Edgar Alan Gordon (March 27, 1902 – January 26, 1936) was an American racing driver.[1]
| Al Gordon | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Edgar Alan Gordon March 27, 1902 San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | January 26, 1936 (aged 33) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAA West Coast Big Car (1933) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 9 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 11th (1932) | ||||||
| First race | 1932 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1935 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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Life and racing career
editA postman from Redlands, California[2] who also became a Long Beach night club owner among other things,[1] Gordon took up racing in 1925.[2]
Gordon made nine starts in the AAA-sanctioned national championship from 1932 to 1935 and entered two non-points paying races after that, scoring a win at Oakland Speedway in January 1936. He drove in the Indianapolis 500 in 1932, 1934, and 1935, but never finished the race, having qualified second in 1935.[3] A regular at Legion Ascot Speedway, Gordon won the AAA Pacific Coast championship in 1933.[2][4]
Death
editWhile competing in another AAA non-championship race in January 1936,[3] both Gordon and his riding mechanic, Spider Matlock, were fatally injured in a crash at Ascot,[5][6] which ended racing at the Los Angeles track.[7]
Awards and honors
editGordon was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999.[2]
Motorsports career results
editIndianapolis 500 results
edit
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References
edit- ^ a b "Al Gordon". OldRacingCars.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-16.
- ^ a b c d "Al Gordon". National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19.
- ^ a b "Al Gordon". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27.
- ^ "AutoRacingRecords.com". www.autoracingrecords.com. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Donnelly, Jim (September 28, 2009). "Essential racing history". Hemmings Motor News. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05.
- ^ "Legion Ascot Speedway 1924–1936". Lincoln Heights LA. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27.
- ^ "Crash ends racing at Legion Ascot". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 2006. Archived from the original on 2022-02-28.
- ^ "Al Gordon Indianapolis 500 stats". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-01.