Ira Vail (22 November 1893 – 21 April 1979) was a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadians ...

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 ...

and auto racing promoter. He was born in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada.

Career

Vail raced sprint and championship cars in the

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

-sanctioned racing series. He competed in five

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 ...

s, with a best finish of 7th in 1921, before retiring in 1925. In a quote about his career for a book, Vail stated: ""The car I drove, I bought it from Harry Miller for $10,000. That's what they all cost, a Miller or a

Duesenberg Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American race car, racing and luxury car, luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred Duesenberg, Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is ...

, from $8,000-$10,000, which was a lot of money at a time when a good passenger car cost only $1,000. But you could win $30,000 or more at Indianapolis and as much as $5,000 at a cement track in Minneapolis or tracks in Hartford, Boston, everywhere. You'd be guaranteed (cash) even if you didn't win, depending on the deal you made with the promoter. It depended on how many people you could draw. I got guarantees at most tracks and I'd drive at 15 or 20 tracks a year." After his retirement from driving, Ira Vail promoted AAA and USAC sanctioned auto racing in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

. From 1925 until 1971 Vail promoted the New York State Fair Championship race at the

Syracuse Mile The Syracuse Mile was a dirt oval raceway located at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. Originally built for harness racing in 1826, the first auto race was run in 1903, making it the second oldest auto racing facility in ...

. He nicknamed the race track "The Moody Mile" after driver Wes Moody turned a 100-mile per hour lap in 1970. Vail died in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

Award

*Vail was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in the United States in 1993.

Indy 500 results

References

American racing drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees Racing drivers from Quebec Sportspeople from Montreal 1893 births 1979 deaths AAA Championship Car drivers Canadian emigrants to the United States {{Canada-autoracing-bio-stub

Career

Award

Indy 500 results

See also

References