Forever known as the first Indianapolis 500 winner, Harroun also ran a team and invented a carburetor, which led to fuel-injection systems. He kept up close links with the sport until his death. For most of his working life, he was involved with sales of after-market accessories, but also designed Marmon and Maxwell Indy cars. Of Scottish and Irish ancestry, Harroun served in the Spanish-American War in the US Navy and also trained as a dentist before beginning racing in 1905. He also worked for Marmon as a engineer which, through a desire to understand how the car worked, saw him take up racing mainly as a sideline. Harroun had retired at the end of 1910, but came back for the Indianapolis 500. After winning he retired again, working as chief engineer at Marmon until 1914, before then joining Maxwell. He then formed the Harroun Motor Company, which supplied munitions for America during World War One. In his varied life, he also worked as a hat salesman.

Biography last updated 27 Dec 2015