Bumpy Bumpus
{{Short description|American racing driver (1914–1946)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name = Bumpy Bumpus
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Howard Leslie Bumpus
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|05|04}}
| birth_place = Brockton, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1946|06|16|1914|05|04}}
| death_place = Flemington, New Jersey, U.S.
| module1 =
{{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes
| Total_Champ_Races = 2+
| Years_In_Champ = 1
| Best_Champ_Pos = unknown (1946)
| First_Champ_Race = 1946 Altamont Race #1 (Altamont)
| Last_Champ_Race = 1946 Williams Grove Race #4
(Mechanicsburg)
| First_Champ_Win = 1946 Altamont Race #1 (Altamont)
| Champ_Wins = 1
| Champ_Podiums = 1
| Champ_Poles = 1
}}}}
Howard Leslie "Bumpy" Bumpus (May 4, 1914 – June 16, 1946) was an American racing driver from Brockton, Massachusetts.{{Cite web |title=Bumpy Bumpus |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/BumpusBumpy.htm |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=www.champcarstats.com}} Bumpus began racing in the late 1930s.
Life
In the middle of a 1940 race, Bumpus reportedly drove through a fence and walked out of the wreckage, assured the audience he was okay, and won a subsequent race in a borrowed car.{{Cite news |date=1940-09-03 |title=Four Crashes Thrill Crowd After Shower |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/athol-daily-news-four-crashes-thrill-cro/155000290/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=Athol Daily News |pages=4}}{{Cite news |date=1946-06-04 |title=Bumpus Seeks to Break Jinx |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/shamokin-news-dispatch-bumpus-seeks-to-b/154999884/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=Shamokin News-Dispatch |pages=7}}{{Cite news |date=1941-06-27 |title=Bumpy Bumpus Among Stars in Big Races |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/athol-daily-news-bumpy-bumpus-among-star/154999311/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=Athol Daily News |pages=4}}{{Cite news |date=1941-06-20 |title=Auto Races at Thompson are Slated Sunday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republican-auto-races-at-thompson-ar/155000082/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=The Republican |pages=24}} In a 1936 racing event, Bumpus first crashed into two stalled cars and then crashed into a clump of bushes.{{Cite news |date=1936-09-08 |title=Three Crashes Mark Weymouth Auto Racing |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-three-crashes-mark-weym/155000574/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=The Boston Globe |pages=6}} Bumpus was described as a fan favorite.{{Cite news |date=1941-07-05 |title=The Legion Auto Races |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/athol-daily-news-the-legion-auto-races/155000432/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |work=Athol Daily News |pages=6}} He competed in big car races that populated the anomalous American Automobile Association (AAA) sanctioned National Championship in 1946. In June 1946, Bumpus sought to end a streak of mid-race mechanical errors. Bumpy Bumpus died after crashing, either because of swerving to avoid hitting another car, or flipping due to striking the rear wheel of the race leader, during a heat race at Flemington Speedway, the 14th race of the 1946 AAA season. {{Cite news |date=1946-06-17 |title=AUTO RACE CRASH FATAL TO BUMPUS; Brockton, Mass., Driver, 32, Goes Through Fence at New Jersey Track |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/06/17/archives/auto-race-crash-fatal-to-bumpus-brockton-mass-driver-32-goes.html |access-date=2024-05-21 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Find a Grave|49394626}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bumpus, Bumpy}}
Category:AAA Championship Car drivers
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
Category:People from Brockton, Massachusetts
Category:Racing drivers from Massachusetts