William Clarence Cummings (November 11, 1906 – February 8, 1939), nicknamed "Wild Bill," was an American
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
who is known for winning the
1934 Indianapolis 500.
Death
Cummings was driving a passenger automobile on State Road 29 in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, when he crashed through a guard rail, overturned several times and plunged into Lick Creek. He was pulled from the water by passers-by while still alive, but died at
Methodist Hospital two days later.
Awards and honors
Cummings has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
*
Auto Racing Hall of Fame
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is an automotive museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, which houses the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. It is intrinsically linked to the Ind ...
(1970)
*
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (2020)
Motorsports career results
Indianapolis 500 results
References
External links
Bill Cummings - ChampCarStats.com*
Bill Cummings - Motorsport Memorial*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Bill
1906 births
1939 deaths
Racing drivers from Indianapolis
Champ Car champions
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Indianapolis 500 polesitters
Indianapolis 500 winners
AAA Championship Car drivers
20th-century American sportsmen
Road incident deaths in Indiana