Gus Schrader (May 22, 1895 in

Newhall, Iowa Newhall is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 876 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Newhall was founded in 1881, following construction of the Chic ...

– October 22, 1941 in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

) was an American

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...

. He was the 1933–1937 and 1939–1941 IMCA national sprint car champion. He was considered one of the best "Big Car" (as sprint cars were called) drivers of his era.

Background

Schrader was born on a farm near Newhall, Iowa. After he was hurt while racing in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, he met a nurse named Eunice in the hospital; the couple married in 1939.

Racing career and death

Schrader began racing motorcycles and switched to racing cars after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He originally raced in a

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

then switched to a Nash after he became a Nash dealer. Schrader competed in one

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. After starting 15th, he raced up to around 6th before his oil pump blew on the sixth lap causing his to lose control and hit the wall. He finished 39th out of 40 cars. Schrader had a background in

dirt track racing Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s ...

and the

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...

(AAA) was racing primarily on bricks and

boards Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a t ...

, so he decided to spend $2500 to break his AAA contract mid-1932 to race in

International Motor Contest Association The International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) was organized in 1915 by J. Alex Sloan, and is currently the oldest active auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. IMCA is currently headquartered in Vinton, Iowa, and features s ...

(IMCA). Schrader was the

(IMCA) national

sprint car Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...

champion from 1933 to 1937 and 1939 to 1941. He finished second in 1938 to

Emory Collins Emory Collins (1904 – June 2, 1982) was an American racing driver from Le Mars, Iowa. He won the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) sprint car national championship in 1938, 1946, 1947, and 1948. Collins was inducted in the National ...

, losing the title at the final race of 1938. Both were driving Curly Wetteroth-built Offenhauser powered cars that cost $15000. He was paid a $1000 annual sponsorship from

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...

according to his wife. Schrader decided to retire from racing to become to work on his family's newly-repurchased

family farm A family farm is generally understood to be a farm owned and/or operated by a family; it is sometimes considered to be an Estate (land), estate passed down by inheritance. Although a recurring conceptual model, conceptual and archetype, archet ...

. He competed in his final race on October 22, 1941, at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

. Witnesses said that he was racing beside

Jimmy Wilburn Jimmy Wilburn (November 25, 1908 - August 26, 1984) was an American racecar driver from Los Angeles. He won a non-points Championship Car race at Lakewood Speedway in March 1946 which is the first known Champ Car race to be held after the end of W ...

when his car drifted high in the corner and Wilburn's didn't which caused their tires to touch. Schrader's car reportedly rolled end-over-end 15 times. He died a couple of hours later from skull fracture, concussion and cerebral hemorrhage while Wilburn was unhurt. He already had the national title locked up.

Career awards

Schrader was inducted in the

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members. The museum is located in Knoxville, Iowa, the ho ...

in its inaugural 1990 class. He was also inducted in the IMCA Hall of Fame in 1971, the

Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...

Hall of Fame. and the Iowa Racing Hall of Fame in 2018.

Indianapolis 500 results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schrader, Gus 1895 births 1941 deaths American racing drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees People from Benton County, Iowa Racing drivers from Iowa Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in Louisiana