Bayard Taylor "Bill" Sheffler (August 23, 1917 – June 28, 1949) 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 ...

active during the 1940s. Sheffler attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, where he was a pole vaulter on the track team. He began racing in Southern California, and was a dominant driver in big car races at Southern Ascot Speedway in

South Gate, California South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, with . It is located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. South Gate is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. The city was incorporated on J ...

prior to World War II. Sheffler made 15 AAA

Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2025, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar a ...

starts, including the

1946 Indianapolis 500 The 30th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1946. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new track owner Tony Hulman. The track had closed in late 1941 due to World ...

where he finished ninth, and 11 races in 1948, when he finished fourth in the National Championship. He died from injuries sustained in a practice crash prior to the 1949 Championship Car race at

Trenton Speedway Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway. Racing histor ...

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffler, Bill 1917 births 1949 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers Racing drivers from El Paso, Texas Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in New Jersey AAA Championship Car drivers 20th-century American sportsmen