Paul Goldsmith, a NASCAR and Indy 500 icon of the 1950s and '60s, died Friday at age 98.
Goldsmith died on Friday in Munster, Indiana, and at the time of his death was the oldest person to compete in the Indianapolis 500. According to Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
Goldsmith won his final NASCAR premier series race in 1958 at Daytona Beach. According to NASCAR. He competed in the Indianapolis 500 six times during his career, finishing fifth in the 1959 race and third in 1960, his best result of a career.
The start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1959. (Photo by Rex Butler/Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
Goldsmith won five American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) national championships, including the 1953 Daytona 200 motorcycle race, according to NASCAR.
The racing driver also has nine wins in the current NASCAR Cup Series. (RELATED: NASCAR's absolute legend, LW Wright, passes away at age 76).
Paul Goldsmith is #Indy500 The starter, whose best result was a third-place finish in 1960, has died at the age of 98.
At the time of his death, he was the oldest person to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Good luck, racers.https://t.co/qy0P7LvVWr
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) September 6, 2024
He was friends with two popular car owners, Smokey Yunick, who helped him get his start: Yunick introduced Goldsmith to motorcycle events at Daytona and, in 1956, took him to his first NASCAR race.
“Paul Goldsmith had more natural talent than any driver I've ever been involved with,” Yunick was quoted as saying in Peter Golenbock's 1993 book “American Zoom.” “He was a very quiet, likeable guy, very polite. He was a very fast race driver, and his reflexes were very sharp. Within three or four races he was the best driver there was.”
#RIP Paul Goldsmith 1925 – 2024 pic.twitter.com/AlxrmWgOr1
— Andrew (@Basso488) September 6, 2024
According to IMS, Goldsmith retired from driving in 1969 to focus on aviation, and was reportedly famous for being one of the first drivers to fly himself to races.
According to IMS, he owned an airport in Griffith, Indiana, ran an aircraft engine repair business, trained pilots for China Eastern Airlines, and flew parts to races in his own planes.
Goldsmith has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the IMS Hall of Fame, the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the USAC Hall of Fame, the American Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
