The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-10
ATLANTA SPEEDWAY is
fastest IN THE WORLD
One Bad Accident Happened During
Opening Day of Atlanta Auto
Races But Luckily No One
Is Seriously Injured.
BY JAS. 3. KEELING.


the Atlanta automobile speedway Is the
fastest racing course in the world was
exemplified today with the opening OF a
weeks meet which is also the inaugural
opening of the track.
Lewis Strang who sprang into fame
by lowering the worlds record upon the
/, Birmingham track sprang again very de-
\ cidedly into the limelight by clipping six
seconds off of the new record set by Bar
ney Oldheld at the indianapolis races
Oldheld used the same machine he used
in Indianapolis, and took three seconds
off his own record, but Strang went him
one better by taking as many seconds off
Oldhelds new record.
Strang drove a 20o-horsepower Fiat
Louis Chevrolet. in a s0-horsepower Buick
again distinguished himself and showed
his popularity by the applause he received
when he lowered the American record in
the 2Oo-nnile free-for-all. circling the two-
mile track hundred times in 2:46:47:4,
and his nearest opponent five miles be-
hind.
John Aiken in a National 40 also broke
| into the record breaking business by low
ering the ten-mile stock chassis 451 to
600 cubic inches, doing it in s;02:41, this
| being 13.49 better than the record pre-
viously held by Barney Oldfeld.
Black from oil, smooth, firm and free
| from dust. the speedway undoubtedly
eclipses any course in America to take
| the word of many automobile experts who
have driven over all of them. The abso-
| lutte freedom from dust added pleasure
] untold to the meet and caused one to
wonder why a track was ever allowed
! to have dust on it.
| One Accident Mars Day.
| One bad accident marred the afternoons
| sport. but luckily the two men in the
machine escaped injury though everyone
expected to find nothing but their man
, gled bodies. This happened to the Mar
mon 35 driven by stillman in the 200-mile
race, which was for the coca-coIa trophy
and a first prize of $500. second of $500
and third of $50. This car was the only
one to reach the 1s4th mile without a
1 breakdown and Stillman was pushing
Chevrolet close. On the back stretch,
however, one of his wheels broke, and
the car went crushing into the eight
foot bank which graces the outside of the
track. The slope of the bank was such,
though, that the car skidded sidewise
along 1T for nearly hundred feet. All
four wheels were torn TO bits while the
two men were thrown out. None of the
machinery of the car was injured to any
material extent. When the car crashed
into the bank a great cry of horror went
UP from the crowd. Then everything
grew wonderfully quiet while ambulanees
and persons inside the paddock rushed
to the scene When II was seen that
the men were not hurt the crowd re-
vived and greeted them with tumultuous
applause.
The two-mile free-for-al was also won
by Strang in 1:31 54 in his big Fiat car.
Strang literally stepped away from his
opponents in this race, Oldfleld coming in
nearly half mile behind Walter Chris
tie had one of his queer shaped, front
drive cars in this event, but stalled
little in the start At the finish how
ever he was moving a great deal faster
than Strang had been travelling. John
Aiken came in third in his National 60.
The crowd showed it's taste for long
distance racing. but the 200-mile event was
twice too long. At 100 miles 1t set the
crowd wild. Chevrolet. In his Buick. lap
ped number of the cars time and time
again with the exception of two Chal-
mers- Detroit DOS, driven by Lorimer and
Dingley. until the latter part of the race
when trouble with these two cars caused
him to pass them few times. Dingley
came second in the 200-mile event in
2:53 1892; Lorimer third in 2.S5:15:62, and
Basle fourth in Renault In 3:05 :10:3l
Chevrolets time averaged Is seconds TO
the mile.
Crowds Will Increase.
Over 10000 people attended the meet. but
this will undoubtedly be the smallest
attendance of the week. The people were
set wild. Time and time again they were
on their feet. jumping up and down,
throwing their hats in the air and whoop-
ing for dear life by the spirit of the
race.
While this large crowd was shouting
itself hoarse eight miles from Atlanta the
heart of the city was packed by an inn
mense mob which lined the sidewalks and
waited for the appearance of the differ
ent cars making endurance runs from
neighboring towns into Atlanta. These
care have been arriving here ever since
early morning and are arriving every few
minutes now. They are here from Mem
phis and from Jacksonville, while every
intervening town has sent full quota.
Tonight there are over 1000 visiting auto
mobiles in Atlanta and the town is run
over with them. The automobile show is
a place OF beauty. Birmingham people
who have attended both the New York
and Chicago shows state that it Is Sec
ond only to the New York one and
eclipses anything ever put on in Chicago.
Some insist that 1t is close rival of
the New York show. II is located in the
spacious music auditorium and every
make of car Is represented. The place
is beautifully decorated, everything
about 1t being artistically arranged The
show has been In progress since the sixth
and is attracting a great throng of vis-
Hors
Amendment In Atlanta.
There are Birmingham people galore
here. AS matter of fact there are SO
many Alabama politicians here that the
Kimball House reminds one strongly OF
the Exchange hotel In Montgomery. Even
lCONZzNUED ON PAGE ~