Ray Keech
Toronto Daily Star, June 17 1929
Ray Keech (1900-1929) was one of the best drivers in the world at the time of his fatal crash. He had won the Indianapolis 500 just 16 days earlier, and he had set a land speed record in 1928 in a car named "Spirit of Elkdom".
Wikipedia's report of Keech's fatal crash differs from that in the photo caption above. In the caption, Keech lost control when going around a car that he was trying to lap. In the Wikipedia description, Rob Robinson hit a pothole and drove into the guardrail. Cliff Woodbury swerved to avoid Robinson and was hit by Keech, who then hit the guardrail trying to get out of the way. The two accounts agree on what happened next: the car rolled over several times and burst into flames. The whole horrible series of events must have taken place in merely a few seconds.
Created September 22, 2025.