The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-03
OLDF|ELD HERE
FROM THE COAST
Worlds Champion Automobile
Driver Is Net by Many
Old Friends.
WILL TRY FOR WORLDS
RECORDS AT RACE TRACK
Acrye-Racking Sport Is Begin
ming to Tell on the In
trepid Barney.

Barney Oldfeld the worlds champion
the Bucna Vista races Saturday and sun
day. The intrepid Barney arrived late
yesterday afternoon, and in half an hour
he was shaking hands with scores of old
acquaintances formed here ten years
ago.
Time has not dealt any loo kindly with
pldheld, for although Barney has not
passed his thirty-second year he looks
10 De 80. and the deep lines and furrows
In his face and brow tell at. first glance
= story more plain than words could pos
sihly tell The accidents and nerve
racking experiences which have Travelled
hand hand with the hazardous game
the champion has been following. have
made him an old man before his time.
Barney Oldheld may have made lots of
money and accumulated great fame dur
ing the past seven or eight years. but
he has paid an awful price. Those who
were particularly chummy with Bnrnc!
during the old days when he was here al
the Salt Palace bicycle track scarcely
knew him when they met him last night.
But although Barney has aged and SUI
ferad physically and mentally, he stu re
tains that boYish spirit and air OF good
fellowship which made So many friends
for him In tho oldcp times. 70 group
that surrounded him last night in a cafe
he told many good stories and rcsalcd
his auditors with humorous tales and
spoke no word OF the serious side OF his
death inviting profession.
To Tribune man whom he has known
for fiftecn years, the champion racing
driver said. We'll. ii seems that tho
welcome home sign was hung ont FOR
me here. and / don't know when | was
ever more delighted TO get back 10
city, than I was 10 land in old Salt Lake
again. Every one seems glad 10 see me
and so many times have my old friends
vrung my hand with genuine good cheer
hZf foe1 ahS,,rt leo Iaf los
feels after a couple OF hours with the
wrist machine.
II have done my best work since
was here last and have broken n lot Of
worlds records and won many good
races. ! realize that l am no longer q
young fellow, but | have all tLc old dare
devil spir, left in me. and ! am driving
with less regard Tor my personal safety
than ever before. The speed battles now
adays are fought at terI'ible cost and
The tlmld cannot hope to win, 1t Is get
hut I hold more records today than ]
ever he'd before, and I have accomplished
more in the past sixty days than / ever
hoped TO accomplish
Will Race Here.
Six months ago ] realized that this
would he "A gruellinG season in the sport
OF automobile racing and that II ! was
10 retain my position on The top rung
OF the ladder | must have great car.
Factories were spending hundreds OF
Held even onco in a while. So ] scrapcd
all the dollars in my savings bank to-
gether and bought, a tremendous cost,
my Bitten Benz. imported the car
from Europe. and had 10 send 2 man over
there Ia beg the factory 10 let me have
II. II was built for fsvorite driver OF
the president of the Benz concern and l
guess they wanted 10 protect his records.
When the great car arrived here ]
took II 10 Daytona, Fla. and II is now
4 matter OF history how ! broke worlds
speed OF 142 miles an hour. Even the
scientific and tecbpica1 papers through
out the country gave me credit for the
feat of travelling faster than anything
received over 500 wires OF congra tula-
tions from all over the world.
Then announced that I was going 10
take the monster car TO Los Angeles for
tho mile circular board track. There
was an awful roar from all the wise ones
in the game. and predictions OF disaster
and notes OF warning from my friends
They said 7 was crazy TO take such
chance with huge car that cannot be
got on high speed gears until speed OF
100 miles an hour Is attained.
But I succeeded in showing a gait OF
1o5 miles an hour on The board track. an
even ten miles faster than any other car
or driver ever showed. But the yell that
went up from we'll meaning friends when
] took a fling at the board track was a
mild protest compared 10 the noise that
followed my expressed intention TO drive
the machine on mile dirt tracks, un-
banked and treacherous for high speed
attempts.
u picked out about the worst dirt
track in America for my first attempt
Inglesde at San Francisco. But ! got
within two-fifths of a second OF the
worlds record. and there is nothing in
the world that can convince me that
will not break the mile dirt track record
here next Saturday and Sunday. One
thing Is sure, | will give my friends here
tho best that is I'm me. and when leave
they will all say, We'll, he certainly
Travelled some