Fredrick William Frame (June 3, 1894 – April 25, 1962) was an American

race car 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 ...

. One of the leading AAA Championship Car drivers of the late 1920s and early 1930s, Frame is best remembered for his victory at 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 ...

Biography

Early career

Frederick William Frame, commonly known by the nickname "Fred," was born June 3, 1894, in

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. Frame relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where he began

dirt track racing Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s ...

in about 1922. On July 5, 1923, Frame set his first world record in

San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly hal ...

, driving a mile on a dirt track in 43.4 seconds."Two Dirt Track Records Go Down,"
''Ogden Standard-Examiner,'' July 5, 1932, pg. 2. Frame's record mile, established in a non-competitive event, surpassed the previous record for a dirt track mile of 45 seconds, held by Barney Oldfield of St. Louis since August 1917. By 1924, Frame was running his own car on the dirt track at

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

, finishing second in a 100-mile race held there on July 5. Frame also continued to race on dirt tracks and began to venture outside of California in 1926, escaping serious injury in a crash in September of that year in a five-mile race in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan st ...

, held in conjunction with the West Texas Fair."Texas Auto Racer Killed in Smashup,"
''Oakland Tribune,'' September 23, 1926, pg. 23. A Texas racer was less fortunate, being killed in the same race when his car went through a railing and rolled.

Indianapolis 500

Frame began running at 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 ...

, held in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

, in 1927. In that year he drove a machine owned by George Fernic,"To Drive Car that Won Race Last Year,"
''Indianapolis News,'' May 17, 1928, pg. 26. finishing in 11th place. He was brought back in 1928 by car owner Bill White to drive the same

Duesenberg Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American racing and luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is known for popularizing the straight-e ...

which had won the race the previous year. Frame would finish in 8th place in that race. In 1929, Frame arrived in Indianapolis just four days ahead of the race to drive a Cooper Special Front Drive."Thumbnail Biographies of Drivers Expected to Start in 500-Mile Race,"
''Indianapolis News,'' May 29, 1929, pp. 16-17. Despite limited practice time, Frame was able to qualify the car at over 111 miles per hour and sat in second place at the halfway point of the race, which was started by 33 cars on a quest for a share of $100,000 in prize money.Charles W. Dunkley
"Driver is Killed When Racing Car Crashes on Track,"
''Ogden Standard-Examiner,'' May 30, 1929, pg. 1. He would finish in 10th place, after leading the race for 11 laps — receiving bonus prize money of $100 per lap led provided by race sponsors. Frame would race at Indianapolis eight times in all, including a second-place finish in the 1931 race.

1932 Indy 500 victory

Frame's greatest career victory was a win in the

on May 31, 1932. Driving a tan Müler-Hartz front wheel drive machine, the 10-year racing veteran Frame finished the course in 4 hours, 48 minutes, 3.79 seconds.United Press International
"Speed Classic Won by Frame,''
''Albany Democrat-Herald,'' May 31, 1932, pg. 8. Frame dueled fellow competitor Howard Wilcox of Indianapolis over the last 75 miles in front of a packed crowd of 155,000 spectators to win the victory in a race in which only 10 of 40 starting cars managed to finish. Frame took the lead in lap 157 and never relinquished the advantage. Frame's winning average speed of 104.14 mph topped the previous course record of 101.13 mph, set by

Peter DePaolo Pete DePaolo (April 6, 1898 – November 26, 1980) was an American race car driver who won the 1925 Indianapolis 500. Biography Peter DePaolo was born on April 6, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pete saw his first race in 1919, where he w ...

in his 1925 Memorial Day victory at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Sta ...

. Frame became the third Indy 500 winner to win with an average speed of more than 100 mph.

Later life and career award

Frame's son Bob was killed at a sprint car race in Minnesota in 1947. Frame died of an apparent heart attack in April 1962 in

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Cou ...

, a city in Northern California's East Bay area that he moved to in 1950. Fred Frame was inducted in the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2004.

Indy 500 results

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frame, Fred 1894 births 1962 deaths People from Exeter, New Hampshire Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire Racing drivers from Los Angeles Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 winners Racing drivers from New Hampshire AAA Championship Car drivers