William Joseph "Billy" Garrett (April 24, 1933 in

Princeton, Illinois Princeton is a city in and the county seat of Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,832 at the 2020 census. Princeton is part of the Ottawa, Illinois, Ottawa Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, Micropolitan Statistic ...

– February 15, 1999 in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

) was an American

racecar 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 ...

. A second generation driver (his father, John, competed in roadsters and sprint cars in California), Billy Garrett began his career racing roadsters and midgets in Southern California, and was the 1955 & 1956 URA

midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with d ...

champion. He made 18 starts in USAC Championship races from 1956 through 1958, winning the pole position at

Langhorne Speedway Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. According to the book ''Langhorne! No Man's Land'' by L. Spencer Riggs: "With ...

in 1956. He suffered career ending injuries in a crash during the 1958 Rex Mays 100 at the Wisconsin State Fair Speedway. Garrett was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Indy 500 results

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Billy Garrett participated in 2 World Championship races. He started on the pole 0 times, won 0 races, set 0 fastest laps, and finished on the podium 0 times. He accumulated a total of 0 championship points.

References

1933 births 1999 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers People from Princeton, Illinois Racing drivers from Illinois {{US-autoracing-bio-stub