Drivers/United States of America
Sam Hanks
- 1950–1957
- HAN
- Born 13 July 1914 in Columbus
- Died 27 June 1994
- Samuel Dwight Hanks
Never drove a Formula 1 race. All of these appearances were at the Indianapolis 500, which counted towards the drivers' championship from 1950 to 1960 but was run to different regulations with a different field.
- Starts8
- Wins113% of starts
- Podiums450% of starts
- Pole positions00× started from P1
- Fastest laps0
- Titles0best finish P7
Career numbers
- Avg grid position11.6
- Avg finish10.1
- Retirement rate0%
- Pole-to-win conversion–
- Positions gained+12
- Points scored20
- Longest winning streak1
- Longest podium streak2
- Longest points-scoring streak2
- TeamsKurtis Kraft (1950–1956) · Epperly (1957)
Pole position means the fastest time in qualifying. That is not the same as a start from P1 – grid penalties move a driver down the grid. Up to the 2000s the two numbers coincide.
The career at a glance
Season by season
| Season | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | – | ||
| 1951 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | – | ||
| 1952 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 1 | 4 | P12 | |
| 1953 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 1 | 2 | P13 | |
| 1954 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | – | ||
| 1955 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 0 | – | ||
| 1956 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 1 | 6 | P7 | |
| 1957 | Epperly | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | P8 |
Every race
9 entries, 8 of them started. DNQ: did not qualify; DNS: did not start; DNF: retired.
- First entryIndianapolis 500 1950P30 · Kurtis Kraft
- First winIndianapolis 500 1957P1 · Epperly
- Last startIndianapolis 500 1957P1 · Epperly
All 9 races, season by season
| Year | Race | Team | Grid | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 25 | P30 | |
| 1951 | Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 12 | P12 | |
| 1952 | Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 5 | P3 | 4 |
| 1953 | Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 9 | P3 | 2 |
| 1954 | Indianapolis 500shared | Kurtis Kraft | – | P11 | |
| Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 10 | P20 | ||
| 1955 | Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 6 | P19 | |
| 1956 | Indianapolis 500 | Kurtis Kraft | 13 | P2 | 6 |
| 1957 | Indianapolis 500 | Epperly | 13 | P1 | 8 |
Against team-mates
Same car, same races. In the race only those where both reached the finish count – a retirement says nothing about the head-to-head.
| Team-mate | Years | Races | Qualifying | Quali gap | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Agabashian | 1950–1956 | 5:2 | 0:6 | +1.25% | 12 : 1.5 | Compare |
| Johnnie Parsons | 1950–1955 | 5:2 | 2:3 | −0.10% | 6 : 9 | Compare |
| Jack McGrath | 1950–1955 | 3:3 | 0:5 | +0.83% | 6 : 9 | Compare |
| Jim Rathmann | 1952–1957 | 6:1 | 3:1 | +0.17% | 22 : 13 | Compare |
| Andy Linden | 1952–1956 | 4:2 | 1:2 | +0.71% | 14 : 0 | Compare |
| Tony Bettenhausen | 1950–1956 | 3:2 | 0:2 | +0.20% | 6 : 4 | Compare |
| Pat Flaherty | 1950–1955 | 2:2 | 2:1 | −1.35% | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Art Cross | 1952–1955 | 1:3 | 3:0 | −0.59% | 6 : 8 | Compare |
| Bill Vukovich | 1952–1955 | 2:2 | 1:2 | +0.63% | 6 : 19 | Compare |
| Paul Russo | 1953–1956 | 3:2 | 1:1 | −0.23% | 10 : 5.5 | Compare |
| Jimmy Daywalt | 1953–1956 | 3:1 | 3:0 | −0.65% | 8 : 0 | Compare |
| Walt Faulkner | 1950–1955 | 1:2 | 2:1 | −0.30% | 2 : 1 | Compare |
| Jerry Hoyt | 1950–1954 | 2:2 | 0:2 | −1.31% | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Dennis Nalon | 1951–1953 | 2:1 | 1:2 | +0.33% | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Rodger Ward | 1952–1956 | 3:0 | 3:0 | −0.62% | 12 : 0 | Compare |
| Jimmy Davies | 1953–1955 | 2:2 | 2:0 | – | 2 : 4 | Compare |
| Duke Dinsmore | 1950–1956 | 3:0 | 1:1 | – | 8 : 0 | Compare |
| Troy Ruttman | 1951–1956 | 2:1 | 0:2 | −0.19% | 6 : 1.5 | Compare |
| Bob Sweikert | 1952–1955 | 2:1 | 2:0 | −0.14% | 4 : 8 | Compare |
| Gene Hartley | 1952–1954 | 3:0 | 2:0 | −0.19% | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Pat O'Connor | 1954–1956 | 2:1 | 1:1 | +0.07% | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Cecil Green | 1950–1951 | 1:1 | 0:2 | – | 0 : 3 | Compare |
| Johnny McDowell | 1950–1952 | 1:1 | 2:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Walt Brown | 1950–1951 | 1:1 | 1:1 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Carl Scarborough | 1951–1953 | 2:0 | 2:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Chet Miller | 1951–1952 | 2:0 | 2:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Cliff Griffith | 1951–1952 | 2:0 | 2:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Marshall Teague | 1953–1954 | 3:0 | 1:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Cal Niday | 1953–1955 | 1:1 | 2:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Al Herman | 1955–1956 | 1:1 | 2:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Ray Crawford | 1955–1956 | 2:0 | 2:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Al Keller | 1955–1956 | 2:0 | 2:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Johnny Boyd | 1955–1956 | 2:0 | 1:1 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Ed Elisian | 1955–1956 | 2:0 | 2:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Jimmy Jackson | 1950–1954 | 1:1 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Mike Nazaruk | 1951–1954 | 0:2 | 0:1 | – | 0 : 8 | Compare |
| Chuck Stevenson | 1952–1953 | 2:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Bob Scott | 1952–1953 | 2:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Duane Carter | 1953–1954 | 1:2 | 0:0 | – | 2 : 3.5 | Compare |
| Joie Chitwood | 1950 | 0:1 | 0:1 | – | 0 : 1 | Compare |
| Mack Hellings | 1950 | 0:1 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Lee Wallard | 1951 | 0:1 | 0:1 | – | 0 : 9 | Compare |
| Carl Forberg | 1951 | 0:1 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Gene Force | 1951 | 0:1 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Bill Schindler | 1951 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Jimmy Bryan | 1952 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Jimmy Reece | 1952 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| George Connor | 1952 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Joe James | 1952 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Bill Holland | 1953 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Spider Webb | 1953 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Bill Homeier | 1954–1955 | 1:1 | 0:0 | – | 0 : 1 | Compare |
| Chuck Weyant | 1955 | 0:1 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Dick Rathmann | 1956 | 1:0 | 0:1 | – | 6 : 2 | Compare |
| Bob Veith | 1956 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Bob Christie | 1956 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Johnnie Tolan | 1956 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Jack Turner | 1956 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Keith Andrews | 1956 | 1:0 | 1:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
| Manny Ayulo | 1951 | 0:1 | 0:0 | – | 0 : 2 | Compare |
| Eddie Johnson | 1953 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Johnny Mantz | 1953 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Johnny Thomson | 1953 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Jackie Holmes | 1953 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Larry Crockett | 1954 | 0:1 | 0:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Ernie McCoy | 1954 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Frank Armi | 1954 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| George Fonder | 1954 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Eddie Russo | 1956 | 1:0 | 0:0 | – | 6 : 0 | Compare |
Green: Sam Hanks came out ahead in that duel. Quali gap: the median difference in the last session both set a time in, as a share of the lap – minus is faster. At least three sessions; a dash where there were fewer.
Strongest circuits
Circuits with at least two starts, most wins first.
| Circuit | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | 8 | 1 | 4 | 10.1 |