Erwin famously dodged the draft with his brother, Grover, whilst another brother, Louis, was head of the Bergdoll Motor Company. All three brothers were heirs to a large brewery firm in Pennsylvania but chose motor racing as their passion. Of German ancestry, Erwin started racing as a teenager in the late 1900's, and took a notable win in 1911 at Philadelphia's Fairmount Park large car race. 1915 was Erwin's last season of racing but then became notorious for avoiding the draft into the US Army, being arrested in 1920 and subsequently serving nearly three years in jail. Erwin ran his own auto repair business and farm.

Biography last updated 22 Aug 2022