October 4, 1892 - November 25, 1920
Gaston Chevrolet
Gaston Chevrolet
Born in Beaune, Côte-d'Or, France.
He was the younger brother of Louis, founder of the Chevrolet car company and Arthur Chevrolet. After brother Louis emigrated to the United States and earned enough money, he sent for Gaston and Arthur to join him. Once there, Gaston worked as an automotive mechanic and joined his brothers in auto racing.
In 1916, the year after older brother Louis left the Chevrolet car company, Gaston Chevrolet became a partner with Louis and Arthur in the new Frontenac Motor Corporation. Driving a Frontenac race car, Chevrolet competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500, finishing in tenth place while brother Louis finished seventh.
Gaston Chevrolet broke the dominance of European built cars in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race in a redesigned Monroe-Frontenac on May 31, 1920. In the process, he became the first driver in the history of the 500-mile race to go the distance without making a tire change.
Gaston Chevrolet (Louis to the left) in the Frontenac powered Monroe Indy 500 winner 1920
Following his victory at Indianapolis, Chevrolet raced in several more events. He won a 100-mile match race against top racers Tommy Milton, ironically driving a Chevrolet race car and Ralph Mulford.
With the coming of winter in late 1920, racing moved to the West Coast. While competing in the last race of the season on the board track at the Beverly Hills Speedway, Chevrolet was killed when his Frontenac crashed on lap 146 of the 200 lap race. Chevrolet was trying to pass Joe Thomas, who was driving the inside, when his car struck Eddie O’Donnell’s, driving the outside. O’Donnell’s car fell down the ramp, and Chevrolet’s went upward, tore out some fence and then fell back, right on top of the wreckage of O’Donnell’s car. The crash killed Chevrolet, O’Donnell and Lyall Jolls, O’Donnell’s riding mechanic. Chevrolet’s mechanic (or mechanician, in The New York Times language of the day), John Bresnahan, suffered serious injuries. Despite the crash, Chevrolet had accumulated enough points during the race and through the season to win the 1920 title of "Speed King of the Year" (the AAA National Champion). Chevrolet is considered by accredited historians and contemporary accounts as the true 1920 National Champion despite later revisionist publications retrospectively listing Tommy Milton as such.
Chevrolet is interred next to his brothers in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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