Bumbaugh Image

The man Indianapolis Motor Speedway Founder Carl Fisher turned to when he wanted to master the skills of flying giant balloons was Captain George L. Bumbaugh. Together the two competed in the Speedway's first competition - a national championship balloon race on June 5, 1909. They also had staged one of the most outrageous automobile dealership stunts when they flew a Stoddard-Dayton automobile over Indianapolis the previous October. For more on Bumbaugh, see information elsewhere on First Super Speedway.
 
This image was published in the June 4, 1909 Indianapolis News and noted that Bumbaugh was named as Fisher's assistant for the race. The June 5, 1909 national championship balloon race hosted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had a field packed with talented competitors. The  June 4 Indianapolis News also published photos of other pilots and their assistants. Below are links to those photos as well as others of the competitors that were published in the Indianapolis Star the same day.
 

 
Check out another image of Bumbaugh elsewhere on First Super Speedway.

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