Died from injuries sustained in a crash during an AAA championship race. Real name was Bayard Taylor Sheffler, named after his grandfather. Although born in Texas, Sheffler lived most of his life in California, having moved there with his parents when he was six months old. He graduated as an engineer from the University of Southern California, and as well as racing, he was excellent at the pole vault. Sheffler's work away from racing, which was a hobby, was running a cafe in Los Angeles. When Sheffler died, he had been racing for twelve years, taking a world record for the speed of one lap on a five-eights mile track in 1946. He died after a radius rod broke and sent his car crashing.

Biography last updated 5 Feb 2017