| Eddie Russo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Edward Leon Russo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 19 November 1923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death Place: | King, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Edward Leon Russo (November 19, 1923 – October 14, 2012) was an American racing driver.[1]
Russo won the midget car track championship at Raceway Park in Chicago in 1950. He competed in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1952-1957 and 1960 seasons, with 21 career starts, including three times in the Indianapolis 500. Russo finished in the top 10 five times, with his best finish in 1955 at Langhorne.
The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.
Russo participated in four World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. His best finish was 22nd place, and he scored no World Drivers' Championship points.
Russo's father, Joe, and his uncle, Paul, also raced Indy cars.[2]
Russo served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.[3] Raised in Kenosha, he was a long-time resident of Racine. He died at the Wisconsin Veterans Home, where he had lived since 2005.[4]
| Year | Car | Start | Qual | Rank | Finish | Laps | Led | Retired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 37 | 13 | 140.116 | 9 | 22 | 112 | 0 | Ignition | |
| 1956 | 10 | - | - | - | 23 | 37 | 0 | Brakes | |
| 1957 | 55 | 26 | 140.862 | 20 | 32 | 0 | 0 | Crash BS | |
| 1960 | 46 | 29 | 142.203 | 30 | 26 | 84 | 0 | Crash T2 | |
| Totals | 233 | 0 | |||||||
| Starts | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles | 0 | |
| Front Row | 0 | |
| Wins | 0 | |
| Top 5 | 0 | |
| Top 10 | 0 | |
| Retired | 3 |