Frankie DelRoy, of Philadelphia, PA, served USAC as its Technical Director from 1970 until his untimely death in the chartered USAC plane crash in April of 1978 returning from a Championship race in Trenton, N.J. He grew up in Paterson, N.J., location of the famed “Gasoline Alley,” and at age 19 began racing. In the 1930s he served as a riding mechanic at the Indianapolis 500, his car earning the pole in 1937 with driver Bill Cummings. He was involved with 1941 Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose and worked with legendary driver Ted Horn before Horn’s demise at Du Quoin, Ill. in 1948. In 1951 DelRoy was the chief mechanic for Mike Nazaruk who earned a second-place finish in the “500.” His mechanical expertise was immense, and he was highly regarded as one of the sport’s top mechanics for many years. He also worked tirelessly for safety in the sport leading to many innovations regarding safety regulations.