Johnny Sawyer

7/6/1902 - 17/6/1989

Record updated 06-Jun-06

Johnny Sawyer was a racing driver who competed at Indianapolis without success in the 1930's.

Johnny Sawyer was an American racing driver in the 1930's. He was quick but either lacked the right equipment or suffered from mechanical failure on many occasions.

He entered the Indy 500 four times, failing to finish twice  (1933 and 1934,) and failing to qualify twice (1935 and 1938).

In 1934, after motor racing had been absent from Springfield for 5 years as the result of a spectator fatality in 1929, seventeen championship cars rolled into the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Indy winner Bill Cummings took the pole with a sub 40 second lap in the Boyle Special, but Johnny Sawyer motored into the lead in his Miller-Lencki at the start and held it for 93 laps when Billy Winn took the top spot on lap 94 to become Springfield's first national championship race winner.