- Ray Keech
Ray Keech (born
May 1 ,1900 inCoatesville, Pennsylvania -June 15 1929 ) was a board track and brick track racer in the 1920s. He is best remembered for winning the 1929Indianapolis 500 , and for setting aland speed record .Career
Land speed record
Keech set the
land speed record of 207.55 mph (334.02 km/h) onApril 22 ,1928 . He set the record at theDaytona Beach Road Course in the 81-liter triple-engined internal combustionWhite Triplex 'Spirit of Elkdom'.His record was broken by
Henry Segrave onMarch 11 ,1929 . In 1929 Keech was asked by Triplex owner J. M. White to attempt to break the new record in the Triplex. Keech wisely declined. White hiredLee Bible , who rolled the car and died in his second attempt to set the record.Car racing
He won the first race at the
Michigan State Fairgrounds in 1928. He finished in second place in the season points in theAmerican Automobile Association (AAA).He qualified sixth for the 1929
Indianapolis 500 . Louis Meyer was leading the race, until he lost oil pressure on lap 157. Keech passed for the lead as Meyer's engine refused to fire after he went to the pits to get more oil. Keech led the rest of the race.He died sixteen days later in a racing accident at the Altoona 200-Mile Race in
Tipton, Pennsylvania on June 15, 1929.Death
He was buried at the Hephzibah cemetery in
Modena, Pennsylvania in Chester County.Indy 500 results
External links
* [http://www.indy500.com/stats/drivers.php?drivername=Ray%20Keech Indianapolis 500 career statistics]
* [http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers2/KeechRay.htm Champ Car statistics]
* [http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=139 Motorsports Memorial]
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