George Souders handily won the 1927 Indy 500 as a rookie while driving a Duesenberg, finished third at the 500 in 1928, and retired soon after following a crash in a Detroit race. He was among a handful of Americans to compete in the Italian Grand Prix, graduated from Jefferson High School in 1918, served as his class president, made his racing debut on a horse track mere yards from this site, and called Lafayette home until his death in 1976. Roscoe Sarles came in second at the 1921 Indy 500 and, like George Souders, attended Jefferson High and competed at the race track here. A friend to many early movie stars, Sarles planned to begin a new career as a stunt driver and claimed a 1922 Kansas City race would be his last. He was right: his car crashed through a wooden barrier, and Sarles was trapped in the burning wreckage. He is buried among his film star friends in Hollywood.