Wilbur shaw jr

Wilbur shaw plane crash
Warren wilbur burial site
Wilbur Shaw is one of the most important people in the history of American auto racing, not only for his accomplishments on the race track.

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Wilbur Shaw

American racing driver (1902–1954)

Wilbur Shaw

Shaw on the cover of El Gráfico magazine, 1940

Born

Warren Wilbur Shaw
(1902-10-31)October 31, 1902
Shelbyville, Indiana, U.S.

Died

October 30, 1954(1954-10-30) (aged 51)
Decatur, Indiana, U.S.

AAAChampionship Car (1937, 1939)
Major victories
Indianapolis 500 (1937, 1939, 1940)

38 races run over 15 years

Best finish

1st (1937, 1939)

First race

1927Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)

Last race

1941Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)

First win

1929 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse)

Last win

1940Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)

Wins	Podiums	Poles
6	12	1

Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. The second three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1937, 1939 and 1940), he is also remembered for serving as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954.

Early life

Shaw was born in Shelbyville, Indiana on October 31, 1902.^[1]

Racing career

Shaw first pa

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Warren Wilbur Shaw at age 5 won his first race riding a goat at the county fair. He would go on to become one of the greatest open-wheel racers in history, winning the Indianapolis 500 three times and helping save the Speedway from being sold as an industrial park after World War II.

Wilbur started racing in the early 1920's and finished fourth in his first try at Indianapolis. In 1931 he drove a Duesenberg over the third turn wall, wiping out the car. Suffering only bruises, Shaw later relieved the driver of an identical team car. Competitors were stunned when Shaw's "ghost" passed them again in turn three, this time staying on the track.

The turning point in his career came in 1936 when he decided that ownership of his cars was key to winning the annual classic. After placing seventh in that year's "500", leading in a dominant role, he returned to win in 1937.

Impressed with the European machinery at the Roosevelt Raceway revivals of the Vanderbilt Cup, he persuaded Mike Boyle, A Chicago industrialist, to sponsor a Maserati, which was altered for the Speedway, with everything

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Who Was Wilbur Shaw?

Although Wilbur Shaw was president of the Indiana Motor Speedway for not quite a decade, he played a key role in restoring it to its former glory. He was passionate about auto racing, motorcycles, and a beautiful track where fellow fans could gather. Though known as an automobile racer, Wilbur Shaw’s contributions to racing as a sport and the restoration of the Indianapolis Speedway helped promote the sport of motorcycle racing in Indiana.

Wilbur Shaw: Racing Legend

Warren Wilbur Shaw was born in October of 1902 in the great state of Indiana. He entered the world at the time that racing was beginning to take off, and throughout his childhood, he enjoyed running, cycling, and even goat racing. By the time he turned 18, Wilbur Shaw had decided that he wanted to build race cars as his career. He promised himself that he would work hard and one day he would win the Indianapolis 500.

After he won his very first race in 1921, Shaw began intense training, winning many Midwest races using automobiles that he built himself. In 1927, he competed in his first I