Omaha daily bee., 1917-07-05
THOMAS AND HA|NES FILE
PROTEST IN SPEEDWAY RACExl
MILTON SECOND IN BIG EVENV
Manager of Mercer Team Insists That Two Drivers Took
First and Second in Derby, Although Flag Dropped
First for Ralph Milford Who Later Took
Second Place in Fifty Mile Race.
BY FRED S. HUNTER,

With his foot hard down upon the
throttle pedal and driving like mad,
Smiling Ralph Mulford, next to Bar
ney Oldfeld, the ranking veteran of
the automobile racing game, staged
Garrison finish in the third annual
Omaha motor derby yesterday after
noon and sent his Hudson No. .
laundering across the finish line in
| first position.
His time was i.2S:53, an average Of
1926 miles an hour, the fastest time
ever made in long distance race on
the local speedway.
Despite the fact that he was forced
to roll into the pits two times to make
tire changes while some of his rivals.
swept through the entire distane(
without stop, Smiling Ralph, in
waning moments Of the aftern
fooled his supcr-six to victory in
great classic.
WAITS oPPoRTUNE TIME. -
Mulford waived all claim to first
place during the early stages Of the
race, seemingly content to lie back for
the big drive, which he set in motion
later in the race.
He let Louis Chevrolet set the pace
for the first fifty laps and rode in
fourth place, with Chevrolet, Kirkpat-
rick and Joe Thomas ahead OF him.
When Chevrolet dropped out with
broken axle, Mulford, of course,
moved UP to third position, but took
it easy and 1t was not until after
ninety laps OF the race had been run,
when kirkpatrick rolled into the pits
/ to adjust missing spaIkplugs, thai
Smilmg Na1ph began to give MS Hld-
son the gas.
Then this hero of hundred nerve
raoking races blew his competitors to
a touch of high life. He stepped on
the pedal and sent his blue mount
sailing by Thomas and into first place,
which he held until Starter Fred Wag-
ner had given him the checkered flag
Muford drove q great race. Twice
he had to stop Tor tires. The first
change occupied 2l seconds and the
second change IS seconds. but despite
these two halts, Smiling Ralph
brought home the bacon.
Milton Gets Second Money.
Tommy Milton in a Duesenberg
won second money. Never halting
for an instant in his grueiling strug-
gle, Tommy drove steady, consistent
calculating race and it won him
good share of the prize money. de-
spite the fact that several of his rivals
possessed faster mount, : ommy did
not make single stop during the en-.
tire race. His time was 1:2o:57.07.
or an average of over 100 miles an
hour.
When the race was run, Joe Thomas
IN Mercer was given the checkered
flag for second position and Walter
Haines in Mercer third money. while
Milton was believed to have finished
fourth. A rechecking of the timing.
however, which lasted until the wee
small hours this morning, showed that
Milton had finished second, while
Thomas was third.
Haines, it was found in the rccheck.
instead OF being third, finished sixth.
Some Men Advance.
Eddie Hearne in a Duesenberg.
originally given fifth place, was ad-
vanced to fourth while Billy Taylor.
whom it was first thought had finished
outside the money, came in for fifth
place. Haines was sixth and Dave
Lewis, first given sixth place, was
dropped back to seventh, while Andy
Burt was crowded one position out OF
the coin.
Thomas time for the $50 miles was
! ;3O:l8,20. Hearne, Taylor and Haines
finished right behind him.
Taylor duplicated Milton's feat of
driving the race without STOP Billy
drove a steady, consistent race, never
faltering a moment, but plugging
along with staunch conhdene in his
car, and he succeeded Taylor's Hud-
son is three or four miles an hour
slower than Mulford's car, but piloted
under the skillful guidance of Taylor
it was driven into the money.
Lewis in Hard Luck.
Dave Lewis drove hard luck race
Three times tires shot on him and
each time Dawes stops in the pits were
long ones. With better tire luck
Continued on Page Seven, Column Three,