Wilbur Shaw (1902-1954). American racing driver and executive. Three time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1937,1939, 1940), and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw, who worked as a tire tester for Firestone and automobile test driver and reviewer for Popular Science magazine following his racing career, is known for rescuing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from destruction. Due to the ban on racing during World War II, Shaw found the track in severe disrepair when he used it to test Firestone's new tires in 1945. He confronted track owner Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War I ace and president of Eastern Air Lines, who told him he was preparing to demolish the facility and sell the land to a housing developer. Recognizing the historic and cultural importance of the speedway and its flagship race, Shaw personally prepared a prospectus and marketed it to potential buyers. He found a buyer in Terre Haute businessman Tony Hulman, who then appointed Shaw president, and the two worked together to make the make the track the premier auto racing venue in the world. Due to their efforts, the Indianapolis 500 is now billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing and draws over 400,000 spectators every Memorial Day weekend. Lot includes: a folder containing a typewritten draft of Shaw's offer of sale, dated June 5, 1945; a typewritten draft of the sale agreement between Rickenbacker and Hulman; a Firestone tire schematic, dated 1946, titled Tire Profile for 400 MPH Run, with accompanying documents and other trade documents directed to Shaw; two photographs of Shaw social event; typewritten drafts and correspondence regarding Shaw's article on automobile testing published in the 1952 edition of The Story of Our Time; and several newspaper clippings related to Shaw and his positions with the speedway and Firestone.
Wilbur Shaw (1902-1954). American racing driver and executive. Three time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1937,1939, 1940), and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw, who worked as a tire tester for Firestone and automobile test driver and reviewer for Popular Science magazine following his racing career, is known for rescuing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from destruction. Due to the ban on racing during World War II, Shaw found the track in severe disrepair when he used it to test Firestone's new tires in 1945. He confronted track owner Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War I ace and president of Eastern Air Lines, who told him he was preparing to demolish the facility and sell the land to a housing developer. Recognizing the historic and cultural importance of the speedway and its flagship race, Shaw personally prepared a prospectus and marketed it to potential buyers. He found a buyer in Terre Haute businessman Tony Hulman, who then appointed Shaw president, and the two worked together to make the make the track the premier auto racing venue in the world. Due to their efforts, the Indianapolis 500 is now billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing and draws over 400,000 spectators every Memorial Day weekend. Lot includes: a folder containing a typewritten draft of Shaw's offer of sale, dated June 5, 1945; a typewritten draft of the sale agreement between Rickenbacker and Hulman; a Firestone tire schematic, dated 1946, titled Tire Profile for 400 MPH Run, with accompanying documents and other trade documents directed to Shaw; two photographs of Shaw social event; typewritten drafts and correspondence regarding Shaw's article on automobile testing published in the 1952 edition of The Story of Our Time; and several newspaper clippings related to Shaw and his positions with the speedway and Firestone.
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