Tommy Milton

American racing driver (1893–1962)
Tommy Milton
Milton, circa 1919
BornThomas Willard Milton
(1893-11-14)November 14, 1893
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJuly 10, 1962(1962-07-10) (aged 68)
Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
Championship titles
AAA Championship Car (1921)
Major victories
Indianapolis 500 (1921, 1923)
Champ Car career
102 races run over 12 years
Best finish1st (1921)
First race1916 Des Moines 150 (Des Moines)
Last race1927 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win1917 25-mile Race
(Narragansett Park)
Last win1925 Charlotte 250 (Charlotte)
Wins Podiums Poles
20 50 5

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

Milton was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 14, 1893.

Racing career

Milton in his race car at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1920

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

Milton with Barney Oldfield and Louis Chevrolet before the 1921 Indianapolis 500
Milton's winning car from the 1923 Indianapolis 500

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

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

Milton died in 1962 in Mount Clemens, Michigan, at the age of 68 of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.[5]

Awards and honors

Milton has been inducted into the following halls of fame:

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tommy Milton.
  1. ^ Pearce, William (27 July 2015). "Duesenberg-Milton Land Speed Record Car". oldmachinepress.com. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Driver Tommy Milton 1921 AAA Champ Car Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "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. ...
  5. ^ The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, FL). July 11, 1962.
  6. ^ "Tommy Milton". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  7. ^ Tribune, Joel Rippel Star. "Tommy Milton: Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 1958". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  8. ^ "Tommy Milton". www.sprintcarhof.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  9. ^ "Tommy Milton". www.mshf.com. Retrieved 2023-10-16.

Further reading

  • Trimble, Steven C., Tommy Milton "St. Paul's Speed King", Ramsey County History Quarterly V42 #4, Ramsey County Historical Society, St Paul, MN, 2008.

External links

  • Tommy Milton - ChampCarStats.com
  • Tommy Milton at Find a Grave
  • Tommy Milton - Motorsport Memorial
  • Tommy Milton driver statistics at Racing-Reference
  • Tommy Milton - Ramsey County Historical Society
Preceded by Indianapolis 500 Winner
1921 		Succeeded by
Jimmy Murphy
Preceded by
Jimmy Murphy
 Indianapolis 500 Winner
1923 		Succeeded by
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