Kelly Petillo
Kelly Petillo, (December 5, 1903 - June 30, 1970) was an American race car driver.
Born Cavino Michelle Petillo in Pennsylvania, he was known throughout his life as Kelly. His family moved to Los Angeles, California where they ran a grocery store. Petillo competed in the Indianapolis 500 on ten occasions, winning the race in 1935 in a year that marked the first win by a car powered by an Offenhauser engine. Petillo went on to win that year's United States National Driving Championship.
In 1937 Petillo participated in the Vanderbilt Cup but engine problems forced him out of the race. Kelly Petillo encountered problems later in his life, spending some time in jail and dying of emphysema in 1970.
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Miller | Miller | Practice Crash | |
| 1932 | ? | Miller | 40th | 12th |
| 1933 | Smith | Miller | 25th | 19th |
| 1934 | Adams | Miller | 1st | 11th |
| 1935 | Wetteroth | Offy | 22nd | 1st |
| 1936 | Wetteroth | Offy | Relieved Doc MacKenzie | 3rd |
| 1937 | Wetteroth | Offy | 20th | 20th |
| 1938 | Wetteroth | Offy | 21st | 22nd |
| 1939 | Wetteroth | Offy | 24th | 18th |
| 1940 | Wetteroth | Offy | 13th | 21st |
| 1941 | Wetteroth | Offy | 19th | 27th |
| Indianapolis 500 Winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-time winners | |||
| Three-time winners |
Meyer • Shaw • Rose • Rutherford • B. Unser | ||
| Two-time winners |
Milton • Vukovich • Ward • Johncock • Fittipaldi • Luyendyk • Unser, Jr. • Castroneves | ||
| One win |
Harroun • Dawson • Goux • Thomas • DePalma • Resta • Wilcox • Chevrolet • Murphy • Corum • Boyer • DePaolo • Lockhart • Souders • Keech • Arnold • Schneider • Frame • Cummings • Petillo • Roberts • Davis • Robson • Holland • Parsons • Wallard • Ruttman • Sweikert • Flaherty • Hanks • Bryan • Rathmann • Jones • Clark • Hill • Andretti • Donohue • Sneva • Sullivan • Rahal • Villeneuve • Lazier • Cheever • Brack • Montoya • de Ferran • Rice • Wheldon • Hornish | ||