His dad died when he was 12, so he quit school and got a job with the Frayer Miller Aircooled Car Company, road-testing cars.
He then made his way into automobile racing, for Fred Deusenberg, among others. He raced four times in the Indianapolis 500 and set a speed record of 134 MPH in a Blitzen Benz.
Raced in 4 Indy 500's, between 1912 and 1916.
Started a car company, and made the first car to have 4 wheel brakes.
Bought and operated the Indy speedway from 1927 to 1945.. .. improved the track by banking the turns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Rickenbacker
http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/us_rickenbacker.html
What you probably know, is that he was the WW1 flying ace and CO of the 94th Aero Squadron.
It's famous in San Diego as there is a really good restaurant of this name on Aero Drive, it looks like a French farmhouse with World War I airplanes and sandbagged gun emplacements around it. On the inside it is filled with military aviation memorabilia.
