Interview: Eldon Rasmussen

Eldon Rasmussen was the second Canadian (after Billy Foster) to race in the Indianapolis 500 in the modern era. Eldon and Billy were supermodified drivers who had competed in the Canadian American Modified Racing Association or CAMRA series, which promoted races in western Canada and the western United States.

Eldon started racing seriously in 1952 in a modified Model T racer and went on to make more than 600 starts with the touring CAMRA series. He won many local championships and, at one time, finished 2nd in the CAMRA series competing against such opposition as Art Pollard, Billy Foster, Jim Malloy, and Tom and Jerry Sneva, all of whom followed Billy and Eldon to the Indianapolis track. In 1967, Eldon moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he lives and works today. Over his career in Indy cars and sprints, he ran more than 50 USAC sprint car races before concentrating on Indy cars and building his own Ras-Cars. He qualified for three Indy 500s in 1975, 1977, and 1979, as well as 10 other 500-mile races at places like Pocono and Ontario, California. He also kept busy by racing in 36 USAC short-track races for Indy cars. After a catastrophic accident at Pocono in 1979, where he went into the wall after a tire puncture, he retired from racing. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2001.