Tommy Milton
| Tommy Milton | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Milton, circa 1919 | |||||||
| Born | Thomas Willard Milton November 14, 1893 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | July 10, 1962 (aged 68) Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAA Championship Car (1921) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1921, 1923) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 102 races run over 12 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1921) | ||||||
| First race | 1916 Des Moines 150 (Des Moines) | ||||||
| Last race | 1927 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1917 25-mile Race (Narragansett Park) | ||||||
| Last win | 1925 Charlotte 250 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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Thomas Willard Milton (November 14, 1893 – July 10, 1962) was an American racing driver best known as the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. In spite of having only one functional eye, Milton came to be known as one of the finest racers of his generation.
Early life
[edit]Milton was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 14, 1893.
Racing career
[edit]
Milton began his career in racing in 1914, competing on dirt tracks in the Midwestern United States. By 1917, he was competing nationwide, and earned his first major win at a track in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1919, he was one of the dominant figures in American racing, winning five of the nine championship races including the Elgin National Road Races, the International Sweepstakes at Sheepshead Bay, New York, and made his debut at the Indianapolis 500. Later that year he suffered severe burns when his car burst into flames during a race at Uniontown, Pennsylvania.[1] He returned to the track the following year to win the Universal Trophy on June 19. In 1921, Milton won the United States National Driving Championship, often referred to as the Champ Car series.[2]
Record at the Indianapolis 500
[edit]
Milton was a starter in the Indianapolis 500 eight times, earning the pole position once, and finishing in the top five on four occasions. He drove for Duesenberg his first time in 1919 and again the following year when he finished third. In 1921, the twenty-seven-year-old Milton won the celebrated race driving a straight-eight Frontenac built by Louis Chevrolet.[3] In 1922 fuel tank problems forced Milton out of the race after only forty-four laps, but he came back in 1923 driving for the H.C.S. Motor Co. with a Miller 122 and won the race for the second time. His last was the 1927 Indianapolis 500 where he finished eighth.[4]
Post-racing career
[edit]During the 1936 race, Milton returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to drive the Packard 120 Pace Car. At his suggestion, the tradition of giving the race winner the Pace Car began that year. In 1949 Milton was appointed chief steward for the Indianapolis 500. Health problems forced him to retire in 1957.
Death
[edit]Milton died in 1962 in Mount Clemens, Michigan, at the age of 68 of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.[5]
Awards and honors
[edit]Milton has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
- Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1954)[6]
- Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame (1958)[7]
- National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1992)[8]
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1998)[9]
Motorsports career results
[edit]Indianapolis 500 results
[edit]
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References
[edit]
- ^ Pearce, William (27 July 2015). "Duesenberg-Milton Land Speed Record Car". oldmachinepress.com. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ "Driver Tommy Milton 1921 AAA Champ Car Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ "Tommy Milton Wins 500-Mile Race After DePalma Retires. Victory Brings Winner Approximately $28,000 in Prizes. Track Record Remains Unbroken". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 31, 1921. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
Tommy Milton, world champion speed racer, today piloted an American car to the finish line first in the ninth renewal of the national racing classic the 500-mile dash around the Indianapolis Speedway.
- ^ "Milton And 30 Others Qualify For Auto Race. Veteran Driver Does 108.7 Miles an Hour in Indianapolis Test. Fans in Line Now". New York Times. Associated Press. May 29, 1927. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
The return of Tommy Milton to automobile racing was made certain late tonight, when he qualified an eight-cylinder car of his own design for the annual 500-mile race, to be held Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ...
- ^ The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, FL). July 11, 1962.
- ^ "Tommy Milton". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ Tribune, Joel Rippel Star. "Tommy Milton: Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 1958". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ "Tommy Milton". www.sprintcarhof.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ "Tommy Milton". www.mshf.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
Further reading
[edit]- Trimble, Steven C., Tommy Milton "St. Paul's Speed King", Ramsey County History Quarterly V42 #4, Ramsey County Historical Society, St Paul, MN, 2008.
External links
[edit]- Tommy Milton - ChampCarStats.com
- Tommy Milton at Find a Grave
- Tommy Milton - Motorsport Memorial
- Tommy Milton driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Tommy Milton - Ramsey County Historical Society