| Fatalities - May 1932 |
| Harry Cox - mechanic Milton Jones - driver |
Milton C. Jones was born August 4, 1894 in
Conwy, Wales.
Jones was involved in motor racing for many
years, but had only come to Indy to spectate for
the past three years. He was a motorcycle rider
and toured the country in a motordrome act with
his wife Molly "the Mile-a-Minute Girl." Jones
was known by the nickname "Dare Devil Jones."
He also raced cars on the dirt tracks.
In 1931, he showed up at Indy with two new
4-cylinder cars, but he let the more experienced
drivers Stubby Stubblefield and Frank Farmer
race them. Stubby finished 8th.
Jones brought his own car in 1932 and decided to
race it himself.
At 12:30p.m. on Friday May 27th, he started
his last ride, with Harold Gray as mechanic.
After a couple of warmup laps, Jones opened
up his car and was going abbout 103 mph
when he lost control coming out of turn 2. His
car dashed tail-first into the outer concrete wall,
destroyed about 15 fee of the barrier, close to
where Harry Cox was killed the day before.
The car flipped backwards into the air and
smashed down about 15 feet outside the track
in the grass, momentarily pinning both men.
The car then turned another flip-flop, throwing
Jones and Gray clear, and came to rest on it's
wheels about 40 yards from where it had left
the track.
Conwy, Wales.
Jones was involved in motor racing for many
years, but had only come to Indy to spectate for
the past three years. He was a motorcycle rider
and toured the country in a motordrome act with
his wife Molly "the Mile-a-Minute Girl." Jones
was known by the nickname "Dare Devil Jones."
He also raced cars on the dirt tracks.
In 1931, he showed up at Indy with two new
4-cylinder cars, but he let the more experienced
drivers Stubby Stubblefield and Frank Farmer
race them. Stubby finished 8th.
Jones brought his own car in 1932 and decided to
race it himself.
At 12:30p.m. on Friday May 27th, he started
his last ride, with Harold Gray as mechanic.
After a couple of warmup laps, Jones opened
up his car and was going abbout 103 mph
when he lost control coming out of turn 2. His
car dashed tail-first into the outer concrete wall,
destroyed about 15 fee of the barrier, close to
where Harry Cox was killed the day before.
The car flipped backwards into the air and
smashed down about 15 feet outside the track
in the grass, momentarily pinning both men.
The car then turned another flip-flop, throwing
Jones and Gray clear, and came to rest on it's
wheels about 40 yards from where it had left
the track.
| Milton Jones |
| Jone's Indy Record |
Year Car No. Car Laps Completed
1932 19 Jones Special died in practice - T2
1932 19 Jones Special died in practice - T2
In 1932, Harry MIller's racers were the first 4-wheel-drive cars to come to the Speedway.
| Acacia Masonic Memorial Park, Mayfield Heights, Ohio |
In 1932 Harry Cox was the riding mechanic for Benny Benefield.
Both men were from Indianapolis. Cox was 28 and Benefield was
25.
Sergeant Harry Cox was a member of the 113th, Observation
Squadron of the Indiana National Guard.
On Wednesday, May 25, the pair went out on the track to practice.
They were just starting a circuit when the accident occurred. They
were traveling at low speed.
As the car emerged from the first turn, it lost the left front wheel.
The speedster swerved into the lower retaining wall, then skidded
to the top of the curving brick surface and plunged over the outer
wall. Both men were thrown clear of the car. The car struck the
top of one tree, then fell 18 feet and crumpled against the trunk of
another.
Cox was apparently killed instantly and Benefield suffered a
concussion.
The race car they crashed in was the same car in which Joe Caccia
and his mechanic were killed in while practicing for the Indy 500 in
1931. It had been rebuilt for Benefield to drive.
Both men were from Indianapolis. Cox was 28 and Benefield was
25.
Sergeant Harry Cox was a member of the 113th, Observation
Squadron of the Indiana National Guard.
On Wednesday, May 25, the pair went out on the track to practice.
They were just starting a circuit when the accident occurred. They
were traveling at low speed.
As the car emerged from the first turn, it lost the left front wheel.
The speedster swerved into the lower retaining wall, then skidded
to the top of the curving brick surface and plunged over the outer
wall. Both men were thrown clear of the car. The car struck the
top of one tree, then fell 18 feet and crumpled against the trunk of
another.
Cox was apparently killed instantly and Benefield suffered a
concussion.
The race car they crashed in was the same car in which Joe Caccia
and his mechanic were killed in while practicing for the Indy 500 in
1931. It had been rebuilt for Benefield to drive.
Jones had raised the upper part of his body so
that he could be seen through the weeds and
implored an unidentified man running toward him,
"Help me, for God's sake please help me." He
then lapsed into a coma.
Thane Hauser, a prominent track mechanic,
muttered "Poor devil. He just drove over his
head. He almost lost his car on the previous lap.
He was driving the turn faster than he knew how."
Jones died in City Hospital at 5:30 p.m. on
Friday, May 27th as the result of a crushed
chest and internal injuries.
Gray recovered from a broken left arm,
lacerations and internal injuries. They were both
from Cleveland and had planned to have a long
racing career together.
Jones, 38, was survived by his wife Cora and
his son, Milton Jones Jr. and a brother. His
wife and son were with him when he died.
A week prior, Milton Jr, 19, was in a crash at
the speedway. Young Jones was riding in a
Milton Jones Special driven by Maurie Rose.
The car struck the outside wall on the south turn,
careened down the sloping track and skidded
several feet before stopping. Although the car
was damaged badly, neither occupant was
injured. The car was going more than 100 miles
an hour at the time.
that he could be seen through the weeds and
implored an unidentified man running toward him,
"Help me, for God's sake please help me." He
then lapsed into a coma.
Thane Hauser, a prominent track mechanic,
muttered "Poor devil. He just drove over his
head. He almost lost his car on the previous lap.
He was driving the turn faster than he knew how."
Jones died in City Hospital at 5:30 p.m. on
Friday, May 27th as the result of a crushed
chest and internal injuries.
Gray recovered from a broken left arm,
lacerations and internal injuries. They were both
from Cleveland and had planned to have a long
racing career together.
Jones, 38, was survived by his wife Cora and
his son, Milton Jones Jr. and a brother. His
wife and son were with him when he died.
A week prior, Milton Jr, 19, was in a crash at
the speedway. Young Jones was riding in a
Milton Jones Special driven by Maurie Rose.
The car struck the outside wall on the south turn,
careened down the sloping track and skidded
several feet before stopping. Although the car
was damaged badly, neither occupant was
injured. The car was going more than 100 miles
an hour at the time.
| Milt Jones crashed racer. |
| Harry P. Cox |
| The Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| INDY 500 MEMORIAL - 1932 |
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