Lewis Henry Moore (September 12, 1904

Hinton, Oklahoma Hinton is a town in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,196 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,175 in 2000. It is approximately west of Oklahoma City. Geography Hinton is located in northeastern Caddo County at (35.479004 ...

– March 25, 1956

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

) 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 most known during his racing career for qualifying on the

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

of the

1932 Indianapolis 500 The 20th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1932. Attrition was the story of the race, with 26 of the 40 cars dropping out due to crashes or mechanical failure. A record eight dif ...

. He was later remembered as a five-time Indianapolis 500 winning owner, a record which stood until 1987.

Early life and driving

He was born in Oklahoma on September 12, 1904. He moved with his family to California at a young age. He started his career on the dirt tracks of California in 1923. In 1926, he won 18 feature races out of 23 starts and had been in the lead of the other 5 when equipment failed. He drove 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 ...

from 1928 to 1936. He finished second in 1928, started on the pole in 1932, and finished 3rd in 1933 and 1934. He also drove in the 1934

Tripoli Grand Prix The Tripoli Grand Prix (Italian: ''Gran Premio di Tripoli'') was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania, now Libya. It lasted until 1940. Background Motor ...

, starting 10th and finishing 7th.

Racing ownership

After his driving career ended in 1936, Moore became a competitive car owner. Moore-owned entries won the Indianapolis 500 five times: in 1938, 1941, 1947, 1948, and 1949. The final three from 1947-1949 was the first of to-date two occasions to see three consecutive victories by an owner. Drivers of Moore-owned cars included

Mauri Rose Maurice "Mauri" Rose (May 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was an American racecar driver. He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then ...

Bill Holland Willard Holland (December 18, 1907 – May 19, 1984)) was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949 and finished second in 1947, 1948 and 1950. He also was runner up in the 1947 American ...

Floyd Roberts Floyd Marion Roberts (February 12, 1900 - May 30, 1939) was a Championship Car racing driver from Jamestown, North Dakota. He won the 1938 Indianapolis 500 with a then-record speed of . He led for 92 laps. The following year, 1939, driving the sam ...

Tony Bettenhausen Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen (September 12, 1916 – May 12, 1961) was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958. Bettenhausen was nicknamed the "Tinley Park Express" in honor of his hometown. He was n ...

Floyd Davis Floyd Eldon Davis (March 5, 1909 – May 31, 1977) was the co-winner of the 1941 Indianapolis 500. Floyd Davis drove the first 72 laps of the 1941 race before being replaced by Mauri Rose, who completed the race in the lead. He is buried at Cro ...

Lee Wallard Lee Wallard (September 7, 1910 Schenectady, New York – November 29, 1963 St. Petersburg, Florida ) was an American race car driver. In the 1951 Indianapolis 500 Wallard drove the Number 99 Belanger Special to victory, at age 40. Tony Bettenh ...

, George Connor and

Cliff Bergere Cliff Bergere (December 6, 1896 Toledo, Ohio – June 18, 1980 Dade City, Florida) was an American stuntman and racecar driver. Bergere did stunt driving for movies, including the 1923 film ''The Eagle's Talons'', before embarking on a racing ca ...

. Moore earned a reputation as a hard-nosed team owner who expected his drivers to follow orders. In 1949, Bill Holland led comfortably in one of the Blue Crown cars while Mauri Rose, in the other team car, gradually raised the race pace in preparation for a late-race challenge. Car owner Moore recognized what was happening and hung out the "HOLD POS" sign. Holland complied and eased off, but Rose ignored the signal, and with just 8 laps to go, broke a magneto strap and retired. Holland cruised to an easy win and when Rose arrived back at the pits, Moore fired him on the spot.

Following racing

Moore retired from racing as an owner in 1953 following the on-track death of his friend,

Chet Miller Chester Miller (July 19, 1902 – May 15, 1953) was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a crash in the south turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice for the 1953 Indianapolis 500. Yates, Brock W. "The Indianapolis 500 ...

. In September 1955, Moore was put in charge of

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

's racing division. On 25 March 1956, Moore was taken to the hospital after complaining of a massive headache. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter due to a

brain hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

Indianapolis 500 results

References

External links

*
Champ Car Stats profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Lou Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 polesitters 1904 births 1956 deaths People from Caddo County, Oklahoma Racing drivers from Oklahoma AAA Championship Car drivers