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Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. The second three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1937, 1939 and 1940), he is also remembered for serving as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954.
Won the Indianapolis 500 in 1937, 1939 and 1940, becoming the first to win back-to-back races. Reorganized and directed Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s aviation division during World War II; also developed Firestone’s Channel Tread tire and the self-sealing fuel tank.
Wilbur Shaw was an American automobile-racing driver who won the Indianapolis 500 three times—1937, 1939, and 1940—and was president of the Indianapolis Speedway (1945–54). He first entered the Memorial Day classic in 1927, when he finished fourth.
Although Wilbur Shaw may be recognized as a great race driver in his own right, he is perhaps best known as the man who, with Tony Hulman, saved Indianapolis Motor Speedway from becoming an industrial park and helping to promote it into one of the world’s great motorsports facilities.
Wilbur Shaw died in an unfortunate plane crash the day before he turned 52. However, his dedication to restoring America’s most notable racetrack helped preserve an important piece of Indiana’s motorcycle and racing history.
WILBUR SHAW is one of the most important people in the history of American auto racing, not only for his accomplishments on the race track, but also because he convinced Terre Haute businessman Anton Hulman, Jr. to purchase the severely dilapidated Indianapolis Motor Speedway and save it from extinction.
Warren Wilbur Shaw at age 5 won his first race riding a goat at the county fair. He would go on to become one of the greatest open-wheel racers in history, winning the Indianapolis 500 three times and helping save the Speedway from being sold as an industrial park after World War II.
