William Clarence Cummings (November 11, 1906 – February 8, 1939),[1] nicknamed "Wild Bill," was an American racing driver who is known for winning the 1934 Indianapolis 500.[2]
| Bill Cummings | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cummings' winning car from the 1934 Indianapolis 500 | |||||||
| Born | William Clarence Cummings November 11, 1906 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | February 8, 1939 (aged 32) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAA Championship Car (1934) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1934) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 35 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1934) | ||||||
| First race | 1930 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last race | 1938 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
| First win | 1930 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last win | 1934 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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Death
editCummings was driving a passenger automobile on State Road 29 in Indianapolis, when he crashed through a guard rail, overturned several times and plunged 50 feet (15 m) into Lick Creek. He was pulled from the water by passers-by while still alive,[3] but died at Methodist Hospital two days later.[2]
Awards and honors
editCummings has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
Motorsports career results
editIndianapolis 500 results
edit
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References
edit- ^ "Bill Cummings". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16.
- ^ a b "Speedway race winner is dead". The Indianapolis Star. February 9, 1939. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16.
- ^ "Race winner hurt as auto goes in creek". The Indianapolis Star. February 7, 1939. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16.
- ^ "Bill Cummings". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "Bill Cummings". www.sprintcarhof.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "Bill Cummings Indianapolis 500 stats". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-30.
External links
edit- Bill Cummings - ChampCarStats.com
- Bill Cummings at Find a Grave
- Bill Cummings - Motorsport Memorial
- Bill Cummings driver statistics at Racing-Reference