American racing driver (1893?1962)
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
[
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]
Milton was born in
St. Paul, Minnesota
, on November 14, 1893.
Racing career
[
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]
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
[
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]
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
[
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]
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
[
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Milton died in 1962 in
Mount Clemens, Michigan
, at the age of 68 of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
[5]
Awards and honors
[
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]
Milton has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
Motorsports career results
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Indianapolis 500 results
[
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]
Year
|
Car
|
Start
|
Qual
|
Rank
|
Finish
|
Laps
|
Led
|
Retired
|
1919
|
9
|
31
|
89.900
|
31
|
25
|
50
|
0
|
Rod
|
1920
|
10
|
11
|
90.200
|
11
|
3
|
200
|
0
|
Running
|
1921
|
2
|
20
|
93.050
|
11
|
1
|
200
|
90
|
Running
|
1922
|
8
|
24
|
94.400
|
15
|
24
|
44
|
0
|
Gas tank
|
1923
|
1
|
1
|
108.170
|
1
|
1
|
200
|
128
|
Running
|
1924
|
5
|
3
|
105.200
|
3
|
21
|
110
|
0
|
Gas tank
|
1925
|
4
|
11
|
104.366
|
13
|
5
|
200
|
0
|
Running
|
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
|
|
References
[
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]
- ^
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
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]
External links
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]
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