George Roy Bentel (July 2, 1876 – February 27, 1952) was an American automobile dealer and the first owner of the Legion Ascot Speedway.
After his high school graduation in 1892, Bentel began working at the Pittsburgh brokerage house of Henry Sproul & Co.
His Mercer territory was quickly expanded to include the entire United States west of Denver, Colorado (from the Canadian border south to Mexico).
[2] Between August 1913 and July 1917, Bentel's Los Angeles-based salesroom and mechanical department were located at separate sites.
[2] After selling his lease on Ascot to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 1919, he announced plans to build a new oval at another site soon.
After the 1924 Thanksgiving Day road race, however, drivers complained about being unpaid and Bentel was handed a suspended 30-day jail sentence for false advertising.
The partners were indicted in 1924 and Bentel was convicted of mail fraud for the venture in 1926 for swindling stock while Morosco was acquitted of all charges.