Tommy Milton

TOMMY MILTON was the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 twice; his 1921 win with a Chevrolet Brothers-built Frontenac Special was followed two years later with an HCS-sponsored Miller entered by Harry Stutz. Milton is credited with 23 National Championship race wins from 1917 through 1925. In addition to winning the American Automobile Association National title in 1921, he also was runner-up in 1920, 1922, and 1925. He helped design, finance, and build a twin-engine Duesenberg, which he drove to a new record of 156.046 miles per hour for the measured mile over the sands of Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1920. He also developed the Detroit front-drive special that raced at Indianapolis and was the basis for the Miller-Hartz Special that Fred Frame drove to victory in the 1932 Indianapolis 500. During his later years as an engineer for Packard, Milton was invited to drive the Packard pace car at Indianapolis in 1936 and agreed with the suggestion that the car should be presented to the winning driver after the race. That tradition, with some slight modifications, continues today. From 1949 through 1952, Milton served as Chief Steward for the “500.”