Fred W. Belcher (June 3, 1881 - February 18, 1951) was an American racing car driver during the early, pre-World War I, days of automobile racing in the United States.  A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Belcher was trained as a machinist and began working for the Knox Automobile Company of that city in 1901.  He was a race car driver for the Knox factory team, and his active racing career as a driver ran from 1909-1911.  During that time period, Belcher participated in at least 36 automobile races, coming in first an impressive 14 times during those 36 races, with 10 second place finishes, and 4 third place finishes.  He drove Knox stock chassis race cars, and drove in events such as the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup, the 1911 Indianapolis 500, and the 1909 and 1910 Giants' Despair Hill Climb races. 

In the 1911 Indianapolis 500, which was the very first running of the Indy 500, Fred Belcher drove the No. 15 Knox and finished ninth in the race.  He also drove the fastest laps of the first Indianapolis 500, and had the fastest average actual running time of that historic race, not counting time in the pits (the race was won by Ray Harroun in the single-seat No. 32 Marmon Wasp, who had less tire problems and therefore far fewer pit stops).  At the time of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, Belcher was listed by a popular automotive journal as among the top 35 racing drivers in America.

In addition to his career as a race car driver, Belcher also was the engineer on one of the first controlled motor-powered flights in U.S. history on May 2, 1904, and also served in a U.S. aero squadron during World War I.  The surname Belcher, which is composed of the two syllables "Bel" and "cher", is English and French in origin, and means "good cheer."