Kelly Carl Petillo (born Cavino Michele Petillo; December 5, 1903 or December 16, 1903 – June 30, 1970) 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 organi ...

Life and career

Born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

in 1903, Petillo moved with his family to Huntington Park, California in 1921. He began racing at Los Angeles'

Legion Ascot Speedway Legion Ascot Speedway was an American race track in Los Angeles, California that operated from 1924 to 1936. It hosted AAA Champ Car races. History Early success under Bentel ends with a scandal After the construction of a -mile dirt oval near ...

in 1929. Petillo 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 ...

on ten occasions, winning the race in 1935 in a year that marked the first win by a car powered by an Offenhauser engine. He went on to win the 1935 AAA-sanctioned National Driving Championship. In 1937, he participated in the

Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, ...

but engine problems forced him out of the race. In 1942, Petillo sustained a concussion and lacerations after a road accident when his car collided with a freight train. He was denied entry to the

1946 Indianapolis 500 The 30th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1946. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new track owner Tony Hulman. The track had closed in late 1941 due to World War ...

, and sued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for $50,000. Off the track, Petillo had numerous run-ins with the law, including charges of attempted rape and attempted murder. In 1948, police arrested him in

victory lane The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings. 0–9 ;1–2 finish: When two vehicles from the same team finish first and second in a race. Can be extended to 1–2–3 or 1–2–3– ...

after winning a race at

Owosso Speedway Owosso Speedway is a , progressively banked oval short track located east of Ovid, Michigan, between Ovid and Owosso, further east. Track History In 1939 the Owosso Speedway opened as a dirt oval. The track would operate until 1944 when it c ...

, on charges of assault to commit murder seven days earlier. This was assault and battery. He was sentenced to ten years in the

Indiana State Prison The Indiana State Prison is a maximum security Indiana Department of Correction prison for adult males; however, minimum security housing also exists on the confines. It is located in Michigan City, Indiana, about east of Chicago. The average ...

. He was released on parole in 1955, but went missing. He was re-captured in 1957, incidentally, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was returned to prison until 1959, after which he was denied entry to the Indianapolis 500 in

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

, officially due to age. After his exclusion in 1959, he again filed a lawsuit for $50,000 against the speedway and the

United States Auto Club The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapol ...

. Petillo had a small role in the 1939 motion picture ''

Burn 'Em Up O'Connor ''Burn 'Em Up O'Connor'' is a 1939 race car film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Cecilia Parker, Nat Pendleton and Harry Carey. The screenplay was written by Milton Merlin and Byron Morgan from the novel ''Salute to the ...

''. Petillo and his wife, Valentine, who filed for divorce in 1943, had a son, Kelly Jr. Petillo died of emphysema in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1970, aged 66. He is buried in Pacific Crest Cemetery in

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...

Awards

Petillo was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2009.

Indianapolis 500 results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petillo, Kelly 1903 births American people of Italian descent 1970 deaths Racing drivers from Pittsburgh Racing drivers from California Champ Car champions Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 polesitters Indianapolis 500 winners AAA Championship Car drivers People convicted of battery Deaths from emphysema Racing drivers from Pennsylvania