Deacon Litz

Artha Benson "Deacon" Litz (August 2, 1897 in DuBois, Pennsylvania – January 3, 1967 in Daytona Beach, Florida) was an American racecar driver active primarily during the 1920s and 1930s.

Personal life

Litz was a hotel-keeper by trade, and was said to weigh 16 stone (224 pounds).[1]

Due to his fame as a racecar driver, he appeared in the 1929 silent film Speedway.[2]

Racing career

Litz participated, and came 10th in the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup.[3]

Indy 500 results

Litz was the first person to apply to be in the 1935 Indy 500, putting in his application six months before the race date.[1]

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1928 23 17 106.213 23 14 161 0 Flagged 1929 26 9 114.526 10 24 56 49 Rod 1930 12 31 105.755 8 30 22 0 Crash T3 1931 5 4 111.531 7 17 177 0 Crash T1 1932 24 19 109.546 31 18 152 0 Rod 1933 26 14 113.138 17 16 197 0 Flagged 1934 12 19 113.731 14 4 200 0 Running 1935 16 13 114.488 18 8 200 0 Running 1936 15 26 115.997 13 23 108 0 Crankshaft 1937 35 11 116.372 33 14 191 0 Out of oil 1939 53 31 117.979 31 33 7 0 Valve 1941 32 29 123.440 15 22 89 0 Oil trouble Totals 1560 49

Starts 12 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 1 Top 10 2 Retired 8

References

1. "First Indianapolis Entry". Referee. 31 January 1935. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
2. "The Show's the Thing". Truth. 6 April 1930. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
3. "The Vanderbilt Cup: The Inaugural American Roadrace". Sydney Mail. 25 November 1036. Retrieved 26 January 2019.