1956 Watson HOW Special

A.J. Watson built a new chassis and constructed the 'New' HOW Special for Mari (H)ulman George, Judge George (O)ber, and Roger Gould (W)olcutt in 1956. The car was completed from parts and running gear from the old Springfield Welding Special Mari purchased from Bessie Lee Paoli in 1954. Bob DeBisschop, Mari's chief mechanic helped with the construction and stayed with the car until Barney Wimmer took over in July 1956. It ran the Championship trail from 1956-1961, competing in fifty-eight-plus races. Elmer George, Mari Hulman's husband, was the primary driver.

This car won one Championship race and had ten 'top five' finishes. Elmer was suspended one year by USAC for an altercation he had with a USAC official at the July 1959 Langhorne, Pennsylvania race. He failed to heed the Black Flag for seven laps. When the USAC Official asked for Elmer's competition license, Elmer punched him, causing the suspension. Elmer appealed. His father-in-law, Anton 'Tony' Hulman, Indy Speedway owner and Board Member, recused himself from voting, thus Elmer lost and was fined $1,500. In December 2000, after buying the car, the current owner restored it to the original 1956 configuration.