Joseph Crook Dawson (July 17, 1889 - June 17, 1946) was an American
race car
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 organi ...
driver.
Biography
He was born in
Odon, Indiana
Odon is a town in Madison Township, Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,354 at the 2010 census.
History
Odon was originally called Clarksburg, and under the latter name was laid out in 1846. In 1880 the name was changed ...
on July 17, 1889. Dawson competed in the
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 ...
race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a
Marmon to a fifth-place finish. The following year, Dawson won after
Ralph DePalma
Raffaele "Ralph" De Palma (December 19, 1882 – March 31, 1956) was an Italian-American racecar driving champion who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,0 ...
, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race, dropped out with a mechanical failure. At age 22 years and 323 days, Dawson was the youngest winner of the "500" until
Troy Ruttman
Troy Ruttman (born March 11, 1930 – May 19, 1997) was an American race car driver. He was the older brother of Jimmy Ruttman, and NASCAR driver Joe Ruttman.
Ruttman won the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, at the age of 22 years and 80 days. , he is ...
won the
1952 Indianapolis 500
The 36th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was a motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1952. It was the opening race of the 1952 AAA National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 8 in the 1952 World Champions ...
at age 22 years and 86 days. In his final Indy 500 race in 1914, Dawson retired after an accident on the 45th lap when avoiding
Ray Gilhooley.
He died on June 17, 1946 at age 56.
[According to two separate handwritten documents one by Joe's father, Chase Dawson, and the other by his older brother, Charles F. Dawson, Joseph Crooke Dawson was born in Odon on July 17, 1889. Family letters also place his death on June 17, 1946.]
Indy 500 results
References
External links
Profile on Historic Racing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson
1889 births
1946 deaths
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Indianapolis 500 winners
People from Daviess County, Indiana
Racing drivers from Indiana
Racing drivers from Pennsylvania