Karl Kizer (1898 – 1974)

Karl Kizer began his professional association with the motor speedway as a mechanic in the 1930s. In 1953, Wilbur Shaw named him track referee, and in 1956, he was appointed as the first director of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, where the autos displayed included some that he personally restored. He received the Automotive Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Citation Award in 1974 for his many contributions to the sport of racing; as a mechanic, builder of race cars, and owner of dirt-tracks. For a time, he contributed as curator of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.