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He was the first to carry the name. He was also the commissioner of NASCAR from its inception in 1948 until his death from a heart attack in 1960 at 78 years of age. Granted his appointment as commissioner was purely for publicity, but the man deserves to be remembered for his remarkable accomplishments.
Erwin G. Baker became “Cannonball” in 1915. A New York newspaper reporter gave him the nick after one his coast to coast speed runs. And that was his claim to fame; crossing the country a fast as a human could do so.. Cannonball guessed that he had driven either motorcycle or car some 5,500,000 miles testing the limits of both his and the machines endurance…………and speed.
Erwin won the very first event ever held at Indianapolis Speedway. A 10-mile motorcycle race held in 1909 in which he drove an Indian Motorcycle to victory.
His first cross country run was in 1914. He drove a stock Indian motorcycle from San Diego to New York. Covering that distance he encountered roads that were virtually non-existent, rivers and streams without bridges, a sandstorm, two dog attacks, a severe thunderstorm, and he ran out of gas crossing the Arizona desert annd was forced to push his bike some distance in temperatures estimated at 199 degrees. Despite all this Baker traversed the continent, a ride of some 3,379 miles, on the 1000 cc V-Twin Indian in 11 days, 12 hours, and 10 minutes. Most of this “riding” was done standing on the footboards of his bike.
"Cannonball" became his nickname after he drove a Stutz Bearcat from San Diego to New York in 11 days, 7 hours, and 15 minutes in 1915. He lowered that to 7 days, 11 hours and 52 minutes in a Cadillac a year later and began promoting his services to manufacturers with the slogan, "No record, no pay."
In addition to cross-country trips, Baker set records on a number of shorter runs: From Detroit to Indianapolis, from Chicago to Indianapolis, and from New York to Chicago. One of his most grueling transcontinental trips was made in 1924, when he became the first person to drive cross-country during the winter. It took 110 hours and 15 minutes through snow, slush, mud and fog.
Baker considered his best run a race from New York to Chicago in a Franklin Airman Speedster against the famous 20th Century Limited passenger train in 1928. Baker won, averaging 46 mph in a car with a top speed of only 70.
When Eddie Rickenbacker started manufacturing cars in the 1920s, he hired Baker as chief test driver. Baker broke his own winter cross-country record with a 71 1/2-hour trip (driving time only). He also drove a Rickenbacker on a "three flag" journey from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tijuana, Mexico, in 40 hours and 57 minutes.
Baker's fastest official cross-country time was 60 hours, 31 minutes in a Stutz Versaille.
He later did an unofficial 53 1/2 hour drive in a 1933 Graham. This run is perhaps his most impressive. Then aged 51, Cannonball drive a new supercharged Graham from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hours and 30 minutes. Alone! Yes, driving singlehanded, without the benefit of a centimeter of Interstate, and enjoying very little in the way of smooth pavement, plus having to traverse every blasted small town along the way, he made the trip at an average speed in the neighborhood of 60 mph!"
In 1948, Baker set his last record, climbing Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, in 15 minutes, 12.75 seconds in a Nash. He was 66 years old.
Years later Brock Yates conceived the modern coast to coast race to protest the newly implemented 55 mph national speed limit. Know as most folks as the “Cannonball”.
Officially, it was the “Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash”. A fitting memorial to the man called “Cannonball” and dubbed by some “a man among men; a lunatic among lunatics”.
Erwin G. Baker became “Cannonball” in 1915. A New York newspaper reporter gave him the nick after one his coast to coast speed runs. And that was his claim to fame; crossing the country a fast as a human could do so.. Cannonball guessed that he had driven either motorcycle or car some 5,500,000 miles testing the limits of both his and the machines endurance…………and speed.
Erwin won the very first event ever held at Indianapolis Speedway. A 10-mile motorcycle race held in 1909 in which he drove an Indian Motorcycle to victory.
His first cross country run was in 1914. He drove a stock Indian motorcycle from San Diego to New York. Covering that distance he encountered roads that were virtually non-existent, rivers and streams without bridges, a sandstorm, two dog attacks, a severe thunderstorm, and he ran out of gas crossing the Arizona desert annd was forced to push his bike some distance in temperatures estimated at 199 degrees. Despite all this Baker traversed the continent, a ride of some 3,379 miles, on the 1000 cc V-Twin Indian in 11 days, 12 hours, and 10 minutes. Most of this “riding” was done standing on the footboards of his bike.
"Cannonball" became his nickname after he drove a Stutz Bearcat from San Diego to New York in 11 days, 7 hours, and 15 minutes in 1915. He lowered that to 7 days, 11 hours and 52 minutes in a Cadillac a year later and began promoting his services to manufacturers with the slogan, "No record, no pay."
In addition to cross-country trips, Baker set records on a number of shorter runs: From Detroit to Indianapolis, from Chicago to Indianapolis, and from New York to Chicago. One of his most grueling transcontinental trips was made in 1924, when he became the first person to drive cross-country during the winter. It took 110 hours and 15 minutes through snow, slush, mud and fog.
Baker considered his best run a race from New York to Chicago in a Franklin Airman Speedster against the famous 20th Century Limited passenger train in 1928. Baker won, averaging 46 mph in a car with a top speed of only 70.
When Eddie Rickenbacker started manufacturing cars in the 1920s, he hired Baker as chief test driver. Baker broke his own winter cross-country record with a 71 1/2-hour trip (driving time only). He also drove a Rickenbacker on a "three flag" journey from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tijuana, Mexico, in 40 hours and 57 minutes.
Baker's fastest official cross-country time was 60 hours, 31 minutes in a Stutz Versaille.
He later did an unofficial 53 1/2 hour drive in a 1933 Graham. This run is perhaps his most impressive. Then aged 51, Cannonball drive a new supercharged Graham from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hours and 30 minutes. Alone! Yes, driving singlehanded, without the benefit of a centimeter of Interstate, and enjoying very little in the way of smooth pavement, plus having to traverse every blasted small town along the way, he made the trip at an average speed in the neighborhood of 60 mph!"
In 1948, Baker set his last record, climbing Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, in 15 minutes, 12.75 seconds in a Nash. He was 66 years old.
Years later Brock Yates conceived the modern coast to coast race to protest the newly implemented 55 mph national speed limit. Know as most folks as the “Cannonball”.
Officially, it was the “Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash”. A fitting memorial to the man called “Cannonball” and dubbed by some “a man among men; a lunatic among lunatics”.
