| Bill Schindler | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | William Lawrence Schindler (1909-03-06)March 6, 1909 Middletown, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | September 20, 1952(1952-09-20) (aged 43) Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 29 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 10th (1950) | ||||||
| First race | 1935 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last race | 1952 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
| First win | 1952 Springfield 100 (Springfield) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Active years | 1950–1952 | ||||||
| Teams | Snowberger,Kurtis Kraft,Stevens | ||||||
| Entries | 3 | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 0 | ||||||
| Careerpoints | 0 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last entry | 1952 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
William Lawrence Schindler (March 6, 1909 – September 20, 1952) was an Americanracing driver.[1][2]
Schindler began racing in 1931 in asprint car.[3] He was racingmidget cars on the East Coast of the United States at their introduction in 1934.[4] Schindler lost his left leg from above the knee while racing in a Champ car race in 1936 atMineola, Long Island.[3][4] He is one of three drivers to have participated in the Indianapolis 500 with aprosthetic leg, along withAl Miller andCal Niday.[5]
Schindler was part of a group determined to keep theAAA out of the East Coast in 1937. He was elected president of the "outlaw" group. Schindler briefly switched to the AAA in 1940, and won theBronx Coliseum Indoor championship. He returned to his "outlaw" past when he was named the president of the newly formedAmerican Racing Drivers Club (ARDC).[3][4] He served as president for the club's first six years.[3] Schindler won ARDC championships in 1940, 1945, 1946 and 1948.[4] In both 1947 and 1948 he won 53 midget car feature races,[3] which helped bring popularity to midget car racing in the Northeastern United States.[6]
Schindler rejoined the AAA so he could race in theIndianapolis 500 in1950,1951, and1952.[4]
TheAAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in theFIAWorld Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards theAAA/USACNational Championship.
Schindler participated in three World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. His best finish was 13th place,[1] and he scored no World Drivers' Championship points.
Schindler died in asprint car racing crash inAllentown, Pennsylvania, in 1952. Schindler was leading the race on the third lap when a car driven by Paul Becker lost a wheel and skidded into the fence. He did not see the "go slow" sign that was immediately waved after Becker's crash and his blackOffenhauser hit the wheel, crashed through the fence and tumbled down a 20-foot embankment. He was killed instantly.[7]
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | INDY 26 | MIL 18 | LAN 16 | SPR 12 | MIL 22 | PIK | SYR DNS | DET 15 | SPR 15 | SAC 2 | PHX DNQ | BAY 3 | DAR 2 | 10th | 690 | ||
| 1951 | INDY 13 | MIL 16 | LAN 2 | DAR 21 | SPR 3 | MIL 4 | DUQ 12 | DUQ | PIK | SYR 8 | DET | DNC DNP | SJS | PHX 8 | BAY 9 | 11th | 693.5 |
| 1952 | INDY 14 | MIL 3 | RAL 23 | SPR 1 | MIL 2 | DET 13 | DUQ 14 | PIK | SYR 16 | DNC | SJS | PHX | 11th | 660 | |||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vet driver hits wheel on track