Two-time USAC Stock Car champion and Indianapolis 500 veteran Paul Goldsmith does at 98
Paul Goldsmith, USAC’s 1961 and 1962 National Stock Car Champion and a six-time veteran of the Indianapolis 500, died on September 6, 2024, in Munster, Ind. At age 98, he was the oldest Indianapolis 500 starter at the time of his passing.
Goldsmith was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia on October 2, 1925, but moved to Detroit, Michigan with his family as a teenager. It was there that he fell in love with motorcycles. His first race was in Marshall, Michigan, and it didn’t take a trained eye to see that he was good.
He came to the attention of Earl Robinson, a Detroit Harley-Davidson dealer, and with Robinson’s crafty mechanic Boots Carnegie at his side, he started plying his trade at all of the county fairs. He caught the eye of William Harley and Walter and Bill Davidson and was asked to consider being a factory rider for Harley-Davidson. He could not believe his luck, but as the modest Goldsmith admitted, “I won a lot of races for them.”
As he progressed in his career, he was approached to mentor a young racer named Joe Leonard. The scene was California’s Bay Meadows Racetrack, and following proper protocol, Goldsmith approached an American Motorcycle Association (AMA) official and asked if Leonard could follow him around the circuit. Goldsmith was in the expert class while Leonard was rated as an amateur. Paul enjoyed Leonard, deeming him “a good guy, a real family man.” As it turned out, Leonard’s wife was set to be the trophy presenter at Bay Meadows and Goldsmith teased Joe by telling him that he was set to hug and kiss his wife after he claimed victory. On this day, both men won their class, and Paul reported that Mrs. Leonard “gave him his trophy and a nice hug.”
On two wheels, Goldsmith was a legend. His first AMA win came at the Milwaukee Mile in 1952. In 1953, he won at the beach in Daytona, Florida, a much-needed victory for Harley-Davidson, and he had assistance from no less than Smokey Yunick.
“Harley had not won for a long time, something like 14 years,” Goldsmith revealed. “They had a new shifter bike, and Smokey and I tested them on a back road at Daytona Beach where we used to test cars and we found three or four things to work on. So, I learned a lot about the bike and won the race.”
Paul won again that season at Langhorne and was named the most popular rider. In 1954, after creating a formal points system, Goldsmith finished second behind his old student, Joe Leonard. While he continued to race motorcycles, he was beginning to move to stock cars. The transition to the stocks began on a suggestion by Mauri Rose, and again, it was Yunick who guided him. Predictably, he was as good on four wheels as he had been on two. Paired with Yunick, he took his first of nine NASCAR wins at Langhorne, and in 1958, became the last to win on the beach course at Daytona.
Yunick had an interest in racing at Indianapolis and wanted Goldsmith to be his driver and they had heard of a car for sale in Chicago. It seems a younger man had been killed in an automobile accident and his mother wanted to unload the car. They discovered the car was in pieces in the family garage, but Smokey loaded it up and took it back to Florida.
The car was dubbed the City of Daytona Beach, but once the duo arrived at the Brickyard for the 1958 classic, it was not smooth sailing. Because of their lack of experience in this form of racing, officials were reluctant to allow him to compete. Mauri Rose intervened with Tony Hulman and Goldsmith also got a chance to plead his case. In the end, he qualified mid-pack but was caught up in the accident that resulted in the death of popular Pat O’Connor.
Amid that terrifying melee, Jerry Unser vaulted the wall and Goldsmith reported, “it left a tire print on my back and helmet.” While this race ended in disappointment, there were good days. Paul made six starts at Indianapolis, and racing for Norm Demler, he finished fifth in 1959 and third a year later in the thrilling 1960 race.
Much of Paul’s success on the USAC Stock Car trail came with Ray Nichels of Nichels Engineering. In 1961, he posted 10 wins and claimed the championship over Norm Nelson and Elmer Musgrave. One year later, Goldsmith nailed down eight victories and outlasted Don White to repeat as king.
All told, Paul won 26 USAC sanctioned stock car events. He was often called to duty testing cars for General Motors, including the Corvette. When he retired, he was already a skilled pilot and had developed a successful transport business. He also became the owner of a chain of restaurants and was still flying into his 90s.
It leaves many mere mortals to ask if there was anything this man could not do. Goldsmith is a member of the AMA Hall of Fame, USAC Hall of Fame and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. He raced in the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 200 and the Daytona 500. He won on the beach at Daytona on two and four wheels. In 1966, he won a Daytona 500 qualifier driving for Ray Nichels and he even won in a Jaguar at Road America. This man was, without question, one of the most versatile racers in history. Goldsmith was a stylist behind the wheel and exuded class in every way.
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