A Carmel man’s dedication to the Indianapolis 500 started with a father-son visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway more than six decades ago.
Now, John Blazier’s commitment to The Greatest Spectacle in Racing has been recognized, putting him among some of the biggest names in Indy 500 history.
On May 23 at the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Association barbecue, Blazier, 72, a 1969 Westfield High School graduate, became the latest recipient of the Dick Miller Award. The annual honor goes to those who support the objectives and traditions of the Oldtimers Association and the IMS. First race winner Ray Harroun, Tom Carnegie, Tony Hulman and Donald Davidson are among previous recipients.
“It’s one of the greatest things to happen in my life,” said Blazier, an Indianapolis 500 memorabilia collector and evaluator and co-author of the 1994 book, “Forgotten Heroes of the Speedway: The Riding Mechanics.” “It’s a prestigious award. All the people that received that award before me are historical names in the annals of auto racing.”
Ron McQueeney, the president of the Oldtimers Association, said Blazier has volunteered his time to recruit Indy 500 drivers to join the group. Drivers are immediately eligible for the Oldtimers Association; others must have 20 years of service supporting the speedway and race.
“We wanted to make sure to honor him and thank him for doing that,” said McQueeney, retired director of photo operations for IMS. “We don’t give away awards like water. It’s people we think deserve to be recognized.”
Blazier attended his first “500” in 1970. But his first visit to the track was in 1962. His parents had separated, and Blazier had started living with his father, John Walker, who had owned a grocery store in Westfield since 1941. John Walker died in a house fire in 1988.
“One of the first things we ever did together was go to the speedway in 1962,” Blazier said. “It kind of made it a special thing.”
In 1985, Blazier founded the National Indy 500 Collectors Club, serving as its first president. In 1991, when the price of Indy 500 collectibles skyrocketed, Blazier became a consultant for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, offering his expertise on the value of memorabilia. He also has worked at the track’s museum on race day, helping prepare antique “500” racecars for their parade laps.
Now retired (he owned a massage therapist business in Carmel for 16 years), Blazier and his wife, Anna, have two sons and two grandchildren. He no longer visits the speedway every day during May but remains active in the Oldtimers Association and recruits former drivers to join the elite organization. His dedication to the speedway and the “500” remains strong.
“It’s always been the fascination,” Blazier said. “The history of it is just fascinating.”
