Captain George L. Bumbaugh

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.