The winner of the 1929 Indianapolis 500, he was killed, shortly afterwards, in a crash at Altoona, Pennsylvania, becoming the shortest lived Indianapolis 500 winner in terms of life since victory. Keech was a truck driver who took up racing around 1925, but made a rapid rise upwards. He made his name in Land Speed record attempts, most memorably in 1928 when he attempted to better Malcolm Campbell and his Bluebird-Napier and Frank Lockhart in his Blackhawk Stutz. In April 1928, he broke the World Record with an average of 207.552 miles per hour. By the end of the season, he had finished second in the AAA championship. By this time, Lockhart was dead and Keech didn't last much longer. Although he won the Indianapolis 500, Keech lost his record attempt to Henry Segrave's Golden Arrow.

Biography last updated 21 Aug 2017