Chet Gardner, Born "Chester Leroy Gardner" (16 March 1898 Grant, Missouri – 3 September 1938 Flemington, New Jersey

Flemington, New Jersey

Flemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....

) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 racecar driver, named by promoters as "The Grand Old Man of Auto Racing".

He was killed in an accident during a time trial at the Flemmington Fair Speedway

Flemington Speedway

Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. The track is most known for hosting four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races and its pioneering use of foam blocks used to lessen the impact of crashes, which led to the adoption of the SAFER...

 when he swerved to avoid a child that had run onto the racetrack. He was survived by his wife, Fannie M. Gardner, and three brothers, Dean Orville Gardner, Ray Alva Gardner and Paul Theodore Gardner.

Career

Chet started racing in 1922 in Colorado. In 1933 he won the Midwest AAA Sprint Car Championship. He was named "Southern Dirt Racing King" twice.

Between 1928 and 1938, Chet made 25 starts in the AAA series, where his best result was 3rd.
From 1930 to 1938 he competed in the Indianapolis 500 (see below for stats).

Indianapolis 500 Career Summary

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1930 1930 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1930.Note: Cars not finishing were awarded positions in the order in which they left the track, regardless of lap count... 18 5 105.811 7 38 1 0 Spun T1 1933 1933 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1933 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds . The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of .... 21 15 112.319 22 4 200 0 Running 1934 1934 Indianapolis 500 The 22nd running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an Indianapolis native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12... 4 5 114.786 9 21 72 0 Rod 1935 1935 Indianapolis 500 The 1935 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.-Pre-race and... 18 9 114.556 17 7 200 0 Running 1936 1936 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1936 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1936.... 6 18 116.000 12 29 38 0 Clutch 1937 1937 Indianapolis 500 The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1937.Late in the race, Wilbur Shaw held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place Ralph Hepburn. With about 20 laps to go, however, Shaw's car had been leaking oil, and had nearly lost... 31 9 117.342 28 11 199 0 Flagged 1938 1938 Indianapolis 500 The 26th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on Monday, May 30, 1938. The race was won by the number 23 car driven by Floyd Roberts. Roberts' car started in the pole position, and was the first car to win from that start since 1930. Roberts led 92 laps, posted an average speed of 117.200... 38 18 120.435 17 5 200 0 Running Totals 910 0

Starts 7 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 3 Retired 3

Ref.:

External Links

• "King of the Money Makers" Popular Mechanics, April 1936, pp. 554-556