The Duchess Dorothy Gruman Scrapbook
WOS#2018.08.00004269
The “Duchess” was the only woman race car owner, manager or promotor. Duchess Dorothy Hylah Gruman raced midgets and big cars under her Duchess Racing Team throughout the west coast, mostly in Oregon and California. After purchasing her first race car in 1935, her fleet included a Dusenberg, McDowell, and air-cooled Douglas raced by Swede Linskog, Les Anderson (also from Portland), Bob Swanson, Jimmy Miller, Louise Sherman (Spokane), Larry Wright, Woody Woodford, Bobby Grayson and Gaby Harkness. She also managed stunt driver Crash Campbell and Portland’s George “Jud” Fuller was Anderson’s mechanic and navigator while driving for the Duchess. She worked with a number of racing magnets on the west coast including race promotor Chas Curryer who started the Oakland 500, which Anderson raced in the Duchess’ Dusenberg.
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