Gilbert "Gil" Andersen was born on 27 November 1879 in Horten, Vestfold county, Norway. He later became a full citizen of the United States. He married Elsie Olsen on 3 March 1909 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota He competed in the first six Indianapolis 500 races, appearing in annual races from 1911 through 1916. For the 1911 Indianapolis 500, all of the drivers except for Gil Andersen were American citizens. One of his major victories was in the 1913 Elgin Road Race, which he won at an average speed of 71 mph. On October 9, 1915, Andersen set a new auto speed record of 102.6 mph, winning the first Astor Cup race at Sheepshead Bay. N.Y. In 1928 Andersen established a new American stock car speed record, when he clocked 106.52 mph in a Stutz Blackhawk on the measured mile at Daytona Beach, Florida.