J. Gordon Betz

When Gordon Betz was one year old his father became the superintendent of the Beverly Hills Board Track Speedway. When that track was torn down in 1924 his father assumed the same position at the new Culver City track.
In 1932 Gordon began working on the back gate at the Legion Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles, CA. He was 14 years old.

     In 1935 he served as the Chief Steward for a Big Car race held in Tucson, Arizona. He was 17 at the time and perhaps the youngest person to ever hold such a high position in auto racing.
     In 1946 he became the Zone Supervisor for the American Automobile Association in the west, a position he held until AAA ceased operations in 1955. During that period he supervised all AAA races in seven Western States including midgets, sprints, and championship cars. He served the Pikes Peak Hill Climb for 2 years and was a referee for the Mobilgas Economy Run for 15 years.
     Gordon remained with the United States Auto Club after the demise of AAA and served on the USAC Board for 12 years.
     He was the Chief Steward for the first California 500, was the FISA International Steward for Formula I races in Montreal, Canada in 1992 and 1993, and at the time of his induction, was a member of the Board for ACCUS (Automobile Competition for the USA, FIA) having served for 18 years. He was also Chairman of the Board for 11 years.
     Gordon is one of the original members of the Hall of Fame induction committee.

National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame