William H. "Speed" Gardner (July 2, 1895 – April 25, 1972) 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 ...

during 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 ...

era. His best result was the first

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 he managed to qualify for, finishing sixth in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

with the help of his relief driver

Chet Gardner Chester Leroy Gardner (16 March 1898 in Grant City, Missouri – 3 September 1938 in Flemington, New Jersey) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involvi ...

, completing the event at an average speed of 88.4 mph in his Miller powered Chromolite car. After two successive mechanical failures in 1930 and 1931, he looked ready to qualify for 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 ...

, but failed to do so. While attempting to qualify for the 1933 race he crashed and sustained a

fracture Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

to his left thigh along with severe bruises.

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Speed Indianapolis 500 drivers 1895 births 1972 deaths Racing drivers from Pittsburgh