Jimmy Snyder was an American

United States

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

 racecar driver.

Snyder was part of the midget car "Chicago Gang" with Emil Andres

Emil Andres

Emil Andres was an American racecar driver active during the 1930's and 1940's....

, Tony Bettenhausen

Tony Bettenhausen

Melvin E. "Tony" Bettenhausen was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958....

, Cowboy O'Rourke, Paul Russo

Paul Russo

Paul Russo was an American racecar driver.-Midget car career:...

, and Wally Zale. They toured tracks in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States.

Snyder won the 1937 track championship at the Chicago Armory & Riverview. He also set a new track record at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

 for that season's Indianapolis 500

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...

.

Snyder appeared in five Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 events. He won the pole for the 1939 Indianapolis 500

1939 Indianapolis 500

The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall...

, setting another new track record in the process. He finished second in the event.

Snyder was killed in 1939 while racing in an appearance to help a midget car

Midget car racing

Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...

 promoter in Cahokia, Illinois

Cahokia, Illinois

Cahokia is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 16,391. The name is a reference to one of the clans of the historic Illini confederacy, who were encountered by early French explorers to the region.Early European settlers also...

.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 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... 39 30 112.249 29 22 97 0 Spring 1936 1936 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1936 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1936.... 43 16 111.291 32 30 21 0 Oil leak 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... 5 19 125.287 1 32 27 24 Transmission 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... 6 15 123.506 4 15 150 92 Supercharger 1939 1939 Indianapolis 500 The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall... 10 1 130.138 1 2 200 65 Running Totals 495 181

Starts 5 Poles 1 Front Row 1 Wins 0 Top 5 1 Top 10 1 Retired 4

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