Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer (June 4, 1906 – October 5, 1983) was the owner of Kiekhaefer Mercury (later Mercury Marine) and Kiekhaefer Aeromarine and also a two-time NASCAR championship car owner. Kiekhaefer Mercury founder Mr Kiekhaefer was born on June 4, 1906, in Mequon, Wisconsin, to Arnold and Clara Wessel Kiekhaefer. After graduating from Cedarburg High School, Kiekhaefer spent one year attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and later took extension courses from the University of Wisconsin that prepared him for a career in electrical engineering. In 1927 he briefly worked as a draftsman by Evinrude Motors before being fired for "...frequent, disquieting and brazenly insubordinate arguments concerning design and product development...". He was a young engineer right out of college when he received his first of his over 200 patents. He purchased an outboard motor manufacturing company in Cedarburg, Wisconsin in 1939, intending to make magnetic separators for the area's dairy industry. The company had 300 defective motors, which he rebuilt and sold to catalog company Montgomery Ward. Orders kept coming for the motors, and Kiekhaefer Corporation was born. World War II During World War II the Kiekhaefer corporation manufactured small two-cylinder drone engines that were used for target aircraft. Since there were no computer simulators at the time, actual small aircraft were used as target practice to teach antiaircraft gunners how to shoot down planes. These small two-stroke engines were perfect for this role. NASCAR owner Kiekhaefer decided to use car racing to promote his now profitable boat motor company. He entered 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Club Coupes in the AAA Milwaukee Mile and won all three races entered. Tony Bettenhausen and Frank Mundy drove. He then purchased large and powerful Chrysler 300s to use in NASCAR for the 1955 season. Kiekhaefer was a millionaire, so he could afford the expensive cars unlike the other teams. He bought the best equipment, and had a team, as well as transporters, unheard of in NASCAR at the time. He brought his car with no driver to the first race at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Former champion Tim Flock had retired after the 1954 season, but was convinced to return by Kiekhaefer for $40,000 ($ in dollars ). 1955 Tim Flock was the number one driver, entering 38 events, with 18 wins, 18 poles, and 32 Top-10 finishes on his way to the NASCAR championship. Kiekhaefer and Flock had a falling