Teddy Tetzlaff was one of the best-known American racing car drivers of the early 20th century, and he held several different speed records at one time or another. In 1914, Tetzlaff set a world speed record of over 142 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, and once in a race at Corona, California Tetzlaff turned in what at the time was the fastest lap speed in the USA. Tetzlaff also twice briefly held the one-lap qualifying record at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he was never able to win the Indy 500. He drove in the race four times, with his best finish being second place in 1912. Tetzlaff was featured in The Speed Kings (1913) with Mabel Normand.