. He was one of only three drivers to race in the Indianapolis 500 with a prosthetic leg, having suffered a motorcycle accident at the age of 17.[1] Niday was also the first driver to wear a modern-style Bell helmet in the Indianapolis 500.
Niday made his debut at the Indianapolis 500 in 1953, although he completed only 30 laps before suffering a mechanical failure. The following year, his car proved more reliable and he managed to finish the race in 10th place.
While racing in 3rd position near the end of the 1955 Indianapolis 500, Niday crashed heavily into the concrete wall. His car bounced into the infield and caught fire. He suffered a punctured lung, fractured skull and serious burns to his face, arms and leg. He was unconscious for three weeks and spent four months in the hospital.[1]
After recovering from his injuries, he opened a high-performance car part shop. He continued to build, restore and race cars at an assortment of events.
In 1988, Niday was killed while participating in a historic exhibition race event at Willow Springs in a 1960 midget car when a fellow driver lost control over their car and spun into Niday's car.[1]
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 |  Miracle Power
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| 1954 | Jim Robbins
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Stevens-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| 1955 | D-A Lubricants Racing
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Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 3 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 400 |
| Distance Raced | 1,609 km (1,000 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pts | Pos | ||||||||||||
| 1953 | 
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||||
| Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1954 |
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||||
| 10th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955 |
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||
| Ret | C | C | C | C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dowling, Donna (18 February 1988). "One-Legged Race-Car Driver Killed in Exhibition". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-18-ve-43750-story.html. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
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