Lou Palmer (born Louis A. Perunko Jr. on March 10, 1932, in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...

- died January 19, 2008, in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

) was an American broadcaster best known for his work at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

on the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network (known typically as the IMS Radio Network or the INDYCAR Radio Network), is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, the NTT IndyCar Series, and Indy NXT to ra ...

from 1958 until 1989.

Indianapolis 500

Palmer, who was raised in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, had moved to

in 1953. Shortly after joining the news department of WIBC in Indianapolis he received an invitation from the "Voice of the 500",

Sid Collins Sid Collins or Sidney Collins may refer to: * Sid Collins (broadcaster) (1922–1977), American sports broadcaster * Sid Collins Jr. (1912–1983), English golfer See also * Sydney Collins (born 1999), Canadian-American soccer player {{H ...

to join the IMS Radio Network for the

1958 Indianapolis 500 The 42nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1958. The event was part of the 1958 USAC National Championship Trail, and was also race 4 of 11 in the 1958 World Championship of Driv ...

. As a rookie on the network, Palmer was assigned to the rather remote location of turn three of the track because 'nothing ever happens there'. On the opening lap of the race, however, Palmer was thrust into duty, reporting on a massive 15-car pileup that occurred in the turn. The crash almost completely blocked the track and ended with the death of driver Pat O'Connor.

Jerry Unser Jeremy Michael Unser Jr. (November 15, 1932 – May 17, 1959) was an American racecar driver. He was the 1957 USAC Stock Car champion. Jerry was the first of the Unser family to compete at Indianapolis. In his only start, in 1958, he was caugh ...

's car cleared the track's outer retaining wall causing him to suffer a dislocated shoulder during the first lap crash. In

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

Palmer moved from turn 3, and became a pit reporter for race day, a position he would hold through

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. During his time as a pit reporter, he traditionally covered the south pits and interviewed the winning driver in victory lane. In 1988, he moved into the booth, replacing

Paul Page Paul Page (born November 25, 1945) is an American motorsports broadcaster who is best known for serving as the play-by-play commentator for the Indianapolis 500 for a total of 50 years across radio and television. Page was the radio ''Voice of th ...

as the chief announcer of the 500. Palmer's tenure as chief announcer lasted only two years (1988-1989). After the 1989 race, he was released of the position and replaced by

Bob Jenkins Robert Francis Jenkins (September 4, 1947 – August 9, 2021) was an American television and radio sports announcer, primarily calling American open-wheel car racing, Indy car and NASCAR telecasts for ESPN/American Broadcasting Company, ABC and ...

. Palmer holds the distinction of the shortest tenure of all IMS Radio Network chief announcers with just two races. Palmer later anchored the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

radio network. Following the 1988 Indy 500, Palmer and Paul Page co-hosted/narrated a 3-hour video produced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway called "The Indianapolis 500 - An American Tradition since 1911". The production detailed each Indianapolis 500 race until 1988 and included archive footage as well as interviews with drivers such as

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

winner

Ray Harroun Ray Wade Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968) was an American racing driver and pioneering race car constructor. He is most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Biography Harroun was born on January 12, 1879, ...

and the first triple winner of the 500

Louis Meyer Louis Meyer (July 21, 1904 – October 7, 1995) was an American racing driver who was the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He is generally regarded as one of the finest racers of his generation. Meyer is perhaps best known as the ...

. It also told the history of the IMS and its founding father

Carl Fisher Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

, as well as later owners

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Tony Hulman Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. (February 11, 1901 – October 27, 1977) was an American businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana, who bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and brought racing back to the famous race course after a four-year hiatus ...

. Palmer continued to work at WIBC during the year but annually took a hiatus every May which he would spend most waking hours at the

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

, feeding daily reports every 30 minutes and anchoring WIBC's day-long qualification coverage.

Death

Lou Palmer died on January 19, 2008, in Indianapolis at the age of 75. He was survived by his second wife Beverly, son Al and daughter Laura. His first wife Cal died in 1997.

References

Believe Lou Palmer is mentioned in the movie Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974).

External links

Lou Palmer remembered
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Lou American radio sports announcers Indianapolis 500 Motorsport announcers 1932 births 2008 deaths