Tommy Milton (November 14, 1893 - July 10, 1962) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
race car driver best known as the first two-time winner of the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500 or sometimes known simply as The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Milton began his career in racing in 1914, competing on dirt tracks in the
Midwestern United StatesThe Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
. By 1917 he was competing nationwide, and earned his first major win at a track in
Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated second or third largest city in the New England region...
. In 1919, he was one of the dominant figures in American racing, winning five of the nine championship races including the "
International Sweepstakes" at Sheepshead Bay,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and making his debut at the prestigious Indianapolis 500.
Tommy Milton (November 14, 1893 - July 10, 1962) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
race car driver best known as the first two-time winner of the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500 or sometimes known simply as The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Milton began his career in racing in 1914, competing on dirt tracks in the
Midwestern United StatesThe Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
. By 1917 he was competing nationwide, and earned his first major win at a track in
Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated second or third largest city in the New England region...
. In 1919, he was one of the dominant figures in American racing, winning five of the nine championship races including the "
International Sweepstakes" at Sheepshead Bay,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and making his debut at the prestigious Indianapolis 500. Later that year he suffered severe burns when his car burst into flames during a race at
Uniontown, PennsylvaniaUniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 12,422 at the 2000 census...
. He returned to the track the following year to win the Universal Trophy Race on June 19th en route to capturing the 1920
United States National Driving ChampionshipSince 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
.
Record at the Indianapolis 500
Tommy Milton was a starter in the Indianapolis 500 eight times, earning the
pole positionThe term "pole position" comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole.The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsport, a driver has pole position when he or she starts a race at the front of...
once, and finishing in the top five on four occasions. He drove for
DuesenbergDuesenberg was an Auburn, Indiana based luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality passenger cars and record-breaking roadsters.-History:...
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-Dominion Motors:Durant Motors Company of New York, New York first used the Frontenac marque in 1931 on vehicles built and sold in Canada. The Canadian Durant firm was acquired by a group of Canadian investors and renamed Dominion Motors Limited. The firm continued building Durant and Frontenac...
built by
Louis ChevroletLouis-Joseph Chevrolet , of French descent was a race car driver and co-founder Louis-Joseph Chevrolet (December 25, 1878, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland – June 6, 1941, Detroit, Michigan), of French descent was a race car driver and co-founder Louis-Joseph Chevrolet...
. 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.The Stutz Motor Company was a producer of luxury cars. Production began in 1911 and continued through 1935. The marque reappeared in 1968 under the aegis of Stutz Motor Car of America, Inc., and with a newly defined modern retro-look. Although the company is still active today, actual sales of...
with a Miller 122 and won the race for the second time. His last Indy 500 was in 1927 when he finished eighth.
At the 1936 race, Tommy Milton returned to the
Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayThe Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race....
to drive the
Packard 120Packard was an American luxury automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
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.
Tommy Milton died in 1962 in
Mount ClemensMount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early History:...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
at the age of sixty-eight.
Indy 500 results
| Year |
Car |
Start |
Qual |
Rank |
Finish |
Laps |
Led |
Retired |
| 1919 Results of the 1919 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....
|
9 |
31 |
89.900 |
31 |
25 |
50 |
0 |
Rod |
| 1920 Results of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920....
|
10 |
11 |
90.200 |
11 |
3 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
1921Results of the 1921 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921....
|
2 |
20 |
93.050 |
11 |
1 |
200 |
90 |
Running |
| 1922 Results of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922....
|
8 |
24 |
94.400 |
15 |
24 |
44 |
0 |
Gas tank |
| 1923 Results of the 1923 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1923....
|
1 |
1 |
108.170 |
1 |
1 |
200 |
128 |
Running |
| 1924 Results of the 1924 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1924....
|
5 |
3 |
105.200 |
3 |
21 |
110 |
0 |
Gas tank |
| 1925 Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....
|
4 |
11 |
104.366 |
13 |
5 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
| 1927 Results of the 1927 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927....
|
6 |
25 |
108.758 |
20 |
8 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
| Totals |
1204 |
218 |
|
|
| Starts |
8 |
| Poles |
1 |
| Front Row |
2 |
| Wins |
2 |
| Top 5 |
4 |
| Top 10 |
5 |
| Retired |
3 |
|
Awards
- He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers.The museum is located in Knoxville, Iowa, USA, the home of the Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway....
in 1992.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi, Michigan for American motorsports legends.-Museum:The museum hosts over forty motorports-related vehicles. The collection is constantly changing...
in 1998.
External links
- http://rchs.com/tommy_milton.htm - Website of the Ramsey County Historical Society, St Paul MN, with an online exhibit sharing photos of Milton based on an article in the Ramsey County History Quarterly.