William H. "Speed" Gardner[1] (July 2, 1895 – April 25, 1972) was an American racing driver during the AAA era. His best result was the first Indianapolis 500 race he managed to qualify for, finishing sixth in 1929 with the help of his relief driver Chet Gardner,[2] completing the event at an average speed of 88.4 mph in his Miller powered Chromolite car.[3] After two successive mechanical failures in 1930 and 1931, he looked ready to qualify for the 1932 Indianapolis 500,[4] but failed to do so. While attempting to qualify for the 1933 race he crashed and sustained a fracture to his left thigh along with severe bruises.[5]
| Speed Gardner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | William H. Gardner July 2, 1895 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 25, 1972 (aged 76) Bayonet Point, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 6 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 15th (1930) | ||||||
| First race | 1929 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1931 25-mile Heat (Altoona) | ||||||
| |||||||
Motorsports career results
editIndianapolis 500 results
editReferences
edit- ^ "All the facts about the biggest motor race of Motordom". The Indianapolis News. May 28, 1932. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "Chester Leroy Gardner Bio". Historicracing.com. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "IMS archive". IMS. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "Deadline Approaches as Tardy Drivers Urge Cars". The Indianapolis News. May 27, 1932. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ "Speedway News". The Daily Banner. May 26, 1933. p. 2. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
External links
edit- Speed Gardner driver statistics at Racing-Reference