Bennett Hill

This article is about the American auto racer. For other uses, see Bennett Hill (disambiguation).

John Bennett Hill (May 31, 1893 – December 9, 1977) was an American racing driver active in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1922, he won a 100-mile race in Berkeley.^[1] He made 66 AAA Championship Car starts, capturing 5 wins and 7 poles.

Hill at Beverly Hills Speedway in 1920

Bennett Hill
Hill, circa 1924
Born	John Bennett Hill (1893-05-31)May 31, 1893 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	December 9, 1977(1977-12-09) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Champ Car career
66 races run over 10 years
Best finish	3rd (1923, 1924)
First race	1919 Independence Auto Derby, Heat #1 (Uniontown)
Last race	1933 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win	1922 San Joaquin Valley Classic (Fresno)
Last win	1926 25-mile Heat #1 (Rockingham Park)
Wins Podiums Poles 5 16 7

Hill was a specialist at board track racing — all his wins and poles were recorded on this type of track, which features a racing surface composed of wooden planks. He was credited with 3rd place in the 1923 and 1924 national championships and 4th place in 1926. He started eight times in the Indianapolis 500 and started 5th in 1924 driving a Miller.^[2]

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 Results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1920 7 8 90.550 10 17 115 0 Crash T4 1921 21 15 79.13 15 8 200 0 Running 1923 35 18 91.200 16 19 44 0 Crankshaft 1924 9 5 104.840 5 18 176 0 Crash T1 1925 3 13 104.167 15 18 69 0 Rear spring 1926 16 7 105.876 7 12 136 0 Flagged 1927 4 9 112.013 10 28 26 0 Shackle bolt 1933 68 19 110.264 30 22 158 0 Rod Totals 924 0

Starts 8 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 0 Top 10 1 Retired 6

References

1. "BENNETT HILL WINS RACE AT BERKELEY". Motor World Wholesale. New York: Chilton Company. November 3, 1922. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
2. "BENNETT HILL Indianapolis 500 Career". www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved 2024-04-29.

Sources

Rick Popely with L. Spencer Riggs, Indianapolis 500 Chronicle