Frank Stallworth Lockhart (March 5, 1903[1] or March 8, 1903[2] – April 25, 1928) was an American racing driver active in the 1920s, considered by many historians to be a legend in the sport on par with Jim Clark, 1960s British World Drivers' Champion.[3] During a "remarkable if all too short" career,[3] Lockhart won numerous races on both dirt and board tracks, and the 1926 Indianapolis 500. In all, he scored nine AAA championship race wins and two vice-championships in two years of competition.[4] Having set a world land speed record at the Muroc dry lake in April 1927, Lockhart was killed during another speed record attempt at Daytona Beach a year later.[5]
| Frank Lockhart | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lockhart in 1927 | |||||||
| Born | Frank Stallworth Lockhart March 8, 1903 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 25, 1928 (aged 25) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1926) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 24 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1926, 1927) | ||||||
| First race | 1926 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1927 75-mile Race (Rockingham Park) | ||||||
| First win | 1926 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last win | 1927 75-mile Race (Rockingham Park) | ||||||
| |||||||
Driving career
editLockhart was raised in Southern California. He had a strong engineering and motor building ability that he used to build custom cars throughout his career.[5]
Lockhart began his career in Frontenac-prepared Fords (Fronty Fords) at dirt track events, where he showed remarkable speed against the dominating Duesenbergs and Millers for two seasons.[6]
1926
editLockhart's big break came when he was signed as a relief driver for Pete Kreis's eight-cylinder supercharged Miller at the 1926 Indianapolis 500.[5] He convinced Kreis to allow him to take some "warm up" laps, and he clocked quicker times than Kreis (120.919 mph (194.600 km/h)}). He set a new unofficial track record on his first official qualifying lap (a three-lap average was used to set a track record). He cut down a tire and crashed on the second qualifying lap. He also had mechanical problems on his second attempt. He slowed down on his third and final attempt, and qualified 20th overall with a speed of 95.780 mph (154.143 km/h). On race day, he moved from 20th to fifth by Lap 5, having passed 14 cars on that lap alone.[5] He moved up to second on Lap 16.[5] Lockhart took the lead from Dave Lewis shortly after a rain delay on Lap 72. Lewis and Lockhart battled for the lead for the next 20 laps, until Lewis dropped out.[5] Lockhart nearly stretched out a two-lap lead before rain ended the race on Lap 160,[6] becoming the fourth rookie to win the Indianapolis 500.
Lockhart bought the car. He later bought a second Miller car, and he set track records almost everywhere he went. He won four more AAA championship races in 1926, and finished second in the standings.[4][5]
1927
editLockhart's car was the first car equipped with an intercooler. The intercooler added 8 mph (13 km/h) to his speed at his first race at Culver City in March with Lockhart finishing fourth after starting from the pole position.
Lockhart qualified on the pole for the 1927 Indianapolis 500 in his Perfect Circle Miller. He led the opening 81 laps, and a full 107 before his car broke a connecting rod, setting an opening lap-leader record that stood for 64 years. He won four AAA championship races in 1927, and repeated the vice-championship.[4][5]
Championship car career summary
editIn his racing career Lockhart set the all-time qualifying speed record at the Atlantic City Speedway, a record first exceeded at Indianapolis in 1960.
He competed in 22 board track races in his career, with eight wins and fourteen Top 5 finishes,[4] and is 25th on the all-time lap leader board at Indianapolis.
Land speed record and death
editOn April 11, 1927,[7] Lockhart took one of his tiny 91 cubic inch (1491 cc) supercharged, intercooled[6] Millers out at the Muroc dry lake and set a land speed record of 160.01 mph (257.51 km/h) for a two-way average in the mile (1.6 km), with a peak speed of 171 mph (275 km/h).[6]
Backed by Stutz Motor Company, Lockhart combined two supercharged 91 ci (1.5 L) DOHC Miller motors, producing about 380 hp (280 kW),[6][8] the smallest-displacement car ever to make the attempt,[9] to set a new land speed record in the 122–183 cubic inch (2–3 litre) class at Daytona Beach. On April 25, 1928, Lockhart's Stutz Black Hawk Special streamliner (named for the Indiana town that was home to Stutz's factory[6]) turned a warmup run of 198.29 mph (319.12 km/h), with his first official pass at 203.45 mph (327.42 km/h),[6] well below the 207.552 mph (334.023 km/h) mark set earlier in the year by Ray Keech in his 81-litre (4178 ci) Triplex Special.[6][8] On Lockhart's return pass the Black Hawk Special right rear tire exploded due to a blister which had formed during his first pass at speed,[10] went out of control and tumbled violently across the sand, throwing Lockhart from the car and killing him instantly.[5][6][11][12][13]
Awards and honors
editLockhart has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
Motorsports career results
editIndianapolis 500 results
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003". FamilySearch.
- ^ "Florida Deaths, 1877-1939". FamilySearch.
- ^ a b Morgan-Wu, Sarah; O'Keefe, James (2012). "Introduction". Frank Lockhart: American Speed King. Racemaker Press, American Racing History Series. pp. ix.
- ^ a b c d "Frank Lockhart". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Retrieved March 15, 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Mike Twite, "Frank Lockhart" in Tom Northey, ed., World of Automobiles (London: Orbis Publishing Ltd, 1974), Volume 11, p.1210
- ^ Classic Cars in Profile (Doubleday, 1968) p. 12
- ^ a b Tom Northey, "Land Speed Record", op. cit., Volume 10, p.1164.
- ^ David Burgess Wise, "Stutz", op. cit., Volume 19, p.2230.
- ^ Sarah Morgan-Wu & James O'Keefe, Frank Lockhart American Speed King
- ^ Bradley Price. "83 Years ago Today: Frank Lockhart loses his life in the Stutz Black Hawk Special (Automobiliac, April 24, 2011)". Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ Dieselpunks. "Stutz Blackhawk Special (Dieselpunks.org, December 10, 2010)". Retrieved 2011-12-15.
- ^ "A Tragedy Of Speed" (newsreel). British Pathé News. 7 May 1928.
- ^ "Frank Lockhart". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
- ^ "Frank Lockhart". www.sprintcarhof.com. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
- ^ "Frank Lockhart". www.mshf.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
- ^ "Frank Lockhart Indianapolis 500 stats". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-30.