Ab Jenkins: Utah's Man of the Salt

It was said that David Abbott "Ab" Jenkins set more speed records than any man. Born in Spanish Fork, Utah, in 1883, he is considered the father of racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats. His interest in motorsports began with racing motorcycles on dirt tracks and across country.

He gained fame in 1925 by racing a Union Pacific train from Salt Lake City to Wendover, and the following year from New York City to San Francisco. His Studebaker won both contests. He also began setting a series of mainly endurance records on the salt, helping make Bonneville racers' preferred location over Daytona Beach and France's Montlhéry track.

The Mormon Meteors

In the 1930s Jenkins ran a series of popular aircraft-engined cars called the "Mormon Meteors." In 1936 he single-handedly drove Mormon Meteor III 3,254 miles in 24 hours at 153 miles per hour, setting a record that went unbeaten until 2005, when it was finally topped by an eight-man team.

Mayor and racer

When World War II curtailed racing, Jenkins became the 24th mayor of Salt Lake City, serving from 1940 to 1944, and set 21 more speed records while in office. Just before his death in 1956, he set multiple records for Pontiac. The following year, the automaker introduced the Bonneville in his honor.

Jenkins was inducted into the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame in 1996.