George R. Bentel
Born
George Roy Bentel

(1872-07-02)July 2, 1872
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 27, 1952(1952-02-27) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationAutomobile dealer
Spouse
Harriet Chaney
​
(m. 1897)​
Children1

George Roy Bentel (July 2, 1876 – February 27, 1952) was an American automobile dealer and the first owner of the Legion Ascot Speedway.[1] Bentel was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contributions to the sport.[2]

Biography

Background

Bentel was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; his parents were Frank A. and Mary (Wolf) Bentel. After his high school graduation in 1892, Bentel began working at the Pittsburgh brokerage house of Henry Sproul & Co. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1900.[2]

Automobile dealer

In 1907, Bentel entered the automobile industry as the West Coast distributor of the Rainier and American Mercedes. He became the Pacific Coast dealer for Simplex and Mercer in 1910. His Mercer territory was quickly expanded to include the entire United States west of Denver, Colorado (from the Canadian border south to Mexico). Bentel's other company Coleman & Bentel Co. became the Los Angeles Michelin tire distributor in 1912.[2] Two years later, Bentel opened a Mercer salesroom in Seattle, Washington.[3] He became the West Coast distributor of the Jordan Motor Car Company in 1916.[2]

Between August 1913 and July 1917, Bentel's Los Angeles-based salesroom and mechanical department were located at separate sites. They were united in a new four-story building in August 1917.[4] In 1917, Bentel also showcased the Ascot Speedway model, a Mercer race car the body of which former racing driver G. E. Ruckstell had equipped with innovative features for its occupants' comfort.[5] The Bentel Co. used the slogan "where motor styles originate." The policy was to allow consumers to use their own color scheme.[4]

Racing promoter

In late 1915, Bentel became the Chairman of the Contest Committee of the original Ascot Park speedway.[2] Promotion was successful under Bentel.[6] He also had numerous racers drive his Mercer cars on the West Coast during the second half of the 1910s, including Barney Oldfield, Eddie Pullen, and Eddie Rickenbacker.[2] After selling his lease on Ascot to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 1919, he announced plans to build a new oval at another site soon.[7]

It was only in late 1923, though, that Bentel acquired a long-term lease on property near Lincoln Park where the second Ascot track would be constructed.[8] The new speedway opened in January 1924 before 35,000 spectators.[9] Bentel's promotion of Ascot during the first months of its existence was a popular and financial success. After the 1924 Thanksgiving Day road race, however, drivers complained about being unpaid and Bentel was handed a suspended 30-day jail sentence for false advertising.[10] In January 1925, Ascot was taken over by the creditors' committee of the Ascot Speedway Association, which reopened the track under a new management.[10][11]

Lawsuits and scandals

Bentel was involved in many lawsuits, both as a broker and as an auto dealer.[2]

There was, for instance, a legal dispute with the Merchants' National Bank of Santa Monica.[12] In 1913, Bentel was sued by A.R. Fraser; Fraser won the lawsuit. Bentel appealed the lawsuit.[13]

Bentel and Oliver Morosco formed a motion picture company, Morosco Productions, and launched a real estate development company, Morosco Holdings, in 1921. The latter planned to develop a 100-acre (40 ha) theme park. The partners were indicted in 1924 and Bentel was convicted of mail fraud for the venture in 1926 for swindling stock while Morosco was acquitted of all charges.[1]

Personal life

Bentel married Harriet Chaney in 1897. The couple had one daughter, Margaret. Bentel died on February 27, 1952, in Los Angeles.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Theobald, Mark (2004). "George R. Bentel Co". Coachbuilt. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Theobald, Mark. "George Bentel". National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Dealers & Garage Department". Automobile Trade Journal. Vol. 19. Chilton Company. 1914. p. 165. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Dick, Robert (February 21, 2019). "IX: Spring 1917 – War Impact". Auto Racing in the Shadow of the Great War: Streamlined Specials and a New Generation of Drivers on American Speedways, 1915–1922. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4766-7272-4.
  5. ↑ "New Racing Body for Mercer Chassis". Motor Age. Vol. 31. Class Journal Company. June 14, 1917. p. 45. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ "News Letters from Trade Centers: Los Angeles Has New Race Project". Motor World for Jobbers, Dealers and Garagemen. Vol. 60. July 23, 1919. p. 40. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Speedway will continue". The Los Angeles Times. June 26, 1919. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Los Angeles to have two new auto speedways". Los Angeles Evening Express. December 5, 1923. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ Frayne, Ed. (January 21, 1924). "Dirt racing proves huge success at Ascot". Los Angeles Record. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Speedway suit filed in court". The Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1925. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Ascot Speedway reopens Sunday". Hollywood Daily Citizen. January 20, 1925. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022.
  12. ↑ California. District Courts of Appeal (January 3, 1911). Whiting, Randolph V. (ed.). "The Merchants' National Bank of Santa Monica v. George R. Bentel". California Appellate Decisions. Vol. 12. Recorder Print. and Publishing Company. p. 33. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Fraser v. Bentel". The American and English Annotated Cases. Vol. 27. Edward Thompson Company. 1913. p. 1063. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
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