Pete Kreis

American racing driver (1900–1934)
Pete Kreis
Kreis, circa 1926
BornAlbert Jacob Kreis
(1900-01-19)January 19, 1900
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMay 25, 1934(1934-05-25) (aged 34)
Speedway, Indiana, U.S.
Champ Car career
27 races run over 10 years
Best finish9th (1926)
First race1925 Culver City 250 #1 (Culver City)
Last race1933 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 2 0

Albert Jacob "Pete" Kreis (January 19, 1900 – May 25, 1934)[1] was an American racing driver. Kreis was a wealthy contractor who took a month off each year to drive in the 500.[2]

Death

Kreis and his riding mechanic Robert Hahn were killed while practicing for the 1934 Indianapolis 500. As they were coming out of the southwest turn, Kreis lost control of his front-drive car, which smashed into and mounted the outside wall and from there tumbled 15 feet (4.6 m) before hitting a tree. Kreis, who was thrown from the car, was killed instantly. Hahn died shortly thereafter.[3]

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1925 38 9 106.338 10 8 200 0 Running
1927 9 12 109.900 16 17 123 0 Front axle
1928 32 19 112.906 11 22 73 0 Rod bearing
1929 4 17 112.528 14 16 91 0 Engine seized
1932 18 17 110.270 29 15 178 0 Crash T1
1933 2 11 114.370 14 32 63 0 Universal joint
Totals 728 0
Starts 6
Poles 0
Front Row 0
Wins 0
Top 5 0
Top 10 1
Retired 5

[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pete Kreis.
  1. ^ "Motorsport Memorial - Pete Kreis". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  2. ^ Ritt, William H. (May 29, 1934). "The Billboard". Lafayette Journal and Courier. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16.
  3. ^ "Pete Kreis, one of greatest racers and best sports of international tracks, killed in speedway crash". The Knoxville Journal. May 26, 1934. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01.
  4. ^ "Peter Kreis Indianapolis 500 stats". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06.

External links

  • Louis Meyer biography from the show "The Indy 500, a Race For Heroes" (requires download of software to watch) Kreis accident can be seen at approximately 8 minutes, 35 seconds in.
  • Pete Kreis at Find a Grave