Shorty Wolf (I always assumed Wolfe to be the correct spelling) was a long time driver, mechanic and car owner from Columbus/OH, starting some time in the twenties, and continuing right up until the fifties. There was a Fred Sullivan, also from Columbus, racing a Fiat and then a Marmon Special in 1919/'20 - probably our "F. H.". Shorty was William B. Wolf in real life, but there was already a Billy Wolf racing out of Altoona just over the stateline in Pennsylvania, so to avoid confusion he was stuck with the sobriquet. This appears to be an early car, so perhaps the Hudson Special he drove mostly though the latter half of the twenties. Later, he also drove Fronties, Chevies, maybe a Dodge Special (could be a confusion with Billy Wolf, though). Around 1935, he built the Hisso Special which became quite a successful car in the hands of drivers like Clay Corbitt and Vern Faler, Postwar, he ran a Vance Special for Faler, Herb Collins or Billy McGee until 1953, it seems.
Barney Sullivan was from the Chicago/Milwaukee area (probably the latter), I don't think there's a connection. One of the early drivers for Billy Schoof, later Indy 500 entrant. Another interesting anecdote, regarding Shorty Wolf, is that he was one of the main perpetrators in the infamous New Bremen riot on September 20 in 1931, along with future Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose. This was a typical independent race of the era, and an argument arose between the leading drivers (Rose, Wolf, Bill Chittum, Larry Beckett, Bob Carey and Mark Billman) and the promoters over the purse. With the stands full and a paltry purse, the drivers went on strike, at which the crowd began a riot, culminating in the burning down of the grandstands - quite a bit of a mess. The police was called in, and Wolf and Rose were arrested on charge of arson - Wolf spent the better part of two weeks in prison, while Rose was released on bail even later. They were both indicted, along with two other participants, in October, but the case still dragged on in November and I never found a final verdict. Perhaps time to look into this again.
Edited by Michael Ferner, 09 August 2021 - 11:02.