Willard Leo "Bill" "Billy" Cantrell (December 6, 1914 – February 6, 1986) was a

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 ...

, sprint, and

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver from

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

. He was nicknamed the "Silver Fox" for his gray hair and sly tricks.Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame

Racing career

He started racing jalopies in 1936 in Southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He raced midgets with the United Midget Association (UMA) in 1939. He drove for over fifty midgets in 1940 and 1941 trying to find a winning car. He found that car in 1942, and he won 15 races in his second-place points finish in the UMA. Cantrell won over 120 main events between 1945 and 1964 in United Racing Association, AAA, and USAC races. He won the 1962 Turkey Night Grand Prix. He won the 1947 URA Red Circuit Title in 1947 and series overall championship in 1951 and 1952. He won 18 sprint car races in the California Racing Association. In 1953, he made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for 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 ...

. Cantrell made two

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

starts. He started the second and final NASCAR event held at Willow Springs Speedway in

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...

in 1956 (the race counted for the 1957 season championship), and at Riverside International Raceway in 1965.NASCAR driving statistics
Retrieved January 12, 2008 He became the West Coast supervisor for USAC, and he was a starter for the USRC midget club after he retired. He was inducted into the

National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is an American Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summe ...

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantrell, Willard 1914 births 1986 deaths NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Anaheim, California Racing drivers from California