Howdy Holmes (born December 14, 1947) is an American former racing driver in the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

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 ...

series. He began racing in the early 1970s and was based in

Stockbridge, Michigan Stockbridge is a village in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Stockbridge Township about southeast from downtown Lansing. The population was 1,244 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States ...

, about southeast from downtown Lansing and northeast of

Chelsea, Michigan Chelsea is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,467 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area was first settled as early as 1820 within the Michigan Terri ...

, where his family owned a milling company. He raced in the CART series for 7 seasons (1979-1980, 1982-1985, and 1988), with 72 career starts, including the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

each of those years except 1980. He finished in the top ten 26 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1984 at Phoenix. He was the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the year in 1979, with a 7th-place finish. In 1978, he was the Formula Atlantic champion. Holmes is currently the President of

Chelsea Milling Company Jiffy is a brand of baking mixes marketed by the Chelsea Milling Company in Chelsea, Michigan, that has been producing mixes since 1930. The company was previously named Chelsea Roller Mill. They are known for their products being packaged in a ...

, his family's firm that was founded in 1901. His grandmother

Mabel White Holmes Mabel White Holmes ( – November 1977) was the inventor of Jiffy baking mixes, and president of the Chelsea Milling Company. Early life Born December 1, 1890, in Mattoon, Illinois, to mill owner E. K. White, Holmes was involved in the mill an ...

became famous for inventing the Jiffy line of baking mixes in 1930, and the family brand served as a sponsor for his cars.

Indy car career (USAC and CART)

Holmes was born in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. He would make his IndyCar debut in the

USAC National Championship From 1956 to 1978, the United States Auto Club (USAC) sanctioned Championship Car class featured the top teams and drivers in U.S. open-wheel racing. Until 1971, races included road courses, ovals, dirt courses, and, on occasion, a hill climb. ...

during

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

for AMI Racing in the No. 46 Jiffy Mixes/

Armstrong Mould Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places * Armstrong River (disambiguation), various rivers Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victor ...

Wildcat Mk. 2- Drake Goosen Sparks at the

. In the race Holmes qualified in 13th place and was the only rookie to qualify, meaning Holmes won the

rookie of the year award A Rookie of the Year award or ROY is given by a number of sports leagues to the top-performing athlete in his or her first season within the league. Athletes competing for the first time in any given league are also known as "rookies". Principal ...

. Holmes finished the race in seventh place. Holmes drove a second race, the Music 500 Presented by Musicland & Sam Goody at

Pocono International Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly known as the Pocono International Raceway in early years) is a tri-oval track in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1969, including NASCAR, IndyCar Series, and IMSA GT ...

, starting and finishing seventh. Holmes finished 12th in the USAC points, while going unranked towards the rival SCCA/CART PPG World Series due to Indianapolis counting towards the points for drivers competing in their championship. In

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

USAC and CART merged to form the Championship Racing League while also counting for points in the CART championship. Holmes returned with AMI Racing to drive the No. 43 Jiffy Mixes/

Orbitor ''Blinding'' () is a novel in three volumes by the Romanian writer Mircea Cărtărescu. It consists of the installments ''Aripa stângă'' ("The left wing") from 1996, ''Corpul'' ("The body") from 2002, and ''Aripa dreaptă'' ("The right wing") fr ...

Cosworth DFX The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had f ...

. While Holmes was attempting to qualify the car he spun out and missed the race in that car. Holmes also tried to qualify AMI's No. 45

Lola T6000-

, failing to qualify in that car also. During the season the Orbitor showed some promise, such as qualifying sixth at the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit and an eighth-place finish at the True Value 500 at

. Holmes finished 12th in the CRL/USAC standings and 22nd in the CART standings. Holmes did not compete in any races in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. In

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

Holmes drove for

Doug Shierson Racing Doug Shierson Racing is a former racing team that competed in the CART Indy car series from 1982 to 1990. The team was sponsored by Domino's Pizza for its entire run in CART. Shierson Racing won 7 Indy car races, with their biggest victory coming ...

in the No. 30

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., commonly referred to as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware-domiciled and headquartered ...

March 82C-Cosworth DFX. During the season Holmes got best finishes of fourth at the Provimi Veal Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway and fifth at the Detroit News Grand Prix at

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (formerly named as the Michigan Speedway from 1997 to 2000) is a D-shaped oval superspeedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. It has hosted various major auto racing series throughout its existence, including NASCAR, Cham ...

to finish 13th in points. During the year Holmes qualified for the

(counted towards the USAC Gold Crown Championship) to finish 10th in the race and 26th in the USAC standings. For

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

Holmes returned with

to drive the No. 30 Domino's Pizza March 83C-Cosworth. During the year Holmes got a best finish of fifth at the Cribari Wines 300K at

Laguna Seca Raceway Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for sponsorship reasons) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 ...

. Holmes also competed in the

(sanctioned by USAC, but counted for points by

), starting 12th and finishing 6th. Holmes finished 13th in the CART standings and 9th in the USAC standings. In

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Holmes joined Mayer Racing to drive the No. 41 Jiffy Mixes March 84C-Cosworth DFX. The season started off well as Holmes finished second to teammate

Tom Sneva Thomas Edsol Sneva (born June 1, 1948) is an American former race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1983. He primarily raced in Indy cars, and was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. A former math teacher and juni ...

at the Dana Jimmy Bryan 150 at

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway (formerly known as ISM Raceway from 2018–2020, Phoenix International Raceway from 1964–1973 and 1976–2017, and FasTrack International Speedway from 1973–1976) is a dogleg oval track in Avondale, Arizona. The track has ...

. Holmes then qualified second to Sneva at the

. Holmes' car suffered mechanical problems throughout the race and Holmes finished 13th, 15 laps down. The rest of the season brought some more points finishes, although none were as good as Holme's early season form. Holmes finished the season 12th in the CART points and unranked in the USAC points due to scoring no points at Indianapolis. For

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

Holmes joined

Forsythe Racing Forsythe Championship Racing was an American racing team that competed in the Champ Car, Champ Car World Series owned by Gerald Forsythe. The Champ Car effort ceased operations after the 2008 unification of North American open wheel racing. The ...

to drive the No. 33 Jiffy Mixes Lola T85/00-Cosworth DFX. Holmes got a best finish of ninth at the

Michigan 500 The Michigan 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Held from 1981 to 2001, the event was held in high prestige, constituting part of Indy car racing's 500-mile "Triple Crown". Between 19 ...

. Holmes also finished 10th at the

. The result came under some controversy as Holmes was criticized for making contact with then-second place driver and former teammate Sneva, which caused Sneva and

Rich Vogler Richard Frank Vogler (July 26, 1950 – July 21, 1990) was an American champion sprint car and midget car driver. He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich".

to crash. Following the Detroit News 200 at Michigan International Speedway Holmes was replaced by

Jan Lammers Johannes Antonius "Jan" Lammers (born 2 June 1956) is a Dutch racecar driver, most notable for winning the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans FIA World Endurance Championship, world endurance race, for Silk Cut Jaguar Cars, Jaguar/Tom Walkinshaw Racing, TW ...

. Holmes finished the season 25th in the CART standings and 10th in the USAC standings. Holmes did not compete in any races in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. In

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

Holmes drove for Morales Motorsports in the No. 21 Jiffy Mixes March 88C-Cosworth DFX. During the season Holmes got a best finish of seventh at the Quaker State 500 at Pocono International Raceway. Holmes also had a good run at the

, starting 33rd (last) and finishing 12th. Holmes finished the season with an eighth-place finish at the Nissan Indy Challenge at

Tamiami Park Tamiami Park is a public urban park in metropolitan Miami, just south of the Modesto Maidique campus of Florida International University. Background The park was built in the late 1960s on the site of the former ''Tamiami Airport'', which was ...

in what was Holmes' final Indy car race. Holmes finished 18th in the CART standings and 12th in the USAC standings.

Post racing career

After retiring from racing, Holmes became the president of

, the manufacturer of Jiffy Mixes, which was invented by Holmes' grandmother

. Holmes has also made appearances at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Legends Day (a day that honors past drivers of the

) and other times simply as a spectator or guest of

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization competing in the NTT IndyCar Series. They have formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, Global Rally ...

, of which Jiffy has been an associate sponsor since 2023.https://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/howdy-holmes-back-in-indycar-sponsor-for-chip-ganassi-racing-jiffy-mix

American open–wheel racing results

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

( key)

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

CART/Champ Car World Series

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) : ¹ Replaced by

Jerry Sneva Jerry Sneva (May 23, 1949 – January 27, 2018) was an American race driver who drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1977-1982 seasons, with 26 combined career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1977-1980 and ...

: ² Race was delayed six days due to rain in the area. The qualified cars of Holmes,

Johnny Rutherford John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 start ...

Dick Ferguson Dick Ferguson (March 16, 1950 in Los Angeles, California – September 26, 2010) was a driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1979-1985 and 1987-1988 seasons, with 26 career starts, including the 1980 Indianapolis 500 ...

, and

Chip Ganassi Floyd "Chip" Ganassi Jr. (born May 24, 1958) is an American businessman, former racing driver, current team owner and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scene for over 30 ye ...

did not return to the rescheduled race.

Indianapolis 500 results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Howdy Living people Champ Car drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year Atlantic Championship drivers Racing drivers from Michigan SCCA Formula Super Vee drivers SCCA National Championship Runoffs participants Forsythe Racing drivers 1947 births Sportspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan