Thursday 28th January 1926

Born on this day, James Ernest Bryan, an American racer. He first got noticed when he finished 2nd at the 1954 Indy 500 despite a broken spring, a broken shock absorber, and a burned left leg due to oil spraying from broken pipe. He won the last four races and the championship that year, followed by titles in 1956 and 1957. Bryan is noted for winning Monza’s Race of Two Worlds in 1957 as well as the 1958 Indy 500. He was killed at age 33 in a minor race at the Langhorne dirt track when his car flipped on the very first lap.