Hillclimb veteran who crashed on his only Indianapolis 500 attempt. As well as hillclimbing, Fred competed in sprint car racing, beach, road and midget racing, with the occasional effort in sprints and speed records. Fred was based in Denver, racing mostly in the city or surrounding areas. Merzney started racing in the early 1920's, continuing until just after his one Indianapolis effort, which seemed to discourage him somewhat after he stopped racing shortly after that. He had already survived a large crash in Alhambra, California, when his car overturned. Although often listed as being from New York, Merzney was born in England. Merzney later worked for the Pioneer Auto Wrecking spare parts and vehicle repair company in Denver.

Biography last updated 18 Aug 2016