The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-05-31
CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS FURNISH
EXCITEMENT FOR IMMENSE
HOLIDAY CROWD.
TWO SLIGHT ACCIDENTS
Tires Burst Under Strain Of Terrific
Speed and Drivers Have Thrilling
Escapes--Harroun's Car. WASP" is
Reduced 10 Scrap After Making a
Great Record.

indianapolis. May 30 slashlng
races at the Indianapolis speedway
today new records were set for the
national championships In stock ear
classes which will be contested an
nually. Barney Oldfield with his big
Benz broke the American speedway
records for the mile and the kIlomeior
ana Ray Harroun. driving Marmon.
topped the time for 50 miles for ears
of 23l to 800 cubic inches piston dis
placement. A crowd of $1,000 people
cheered the drivers on To desperate
feats OF speed ana the companies of
militia were pressed hard In control
ling the eager spectators who over
flowed the grandstands onto the field,
sirainng for "a near view of the heroes
of the motors.
Oldfield cut the mile speedway ree-
ord down from SO flat To 1856 and the
kilometer record from 23.7 to 2i.i5 He
made the former records on the Los
Angeles track. In a wonderfully sus-
tanned dash throughout the 50-mild
race Harroun easily led his rivals and
miles and the finish. His time was
42:il. The former record. which was
44:4s. Harroun himself had set at At
lanta,
Caleb Bragg, the Cincinnati anna
ieur. with his Fiat. was the third star
of the days triumphs. He won two
I0-mic and one five-mile free-for-all
race and had to put-up hard fight
for each of them with Kirscher In "a
Darracq. For the national champion
ships the drivers battled with all their
skill. forcing their engines to the limit
of their power. The leaders were al
ways punched in the home stretch
and the contests were not decided un-
III the front wheeles of the victor
actually had crossed the wire of the
timing machine.
The entries had been cut down by
the strict decisions of the technical
committee of the American Automo-
bile association. which stated that ev-
cry car that did not comply with the
specifications as 10 weight and cylin-
der measurements In the various sec
ilons should be barred. but the races
cause OF the smaller fields of con
testants.
Chevrolet In u Buick. winning the
lGl to 300 championship for 10 miles.
set the record down to 9.03 from 9i6
and Dawson tMarmom wrestling from
Iiafroun the victory IN the 23l To 800
class for five miles put a new mark
at AL, seven seconds better than the
old time. Oldfield. In n Knox, won
both the five and ten.;nle champion
ships In the 45i to 600 class. which
included the highest powered ears rec
ognlzed under the stock ear racing
rules. Leading all the way. Oldfeld
cut dawn the record for five miles
from 4.03 To 40l.
The honor for setting the champion
ship record for 10 miles In the 30l tn
4aO class went 10 Aitken (NationaD,
who pulled down the time from sos
10 7.52 Only two accidents marred
the days sport and In neither of them
was'-anyone injured. though Harroun
had the narrowest escape from death
he had ever experienced. His Mar
mon Wasp" with which he SO bril-
IiuHtly Woi iHt -uu Hiiit SdtuI
day. brust a tire and hurled itself on
the cement wall that guards the mar
gin of the track. Sliding along the
top of the wall, the car tore a furrow
In the cement for 80 feet and then
toppled over. flinging Harroun from
his seat He picked himself up un-
hurt. but his Wasp was snarl of
steel. II was only partial consola-
tFon for his loss when r. ii. Wheel
ock. vice president of the speedway
company leading him before the
throngei grandstands, presented him
with the $4,000 silver trophy and a
check for 1000 which he won in the
200-mile race.
The second accident of the day oc-
CURED In the five-nlle free-for- ~
when Kirschers Darracq cast high In
sthe air one of its front tires. sum
inOning all his strength the driver
held the careening, flying car true u
the track and finally turned 1t of
10 the inner field and stopped II safely
In The sand.