"Gentlemen, start your engines!" That was the phrase spoken for the past 100 years at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500 Mile Race. That was also a phrase Charlie Wiggins never heard as a race car driver in that same race. But that didn't stop the dream.

     Charlie Wiggins was born in 1897 in Evansville, Indiana. With humble beginnings, he later became number one African-American in the sport of open wheel racing in the 1920's and 1930's through the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes races.

     Charlie was a person of humility and patience. His endurance and steadfastness opened doors and broke barriers when it came to racing. Although not all barriers were broken in his era, his pathways paved the way for others to pick up where he left off. African-Americans currently involved in motorsports can look back to Charlie's expertise and tenacity as an example of how to achieve greatness. His pattern of mechanical detail was perfection. Charlie was focused and driven to succeed and he utilized whatever resources were available to craft automobiles, which coupled with his outstanding driving skills, led him to become known in his day as the "Negro Speed King."

                    Wiggins Registered Trademark

We honor not only Charlie Wiggins for his efforts and achievements, we move forward in celebrating and promoting African-Americans and other minorities in motorsports. 

 Gold and Glory Racing Association and Gold and Glory Motorsports Development