The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-05-29
EXPECT GREATEST
 RACE IN ANNALS
 AT INDIANAPOLIS
Contestants to Drive Cars With Small Motors and Speed Will Stand
 Out.

Indianapolis, Ind, May 29-The coming 500 mile drive for $7o,0o0 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, will be the great est in the annuals of this historic classic according to Barney Ofdfield, master driver of the world, who will pace the race. Oldfield is now at the track along with numerous rail- birds checking the performance of each car that shows its radiator on the brick saucer.
 For the first time, Indianapolis is giving it's sole and undivided atten- ton to a worlds championship race in which only small motors start. No car in the race will boast of cylinder displacement of more than 183 cubic inches nor a weight of less than 1900 pounds.
 By this reduction the Indianapolis Motor Speedway management is talk ing probably the final step in a Steady march, begun many years ago. The first 300 mile race in 1911 was open
 to motors of 500 cubic inches dis
 placement. There are few, if any,
 such cars now in use.
 The next step was a reduction to
 450 cubic inches-motors broadly
 equivalent to the most powerful and
 largest commercially built today. Then
 
 the maximum displaceent was 300
 cubic inches This figure brought
 racing motors down to class typiled
 by such cars as we might call me
 dium- sized.
 Now comes a racing class still
 smaller. A motor of 1s3 cubic inch
 es has actually less dispacement than
 a Ford motor. Only few cars on the
 market would be eligible to this race
 with stock sized cars.
 Yet, if history is to be relied on,
 there will be as much speed, and
 much more excitement to the com ing race, as there was in any of the memorable contests that have been staged on the 1-2 mile oval. The 450 inch class went faster than the mammoth six hundreds. The three hundreds went faster than the big four-fifths. It is a terrific stretch of ina gination for one to see the cars of but 1S3 cubic inches beating Ralph De Palma'S record of s9.S7 for the 500 miles. established with his 300 inchs Mercedes in 1915, yet that will
 surely be done, all things being equal.
 Several prominent raiIbirds predict that the speedway record for 500
 miles will fall before the attack of the small cars, spurred on by the $2o,- 900 lap prize-to be paid $100 per lap for the driver winning the lap. They also claim that the car that wins will average 90 miles an hour and will make but one stop-for gasoline and oi1-and will finish on the set of tires with which it starts These men point to Duray's 1s3 cubic inch Peugeot which finish ed | second to Rene Thomas as far back as 1914 averaging So.99 per hour and the performance of Boillots 15o l cubic inch boat which was in fourth place within twenty miles of the fin l ish when a broken wheel dashed it's chances on the bricks.
 These smaller cars are made tc run at maximum speed all the way They will head into the turns nearly as fast as they take the straightway Engineering is moving with steady | strides in the production of motor l cars more efficient, more powerful | for their size and more able to stand I up and keep going.
 Spectators at Indianapolis this year will see as much speed as ever | The little cars will roar as loudly as | their predecessors. The brushing will l be just as spirited and the driving l will surely be more bitter the | f11rps