A mechanical engineer by trade, Ball also acted as a relief driver as well as a racing mechanic in the speedway's early days. Ball was one of the original inventors of the parachute as he was in charge of the parachute development side of the US Army Air Corps for over ten years. He later worked as an aeronautical engineer for Hughes Aircraft, having started his working life as an aeroplane mechanic. Ball didn't race for all that long, but took a couple of reasonable results between 1913 and 1915 as a driver in his own right.

Biography last updated 24 Aug 2015