| Birth name | Howard Leslie Bumpus |
|---|---|
| Birth date | May 4, 1914 |
| Birth place | Brockton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Death date | June 16, 1946 (aged 32) |
| Death place | Flemington, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 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.[1] Bumpus began racing in the late 1930s.
Life
In the middle of a 1940 race, Bumpus drove through a fence; he then walked out of the wreckage, assured the audience he was okay, and won a subsequent race in a borrowed car.[2][3][4][5] In a 1936 racing event, Bumpus first crashed into two stalled cars and then crashed into a clump of bushes.[6]
Bumpus was described as a fan favorite.[7] He competed in big car races that populated the anomalous American Automobile Association (AAA) sanctioned National Championship in 1946. In June 1946, he sought to end a streak of mid-race mechanical errors.[3] 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. [8]
References
- ^ "Bumpy Bumpus". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "Four Crashes Thrill Crowd After Shower". Athol Daily News. 1940-09-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ "Bumpus Seeks to Break Jinx". Shamokin News-Dispatch. 1946-06-04. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ "Bumpy Bumpus Among Stars in Big Races". Athol Daily News. 1941-06-27. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ "Auto Races at Thompson are Slated Sunday". The Republican. 1941-06-20. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ "Three Crashes Mark Weymouth Auto Racing". The Boston Globe. 1936-09-08. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ "The Legion Auto Races". Athol Daily News. 1941-07-05. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ "AUTO RACE CRASH FATAL TO BUMPUS; Brockton, Mass., Driver, 32, Goes Through Fence at New Jersey Track". The New York Times. 1946-06-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-21.