![Howdy Wilcox - Stutz - San Francisco 1915](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Howdy_Wilcox_-_Stutz_-_San_Francisco_1915.jpg)
Howard Samuel Wilcox (June 24, 1889 – September 4, 1923) 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 ...
active in the formative years of auto racing.
Biography
He was born in
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County, the only cha ...
on June 24, 1889.
Wilcox won the
1919 Indianapolis 500
The 7th Liberty 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919.
After a two-year hiatus due to World War I, the Indianapolis 500 returned to competition in 1919. Howdy Wilcox won, accompanied by riding ...
, leading the last 98 laps of the race after starting in the 2nd position.
In 1911 Howdy set the world beach racing speed record of 89.23 mph.
He died on September 4, 1923 at
Altoona Speedway
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...
board track in
Tyrone, Pennsylvania
Tyrone is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Altoona, on the Little Juniata River. Tyrone was of considerable commercial importance in the twentieth century. It was an outlet for the Clearfield coal fields and was noted for m ...
in a
car crash. He was buried at
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...
in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
.
Wilcox's wife had died the year before. Wilcox's son, Howard Jr., founded the
Little 500
The Little 500 (also known popularly as the "Little Five"), is a track cycling race held annually during the third weekend of April at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is attended by more th ...
bicycle race, which has been held at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
annually since 1951.
Obituary of Howard Wilcox Jr.
Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers.
Indy 500 results
References
External links
at ChampCarStats.com
*
1889 births
1923 deaths
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Indianapolis 500 polesitters
Indianapolis 500 winners
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in Pennsylvania
People from Crawfordsville, Indiana
Racing drivers from Indiana
AAA Championship Car drivers
Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery
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