Lee Ambrose Frayer (October 2, 1874 – July 25, 1938) was an American

racing 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 organise ...

who competed in the

1911 Indianapolis 500 The 1911 International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911. It was the inaugural running of the Indianapolis 500, which is one of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, most prestigious automobil ...

. Driving a Firestone-Columbus

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

, Frayer won a 100-mile race in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, defeating, among others, the great Barney Oldfield. Frayer was born in

La Grange, Missouri La Grange is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 825 at the 2020 census. Since the 1960 census, the population has been dwindling. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History L ...

. His car participated in the

1906 Vanderbilt Cup The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup was a motor race held on a 29.7 mile street circuit on Long Island, New York on October 6, 1906. Just like the 1906 Vanderbilt Elimination Race, this race was stopped as the crowd invaded the course. Classification S ...

with Frank Lawell driving. Frayer participated in the

where he was injured. His relief driver was future World War I hero Eddie Rickenbacker. Frayer died at Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna, Ohio, on July 25, 1938, following an operation for appendicitis. He was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Ravenna, Ohio."Rites Held for Lee Frayer, Ravenna Motor Car Inventor," The Evening Record and Daily Courier-Tribune, Ravenna, OH July 28, 1938.

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frayer, Lee 1874 births 1938 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers People from La Grange, Missouri Racing drivers from Missouri Burials in Ohio