George Mason (racing driver)

George Rider Mason (May 6, 1890 – September 13, 1918) was an American racing driver. A Red Cross ambulance driver in World War I, Mason was killed in action, or as the result of pneumonia.^[1][2]

Mason has the distinction of being the first and, until Greg Ray in the 2003 race, only driver to field a car in the Indianapolis 500 carrying the number 13 over the first 86 years of the event. From 1926–2002, usage of #13 was not permitted, and generally avoided by competitors due to superstitions.^[3]