Caption from poster__

The Negro

SPEED KING

Charlie Wiggins

It seems like history is receptive to diversities but it seems the 500 continues to move backwards. During these 100
years in Indiana only eight females, three African American men, and two Japanese men have tried to cross the
finish line. There have been a few South American winners 3 from Brazil, Helo Castroneves, Gil de Ferran, and
Emerson Fittipaldi, with one from Columbia the winner is Juan Pablo Montoya. Let’s take a trip back 80 years with
The Negro Speed King, Charlie Wiggins, would not be happy with the current events of the Indy Car Racing
fraternity. Wiggins grew up in Evansville, Indiana where the powerful grip of racism and the Ku Klux Klan were
prevalent in the 1920. Wiggins was able to recognize the type of car just by the sound of the motor. People were
amazed that he could do this with his eyes closed. He ascended from shoeshine boy to chief auto mechanic in a
segregated city. White race car drivers would travel across town to visit him at his auto repair shop because they
knew he could fix any problem that their car might be experiencing. Mr. Wiggins built and raced his own car called,
“The Wiggins Special”. Charlie Wiggins registered his car for the Indianapolis 500 and was rejected each year
because of the color of his skin. The (AAA) Automobile Association of American yes, that national organization that
today gives traveling directions to all Americans, was the governing body and enforced the unwritten segregation
rules of 1926. Then Mr. Wiggins and other Black drivers loved to race and wanted to drive. They formed their own
racing association and had competitions in the Midwest. These drivers created their own racing classic called the
Gold and Glory Sweepstakes. Wiggins won three of the first six races before his tragic car accident in 1936 that
left him disabled. In 1934 he was the head mechanic for Will Bill Cummings who won the Indianapolis 500. Wiggins
was credited for keeping the car in shape. African Americans could not be seen in the pit area, Wiggins would sneak
into the Cummings pit camp at night after he finished his day job as a janitor at the racetrack.. Wiggins can now
be called the grandfather of African American Indy type drivers.