New-York tribune., 1912-03-31
BIG PRIZE At STAKE
p,,rse for indianapolis Sweep
stakes Will Reach $4,000.
MORE INTEREST THAN EVER
Keen Competition and Great
speed Indicated for Me-
mortal Day Race.

.-,iorapolis. March 30.-Late in the year
"a wben the announcement Of the first
lilo international sweepstakes at the
,ndisnspolis Motor Speedway was made,
s,o,orIng world sized up the proposition
:, GIVING $4,000 in prizes and race OF 800
IN length. and after two or three
as,s decided that it might be a good thing
GO after all So it came about that the
A., 5N.mile international sweepstakes on
e., Memorial Day drew the largest crowd
,,o,oring fans ever assembled in any
t,c,osure to witness any sort of auto
The question i'm the mind OF the public
.s IN how many manufacturers would dare
- o,tempt a contest of this kind was an
surorod readily when forty-siX starters We're
,ed for the long race. The other ques-
49, &C to whether or not spectators would
49, attracted to such contest, was an
,,re,ed when about ninety thousand per-
cons fled through the gates. indianapolis
rover saw SO many strange faces.
Tho owners of the speedway, in view of
,,o fact that the first race was 80 success
,gl decided that second 5o0-mile race, and
,robsbly more arerward, would he the
,ro,er thing 10 offer their patrons. Public
.r,r,on was sounded thoroughly and bore
-, the idea Of the speedway management.
p,, the second contest had to he different
tom the first and greater. Ii seemed al
lost impossible to improve upon many
oondjtions Of the first race, hut it finally
nag decided 10 increase the purse to $4,000.
ci,inc the winner $4,000 instead Of $1,000
.s last YEAR. Greater speed was demanded,
and every car which is entered for the sec
o,d racc shows even better speed possibili-
dos than those which competed in the first.
ror the second ,0O-mile race every car
which enters must make full lap Of the
sceedway track at the rate Of seventy-hve
,.pos. last year this speed was required
only over q quarter Of a mile s'raiShtaway.
LIST year forty cars started, but 1t was
a.cmed advisable. both from the point of
view Of promoting high speed contest ana
minimizing the element of danger. 10 al
,ow only thirty cars 10 compete IN the
second race. This means that with thirty
cars on the track travelling at the rate OF
.eycuf,-flc miles an hour. one car VIII
MSS every point i'm the track on an average
~ 4yerv four seconds. IL is believed that
o Contest of this nature will prove even
more interesting than that Of last year be-
cause spcctators will he able TO single out
tho cars in which they are interested at
al times and note the individual per-
r.ruance Of the various cars without he
lrg subjected TO the strain OF constant
alortness
Dcspite tho fact that these conditions
have been imposed upon the manufactur-
.rs. II is certain at the present time tha'
the full field Of thirty starters Will be en-
tered by May ]. II is estimated by various
critics and racing drivers that the speed OF
this race will be at least one mile an hour
faster than that Of the last race.
Raw Harroun. who won the last 5D-mile
rsce has been credited with the statement
that the speed would not be greater II as
great The majority, however, take issue
with Harroun and seem 10 believe that the
old record will be beaten. This seems 70
No almost certain because Of the fact that
all NJ the entrants are anticipating greater
speed and are building their cars TO meet
harder requirements than they did last
year.
Before the first 5o0-mile race the average
sree5 was very indefinite because there had
been no previous contest Of the same length
upon which TO base the action Of the cars
in tho coming race, however, this cond'-
ton IS practically overcome because the
contestants have a knowledge of what was
done IN the first contest of the kind
Whether or not they will be benefited oy
4, remains 10 be seen, but from all reports
most Of the entries for this second race are
cars which are larger and faster than those
or last wear. and the race prospects are
than before