The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-01
HOMER GEORGE ON
 HOW II HAPPENED Former Age-Herald Sport Writer Comments on
 Race Results
By HOMER C. GEORGE

Indianapolis, May 31.-(SpeciaiD
 ! do not like to claim for myself
 any particular wisdom, but the
 running of the 50O-miIe worlds
 speedway championship race here
 today, proved my judgment correct
 when dnrk horse in four
 cylinder car brought home the
 bacon.
 This dark horse was Howard Wilcox of Indianapolis. Eddie Hearne, another American finished second, with Jules Goux, a former winner, third Youth must be served, and it was the youth of Wilcox and Hearne which vanquished the very pick of the worlds racing pilots. Today's race was marked by series of casualties which surpassed all records since the course was given it's brick footing.
 Three deaths and two serious injuries mark the toll of speed Death lurked on the corners and all but got several others. as no less than six bad spills occurred. The dead include Arthur Thurman of Washington, D. C.. but for merly of Atlanta. driver of the Thurman special; Louis Lecocq of Los Angeles, driving Roamer, and R. Bandini, me- chanic for Lecocq. The injured are Mol liiari. mechanic for Thurman, and Romi- grere, mechanic for Jean Chassagne. who turned over.
 Lecocq and Bandini were burned to death when their car turned over and caught fire. The great speed cars-De Palma's s Packard, the Ballots and the Frontenacs suffered from mechanical and other trouble and cost their drivers all chances of winning
 STARTED UNDER GEORGE
 The driving of Wilcox was the best of his entire career. His career, incident ally, started under my direction at New Orleans following the first Atlanta speed way meet, when he drove his first race for me. He was mechanic for Johnny Aitken at the time
 Wilcox laid just off all the early speed and when DePalma and Gaston Chevro- let suffered trouble he forged to the frcnt and was never headed. winning by two laps, or five miles, in less than record time, his average being S712, which is a shade less than my predic- ton for the race. The famous Ballots were contentious only for 100 miles, when they began to experience trouble. The F1ontenacs lost through the collapse of wheel hubs. They were always either
 
 100 miles,
 Ralph DePalma drove a magnificent race and but for i'll luck would have been first. But, as I predicted. his car suffered from oil trouble. and then. vixen that was apparently cured and he was going magnificently again, he burst front wheel bearing. At that he came back and finished sixth after los ing 90 odd laps at the pits Gaston Chevrolet was the real surprise of the day. He went into the lead when De- Palma faltered at 250 miles, but soon lost it to Wilcox, but remained in the same lap past the 4o0-n1ile mark
 HEARNE WENT GOOD Eddie Hearne drove the best race l ever saw the Chicagoan pilot. He was always close by, though just off the leaders. When the first four began, to drop by the wayside he moved up, but Ia cked the speed to even seriously threat en Wilcox p the last 150 miles. The win ming of the race by youngster and dark horse was a shock to the general public, who had been staggered by the fame of the many famous drivers en- tered and. by the speed of many of the noted cars.
 But it follows my prediction. Also the victory of a four-cylnder motor shows the multiple type is not for 800 miles at IT dianapolis The showing of the Ballots was a hard blow to the French but it untried car has ever won here. Several Birmingham people saw the race, as we' as many from all over the south.