| Wilbur Shaw | |||||||
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._-_El_Gr%25C3%25A1fico_1092.jpg) Shaw on the cover ofEl Gráfico magazine, 1940 | |||||||
| Born | Warren Wilbur Shaw (1902-10-31)October 31, 1902 Shelbyville, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | October 30, 1954(1954-10-30) (aged 51) Decatur, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAAChampionship Car (1937,1939) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1937,1939,1940) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 38 races run over 15 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1937,1939) | ||||||
| First race | 1927Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1941Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1929 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
| Last win | 1940Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an Americanracing driver. The second three-time winner of theIndianapolis 500 (1937, 1939 and 1940), he is also remembered for serving as president of theIndianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954.
Shaw was born inShelbyville, Indiana on October 31, 1902. At 16, he moved to Indianapolis and found work in multiple automotive-related jobs.[1]
Shaw first participated in the1927 Indianapolis 500. He eventually won theIndianapolis 500 race three times, in 1937, 1939, and 1940.[2] Shaw was the second person to win the 500 three times, and the first to win it twice in a row.[1] In 1939 and 1940, he won driving aMaserati 8CTF named the 'Boyle Special.'[3] In the 1941 race, Shaw was injured when his car crashed; it was later discovered that a defective wheel had been placed on his car.
DuringWorld War II, Shaw was hired by the tire manufacturerFirestone Tire and Rubber Company to test asynthetic rubber automobile tire at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), which had been closed due to the war. He was dismayed at the dilapidated condition of the racetrack and quickly contacted then-ownerEddie Rickenbacker, theWorld War I flying ace and president and founder ofEastern Air Lines. When the United States enteredWorld War II, ending racing at Indianapolis and elsewhere for the duration, Rickenbacker padlocked the gates, and the race course slowly begin to disintegrate.
During a meeting soon after the test, Rickenbacker informed Shaw that what was left of the track would be demolished and the land turned into a housingsubdivision. Shaw sent out letters to the major car manufacturers trying to find a backer to buy the speedway. However, all indicated that should they buy the IMS they would turn it into a private testing facility for their own cars only.
Shaw then metTerre Haute businessmanTony Hulman who had inherited his family's business,Hulman & Company, a wholesale grocer and producer of coffee and baking powder,Clabber Girl.
A lifelong fan of automobile racing in general and the "500" in particular, Hulman listened with great interest to what Shaw had to say. Despite what Hulman saw amongst the weeds and deterioration when Shaw took him to Indianapolis, he purchased the Speedway from Rickenbacker in November 1945 for the sum of $750,000.[2]
As a reward for his efforts to revive the Speedway, Shaw was appointed as its president, where he would have complete day-to-day control over the track. To this job, Shaw brought his extensive knowledge of the business of auto racing, something Hulman would admit that he himself didn't have, and Shaw's hard work only cemented the reputation of the "500" as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
It seemed as though Shaw and Hulman had a "Midas touch" at the Speedway. Hulman poured money into improvements, and Shaw delivered the world's greatest automobile race to enthusiastic crowds, which grew in number by the year. The Indianapolis "500" of the late Forties and early Fifties was a very special event through the work of Hulman and Shaw, although Hulman was always sure to point out that it was Wilbur putting it all together.
Shaw was killed in an airplane crash nearDecatur, Indiana, on October 30, 1954, one day before his fifty-second birthday. The pilot, Ray Grimes, 40, and Ernest Roose, 41, who was the motorways official artist, were also killed. After his death he left behind a wife, Cathleen "boots" Stearns and a 9-year-old Warren Wilbur Shaw JR, or "Bill".[1]
Shaw was the automotive test evaluator forPopular Science magazine. As the automotive test evaluator, Shaw's articles were superior to those of his contemporaries in that they gave consistently accurate reports without relying onPopular Science's lead in the marketplace over competitors such asMechanix Illustrated.
Shaw's highly regarded autobiography, "Gentlemen, Start your Engines," was published in 1955, and covers events through 1953.
As of 2025, he is the last Indiana native to win the Indianapolis 500.
Shaw has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
Shaw has been awarded the following honors:
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Shaw began racing on dirt tracks in his teens and made his first appearance at the Indianapolis track in 1927 He came in fourth in that first race. ...[permanent dead link]
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 1937 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 1939-1940 | Succeeded by |
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