Career
He raced midget cars, sprint cars, and IndyCars. He was nicknamed "Iron Mike."
Nazaruk served as a United States. Marine in the Battle of Guam and the Guadalcanal campaign in World World War World War II He promised himself that if he lived through the war he would become a race driver. He raced after he returned home.
He scored over twenty feature wins at Middletown, New York en route to winning the 1948 track championship.
The series tours the East Coast of the United States. Nazaruk joined the American Automobile Association in 1950.
He finished fifth in the 1954 National Midget car points. Nazaruk finished second in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1951.
He competed in two more Indianapolis 500, including a fifth-place finish in 1954.
Nazaruk was killed in a sprint car race at Langhorne Speedway on May 1, 1955. He was inducted in the National Sprint Carolina Hall of Fame in 1996. He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960.
Drivers competing at Industry during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Mike Nazaruk participated in 3 World Championship races.
He finished on the podium once and accumulated a total of 8 World Championship points.