Stubby Stubblefield

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Stubby Stubblefield

| image = Stubby Stubblefield cph.3a03810.jpg

| caption = Stubblefield and mechanic Otto Wolfer at the 1932 Indianapolis 500

| birth_name = Hartwell Wilburn Stubblefield

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|12|28}}

| birth_place = Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1935|05|21|1907|12|28}}

| death_place = Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

| module1 =

{{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes

| Total_Champ_Races = 11

| Years_In_Champ = 6

| Best_Champ_Pos = 5th (1933)

| First_Champ_Race = 1930 Detroit 100 (Detroit)

| Last_Champ_Race = 1934 Mines Field Race (Mines Field)

| First_Champ_Win = 1932 Roby 100 (Roby)

| Champ_Wins = 1

| Champ_Podiums = 2

| Champ_Poles = 0

}}}}

Hartwell Wilburn "Stubby" Stubblefield (possibly born Wilburn Hartwell Stubblefield, {{c.}} December 28, 1907 – May 21, 1935) was an American racing driver. He was killed practicing for the 1935 Indianapolis 500.

Birth detail confusion

Some sources give his birthdate as December 28, 1909, but most sources say 1907 with no month or day specified. Furthermore, a newspaper article states that he was 27 years old at the time of his death,{{cite news|title=Two Auto Race Drivers and One Mechanic Die in Speedway Crashes |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=39kmAAAAIBAJ&pg=6669%2C1783062|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|date=May 22, 1935|accessdate=2016-03-28|location=Spokane, Washington|agency=Associated Press}} which implies a birthdate between May 22, 1907 and May 21, 1908. At the time of his death, his home was in Los Angeles. Some sources say that he was born in Los Angeles, but most say that he was born in Oklahoma. The 1910 United States Census lists him as being the age of two when his family was recorded on April 25, 1910, and living in Oklahoma City.{{cite United States census | url = | title = 13th Census of the United States| year = 1910| location = Oklahoma City, Oklahoma| roll = | page = 2701 | line = 18 | enumdist = 0023 | filmnum = | nafilm = | accessdate = 2020-06-07}}

Death

Stubblefield was the first driver ever killed during a qualification attempt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he and Leo Whitaker (his riding mechanic) struck a wall on a time trial run; both were killed.{{cite web|title= W.H. 'Stubby' Stubblefield |format= PDF |website= National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum |url= http://www.sprintcarhof.com/FileGet.aspx?ID=130 |accessdate= 2016-03-28}} At the time of the crash, their speed was about 116 miles per hour. He is buried at Angeles Abbey Memorial Park, Compton, California.

Awards and honors

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1997.

Motorsports career results

= Indianapolis 500 results =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Year{{Cite web \|url=http://www.indy500.com/stats/drivers.php?drivername=Stubby%20Stubblefield \|title=Stubby Stubblefield Indy 500 Race Stats \|access-date=2007-01-18 \|archive-date=2007-09-27 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927182013/http://www.indy500.com/stats/drivers.php?drivername=Stubby%20Stubblefield \|url-status=dead }} !Car !Start !Qual !Rank !Finish !Laps !Led !Retired
1931 \|36 \|9 \|108.797 \|15 \|8 \|200 \|0 \|Running
1932 \|15 \|25 \|112.899 \|11 \|14 \|178 \|0 \|Flagged
1933 \|8 \|10 \|114.784 \|13 \|5 \|200 \|0 \|Running
1934 \|5 \|29 \|105.921 \|32 \|12 \|200 \|0 \|Running
colspan=6\|Totals \|778 \|0 \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

Year{{Cite web |url=http://www.indy500.com/stats/drivers.php?drivername=Stubby%20Stubblefield |title=Stubby Stubblefield Indy 500 Race Stats |access-date=2007-01-18 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927182013/http://www.indy500.com/stats/drivers.php?drivername=Stubby%20Stubblefield |url-status=dead }}

!Car

!Start

!Qual

!Rank

!Finish

!Laps

!Led

!Retired

1931

|36

|108.797

|15