Starter Bill Mitchell - Racing Giant

Bill Mitchell was known as the "Two Ton Starter" for nearly 30 years in the Midwest.  At Detroit's Motor City Speedway and a host of other tracks, he was the man in charge. He always made sure that the "show" ran on time and that drivers obeyed his instructions. He was big and tough. Nobody fooled with him.  Yet, there was another side to Big Bill that those who knew him loved. As far back as I could remember, he was my "Uncle Bill".   After the races and on weekends, members of the racing fraternity partied together.  Many nights when I was three or four, I recall going to "Uncle Bill and Aunt Betty's" house with my parents.  It was somewhere in the city of Detroit. All the coats were piled on the bed in the front bedroom near the street. I was snuggled among them as the party went on into the night, while the music of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and the other artists of the day provided my lullaby.  This man was always very kind to me. He died when I was eight and I always wished I knew more about him . Read on to find out more about this very interesting man.  (Photo by Al Blixt, Sr. probably at Toledo, Ohio ca. 1940)

William Francis (Bill) Mitchell was born September 17, 1904.  He began starting races at the tender age of 19 and quickly became recognized for his skill and his size.  Al Blixt, Sr., writing in 1940, described Bill as he assumed the role of starter and track manager at Bigelow Field in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Check out the feature on Bigelow Field on this site.)

     "Big Bill Mitchell, nationally known for his work in starting auto races during the past twenty years, has been signed to handle the flags by W.R.Craine, operator of Bigelow Field Midget Speedway which opens Tuesday evening May 14th.  Bill, who is colorful figure on any speedway as he frantically waves the green flag for a roaring start or the checkered flag for a fighting finish, is also noted as the biggest man in racing today.  He tips the scales in the neighborhood of three hundred pounds yet can move with amazing speed should a speeding doodlebug skid in his direction.

     At times he has displayed great presence of mind.  Back in 1926, he was flagging a race at Mount Clemens, Michigan when a race car turned over.  Giving the field the caution flag, he sent the ambulance across the track where the attendants picked up the injured driver and loaded him in.  As the car prepared to cross the track, some excited spectator yelled to to the also excited ambulance driver to come across.  As he neared the center of the track, a flying race car roared out of the turn and struck the ambulance squarely at the front wheels demolishing them completely.  The ambulance driver sat there bewildered.  Quick as a flash, Bill handed the flags to a helper with orders to wave the red "stop" flag at the rest of the field.  He then dashed to the ambulance, shoved the driver over, slipped into reverse and backed the car to safety with the shattered front end dragging.  The driver in the ambulance and also the driver that struck it were then placed in another care and rushed t the hospital for treatment.

     Mr. Mitchell will have complete charge of all actual racing at the Bigelow Field Speedway in addition to handling the flags at all times while races are in progress."

Many thanks to racing author and historian Ron Pollock for this photo of Bill on the track some time in the late 1940's.  This is a frame from rare racing movies that Ron has been researching.  The image is blurred but it's nice to see Bill in full color.  Looks like he has the red flag in his hands which means that he had to stop a race, probably because of an accident.

 

Here are some Blixt photos that illustrate the many sides to Big Bill Mitchell:

Starters lived dangerously in the 1930's. Here is Bill Mitchell at the VFW Speedway (soon to become Motor City Speedway) flagging a midget race in 1935.  Later the starter's position was moved behind the outside wall at the start/finish line.

Bill was a colorful off the track as he was on it. By the late 1920's, in the middle of prohibition, Bill began operating a blind pig.   (For readers too young to remember, that is an illegal drinking establishment.) Old time driver Cliff Miller (age 95), in a 2007 interview, said, "Everybody went to Bill's after the races."  With the repeal of prohibition in 1933, Bill opened the first of a series of bars in Detroit that also became favorite hangouts for the racing crowd. Pictured here is Bill's bar in 1939.

Not exactly street legal. The caption on this photo reads, "Stark Hickey job in front of Bill's (bar) 1936."  Stark Hickey was a prominent Ford dealer in Detroit who sponsored many race cars.  I have not yet determined who drove this one but I am checking. 

Life of the party.  Bill was often found behind the bar at racing  parties.  Here is Bill sporting what appears to be a sort of racing helmet while serving up drinks at the New Year's Eve party held at the home of Al and Nora Blixt in 1940.  I am not sure who is in the foreground but that's racing great Art Hartsfeld standing next to Bill. (See the feature on Art on this site.)

Bill owned a number of cars in the 1930's and this may (or may not) be one of them.  Here we see Bill with his sunglasses pushed down on his nose posing in the #3 Riley at Detroit in 1937.

Bill Mitchell hosts two guests at his starter's stand at Motor City Speedway about 1940. Next to Bill is legendary engine designer Harry Miller.  The official Miller Offenhauser site states, "Harry Miller was, quite simply, the greatest creative figure in the history of the American racing car. His engines dominated American oval track racking for almost half a century."  You can bet that the fastest cars on the track the night this photo was taken were Offy's based on the Miller design. Next to Miller is Ray Kebbe who I believe was the promoter at Motor City at the time. Track management changed about 1937 when Don Zeiter gave up control.  I believe Kebbe was an original investor in the track but I am still researching that part of the story.  Harry Miller died in 1943.

Racing boomed in the Midwest after World War II and the midgets were king of the ovals.  Bill Mitchell was in great demand working midget shows two nights a week at Motor City Speedway and at other tracks as often as possible.   Here we see Bill  flagging the start of the 100 lap championship race at Toledo, Ohio from the pace car driven by racer Harry Hartz.  Race historian Ron Pollock tells us the date was September 26, 1948.  He  says that Ted Duncan in Johnny Pawl's #17 Offy on the pole led all 100 laps.  That's Carl Forberg on the outside of Duncan.

By the late 1940's, Bill Mitchell  was bespectacled and more nattily attired but just as busy as ever.  On July 19, 1948 he flagged a special race at Motor City Speedway.  Carl Forberg won the race but, as my dad reported in the Illustrated Speedway News, the "Big feature of the evening was the celebration of Bill Mitchell's twenty-fifth anniversary as starter in the Midwest.  On behalf of Andy Barto and the management, this writer presented Bill with a set of especially made silver ornamented starting flags with best wishes and thanks of Motor City Speedway.  Following the presentation, Art Hartsfeld, also on behalf of the management, made a very fine presentation of a beautiful Waltham watch suitably engraved on the back to Bill who was really touched.  The applause that followed left little doubt as to the esteem the famous Michigan starter is held by Detroit fans."

Bill continued to work at a frantic pace into the early 1950's.  Here he starts the 100 mile AAA Championship race at the Michigan State Fairgrounds on September 10, 1950.  A crowd in excess of 25,000 people watched Henry Banks, originally a hometown Detroit boy, take the checkered flag from honorary starter Bill Vandewater.  The pace car is driven by Bill Cantrell.  That's Troy Ruttman on the pole.  Race leaders included Ruttman, Tony Bettenhausen and Jimmy Davies all of whom had mechanical problems before Banks took the lead to stay. 

Bill Mitchell's last big race may have been the 100 lap AAA Championship race at the one- mile Michigan State Fairgrounds track on September  9, 1951.  The race was won by Paul Russo after  Tony Bettenhausen ran out of fuel on lap 97 with nearly a two lap lead on the field.  My dad's story lists the official AAA starter Bill Vandewater as dropping the checkered flag but it is not clear whether he was the honorary starter as he had been the year previously.  In any event, Bill Mitchell never lived to see the 1952 100 miler at the fairgrounds.  He died in his sleep on August 29, 1952 at the age of 48.

POSTSCRIPT
In July 2007, I had the joy and privilege of meeting Bill's widow, Betty, for the first time in more than 50 years.  She was 99 years old and her memory was failing but I recognized the joyful voice of my "Aunt Betty" from the very first moment.  The visit was arranged by her step-daughter, Rita.  After Bill's death, Betty married Rita's father, Mario Rossi, another member of the Detroit racing fraternity.  Mario had lost his wife about the time Bill died. Their marriage lasted nearly 30 years.  Betty now lives in an assisted living center in the Detroit suburbs.

Betty didn't even remember Bill or her first marriage at first.  As she looked at the photos I brought again and again, she began to talk about those times.  "We had fun," she said, "We always had fun." She added, "We were like a big family in those days."  Betty remembered that Bill was offered the official AAA starter position in the late 1940's that would have included starting the Indianapolis 500. Bill turned it down because it would mean moving from Detroit to Indianapolis.  I have no way of verifying this but the memory seemed clear to her and she was very emphatic that they did not want to leave Detroit.

Here we see Betty with her step daughter Rita, who is a frequent visitor to Betty's assisted living center.  Rita was curious about Betty's past since she has never spoken of Bill during all these years for whatever reason.  I was able to supply some of the story and Betty added her recollections.  It was a wonderful visit and I am hoping I can see her again before her 100th birthday.

My deepest thanks to Rita for bringing us together.  It was amazing to see her personality still as vibrant and joyful as I remembered her.

Comments

[Dennis Garrett]

Enjoyed your old racing history web site very much.
The top photo of Bill Mitchell wearing an shirt with the words "Starter Bill Mitchell", printed on front of it. What kind of flag is Bill Mitchell holding and waving??? Is it an checkered flag and how many years did he used it???
Thanks very much for any information given.
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va. 232225 USA

[Ronn Berry]

Al, Ref: Pict. on Bill Mitchell colum. One pict. 9/9/51 Detroit F/G. shows 1951 Pontiac convt. pace car followed by what appears to be a #69 car I beleive to be the Brown Motor Spl. out of Richmond, In. and based on the "stance" of driver could be Gene Force also of Richmond. Can you verify for me ? Do you have a pict. available. I am putting together the history of local racing and this would be of help. Thanks much for any help, Ronn Berry

[firstsuperspeedway.com]

Wow, this is a great article I have read so far. I appreciate this "two ton starter" story with his memorable past and even have some old images with this guy. I believe that this man cannot end the stories to tell about auto racing in a day.

[Ed Salwinski]

A great story about Bill Mitchell. I recall seeing this man and thought that he was the biggest man in the world. My dad once told me that he could do his job and it didn't matter what he looked like. His all white dress made him appear even larger to a kid of five or six years old. Also, I attended the race at the Detroit Fairgrounds that Paul Russo won. Bettenhausen led most of that race and he did run out of gas at the end. The crowd hooted at the disappointment when Tony pulled in for gas. Russo drove a yellow #7 that he had built in his basement. Bettenhausen was driving the Balenger Special that Lee wallard had won the Indy 500 in it in May of 1951. That car is at the Indy Museum and is one of the best looking cars ever designed. Thank you for a great story abnout a neat, hardworking, fun loving man. Warm Regards, Ed Slawinski

[Ed Graf]

Wonderful memories!!! I spent many nights at that wonderful track. Went with Ed Beste when he had Roger Yates in the hardtop and Jack Goodwin in the roadster. To Mr.Blixt--You are doing a honor to your dad with this work. Congratulations.