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Dave Lewis

Dave Lewis, 1925. Photo is from before 1st January 1929, therefore copyright has elapsed as per US copyright law. Supplied by Kevin Hughes, originally taken by W. Frank Jones of Indianapolis.

Dave Lewis, 1925. Photo is from before 1st January 1929, therefore copyright has elapsed as per US copyright law. Supplied by Kevin Hughes, originally taken by W. Frank Jones of Indianapolis.

Born:

11 May 1881
Syracuse, New York

Died:

13 May 1928
La Jolla Lodge, San Francisquito Canyon, California

Nationality:

United States

Indy 500s:

5 (1916-1927)

Committed suicide in his cabin in the hills north of Los Angeles, when a fire started by himself got out of control. Lewis was the brother-in-law of Harry Miller who started off in the sport as a riding mechanic and was present at the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Although competitive before World War One, he was at his peak in the years after the hostilities, winning in 1919 at Uniontown's board track. A few years later Lewis virtually retired from the sport before returning to drive his brother-in-law's new front-wheel-drive design before retiring a second time after a serious crash in 1927.

Biography last updated 12 Jan 2016