The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-06-01
HOWARD WILCOX
WINS 800 MILE
AUTOMOBILE RACE
INDIANAPOLIS BOY ~ PEuGEO1
GETS 100000 PRIZE WITH AVER
AGE TINE sac.
THREE RACERS KILLED
Drivers Thurman and Iecocq and Ne
chnnic Bandini Meet Death Nhei
Cars Ovcrturn; Two Latter Crea
mated; llcHrnc, GouN. Guyet. Alley
DE Palma and Chevrolet Follow In.

indianapolis. Ind, May 3l.-tIowart
Wilcox. of indianapolis, today won the
seventh annual international sweep
stakes race of 500 miles at the motor
speedway, his time for the distance be
ns JI4:2l.IJ. Two drivers, Arthur
Thurman and Louis I.coocq. and u me
chlnIclan, II. Eaud.ni, We're killed dur
the contest, and two others were in
Jmcd
As result OF his victory, Wilcox wins
a prize of 10000 FIFTY thousand dol
lars We're divided among the first ten
drivers. The other prize winners fin
ished IN the order named:
Heamc, GouN, Guyot, Alley DePalma
l.. Chevrolet. Vain, q. Chevrolet and
Thomas.
Wilcox and Guyot were team mates
WlcoX assumed the lead as the contest
approached the half way mark and drove
consistently throughout He had two
stops. once for "a tire change and on
the other occasion to take on gasoline.
oil, water and to repair a lose steering
knuckle. His average was S7.12 miles
an hour.
All records for the indianapolis speed.
way were shattered by Ralph de Palma
for the first 200 miles Long stays in
the pits however, put the Italian driver
almost entirely out of the running ana
it only was by terrific speed that he,
managed to fitish sixth. He barely
nosed out l.. Chevrolet.
Arthur Thurman, driving a car he
had reassembled himself, was killed VIII
his machine turned over on the
stretch before the race had pro
250 miles. He was dead wheI
His machanician received (,
skull and was rushed to hos :
where he operated on immedial
Loui J. .ocu ana his assistant,
Bandmi. were burned TO death whs.,
thcir car turned over and caught fire.
The accident happened on the north
turn and the machine rolled over three
times before it stopped, pinning both
driver and mechancian under it,
The crowd was estimated at 1875, 700.
Started at II O'clock.
The 500 mile international automo
bile race started under a sweltering sun
at IL o'clock this morning.
The rice began with a flying start,
the first lap being paced by a car not
entered in the contest. The lap did not
count in the number to he made. The
drivers who completed the race went
around the brick paved course 2O0
times.
The front row lineup place Thomas,
Wilcox, Guyot and DE Palma in that
o. row. Earl Cooper led by q yard at
b the end Of the first lap, and De Palma at
the second round.
p Boillot was left at the post at the
2 start for half a lap, but got away in
. sprint to catch the Geld.
= w. W. Brown pulled into the pits
in the eleventh lap with broken con
{ Meeting rod.
t At Is miles Boyer went into pit or
/ three wheels and was declared out OF
, the race.
e Bahlot's car. driven by j. Chassagne,
his relief driver. turned over. \. Romi-
T guire, mechaniciun, was injured seri'
; ously. Chassagne was only hurt slight
J ".
Z Thurman the driver killed shortly
before the turning over Of Ballots car
was from Newark. n. j. 1t was his
first race on "a brick track.
Various difficulties put the cars driv
en- by Durrant and Klein out of the
e race also.
, Lecocq's car caught fire while round
t ing the southeast course Of the track
p on the 96th lap. The machine turned
2 over and the men therein were covered
+ with flaming gasoline. Both men burn
t ed for five minutes before guards ano
D. spectators eXtinguished the flames. The
$ burning gas spread over the track and
p several OF the speeding ears We're com
$ PEELED to dash through the blaze. The
z accident was one of the most serious
in the history of the track.
The speed maintained up to the 27s
mile point was the greatest in the his
tory Of the speedway. 1t averaged tc
+ that point 91.34 miles an hour. De
Palma. who had maintained a lead most
I of the time in the first half of the race
, lost % miles when he had to go tc
e the pits for u change Of tires.