Harry Hartz

HARRY HARTZ ranks among the most consistent Indianapolis 500 race participants of all time. He finished second as a riding mechanic for Eddie Hearne in the 1919 Indianapolis 500. Starting as a driver in 1922, he scored three seconds and two fourth-place finishes, never qualifying worse than fourth in five consecutive years. Hartz won the National Championship as a driver in 1926 and scored major victories on the board tracks at Fresno and Culver City, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He also participated in many stock car speed and endurance runs. After retiring as a driver, he enjoyed exceptional success as a car owner, fielding the Miller-Hartz Specials that Billy Arnold and Fred Frame drove to their impressive Indianapolis 500 victories in 1930 and 1932, respectively. This was followed by Ted Horn’s second-, third-, and fourth-place finishes from 1936 through 1938. For many years thereafter, Hartz served as a vice-chairman of the American Automobile Association technical committee, a role he also held with the United States Auto Club.