100 mph Club

The Champion Spark Plug 100 Mile an Hour Club was a group formed to honor drivers who completed the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 100 miles per hour or faster. It was formed in 1935, and continued to be recognized through 1969. It was sponsored by Champion Spark Plugs, and was the brainchild of M.C. deWitt, the company's advertising manager. During its heyday, it was considered one of the most prestigious honors in motorsports (the Indy car counterpart to NASCAR's famous Darlington Record Club), and membership was highly sought after by drivers.

A total of 124 drivers were inducted as members, with 1930 winner Billy Arnold named the club's first member.

The first driver to complete the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 100 mph was Pete DePaolo in 1925. However, Norman Batten drove 21 laps of relief (laps 106-127) while DePaolo had his hands bandaged due to blisters and bruises. Thus DePaolo did not accomplish the feat solo.

Five years later in 1930, Billy Arnold won the race with an average speed of 100.488 mph. He was the second driver to complete the race in under five hours, but the first ever to do so without relief help.

In 1934, M.C. deWitt, the advertising manager for Champion, had a conversation with driver Dave Evans. Evans had finished 6th in the 1934 "500", and in doing so, had become the twelfth driver in history to complete the full 500 miles solo, at an average speed of 100 mph. Immediately deWitt envisioned an idea to create an honorary "club" for the drivers who had accomplished the noteworthy feat. In 1935, the 'Champion Spark Plugs 100 mph Club was born.

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