Deacon Litz

Artha Benson "Deacon" Litz (August 2, 1897 – January 3, 1967) was an American racing driver active primarily during the 1920s and 1930s.

Deacon Litz
Born	Artha Benson Litz (1897-08-02)August 2, 1897 DuBois, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 3, 1967(1967-01-03) (aged 69) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Champ Car career
32 races run over 14 years
Best finish	5th (1930)
First race	1928 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1941 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 5 1

Personal life

Litz was a hotel-keeper by trade, and was said to weigh 224 pounds.^[1]

Due to his fame as a racecar driver, he appeared in the 1929 silent film Speedway.^[2]

Racing career

Litz started racing with his own home-made car on dirt tracks at county fairs soon after World War I.^[3] He began his professional career in 1927 and appeared in the 1929 silent film, Speedway, as an auto racer.

Litz was a star when the Duesenberg and Miller racing cars dominated the tracks. He participated in many well-known races throughout his career, including the Indianapolis 500 and the Vanderbilt Cup.

His best finish at the Indianapolis 500 was placing fourth in 1934.^[4] Litz was the first person to apply to be in the 1935 Indianapolis 500, putting in his application six months before the race date.^[1] He was a 12-time starter at the Indianapolis 500. Litz was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1964.

He retired from the sport after his last Indianapolis 500 race in 1941. Litz was noted for being an excellent speaker regarding the sport of speedway racing after his retirement.^[3] Litz died in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1967.^[5]

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1928 23 17 106.213 23 14 161 0 Flagged 1929 26 9 114.526 10 24 56 49 Rod 1930 12 31 105.755 8 30 22 0 Crash T3 1931 5 4 111.531 7 17 177 0 Crash T1 1932 24 19 109.546 31 18 152 0 Rod 1933 26 14 113.138 17 16 197 0 Flagged 1934 12 19 113.731 14 4 200 0 Running 1935 16 13 114.488 18 8 200 0 Running 1936 15 26 115.997 13 23 108 0 Crankshaft 1937 35 11 116.372 33 14 191 0 Out of oil 1939 53 31 117.979 31 33 7 0 Valve 1941 32 29 123.440 15 22 89 0 Oil trouble Totals 1560 49

Starts 12 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 1 Top 10 2 Retired 8

References

1. "First Indianapolis Entry". Referee. 31 January 1935. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
2. "The Show's the Thing". Truth. 6 April 1930. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
3. Brown, Allen. "A. B. (Deacon) Litz". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
4. "Deacon Litz". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
5. "Throwback Thursday: DuBois Native A.B. "Deacon" Litz Had a Thirst for Speed". 26 August 2021.