Arizona republican., 1920-04-11
TOMMY MILTON
 WAY OUT AHEAD

Before a crowd of 25,0O0 cheering
 race enthusiasts, Tommy Milton, driv- ing the same Duesenberg car that SC often has carried him to victory wor the Los Angeles speedway champion ship honors Sunday, March 2S, 1920 setting a new speed mark for a western
 track
 But it was only after a terrific strug-
 gle that the Duesenberg pilot, who is a
 scion of a wealthy St. Paul family, was
 returned winner of the coveted honors,
 for he was pitted against the speediest
 aggregation of cars that has ever ap-
 peared on the Pacific coast.
 In the final fifty-mile heat of a three-
 heat race he set a dizzy pace but found
 that his seven competitors were also
 bent on securing championship honors.
 For lap after lap Art Klein in a Peugeot and Eddie Pullen in a Richards jock eyed with him for the lead, all three going around the oval in a group with in few inches of each other. On the 26th lap, however. Milton got back in front and stayed there to the end of the race. His time was 26 minutes, 52.20 seconds for the fifty miles, an averake speed of HIS miles per hour.
 Klein finished only six seconds be- hind the fleeting Milton. with Eddie Pullen but two seconds behind Klein. Roscoe Sarles, driving a Frontenac took fourth place finishing thirty sec- ondS behind Pullen. All four winning drivers depended for victory on Good year cord tires and all drove the entire their engines and tires performing faultIessIy
 The first and second fifty-mile heats, although not as fast as the final, were no less interesting, and furnished the vast throng with thrill after thrill as the contenders passed and repassed each other.
 In the initial heat Milton early took the lead and forced his rivals to main tain a pace of nearly III miles per hour until the last quarter of the 50th mile, when a valve spring in his motor snapped, allowing Klein in terrific burst Of speed to cross the line. victor, a fifth of a second in advance of Milton, who in turn finished two- -hundredths of second in front of Joe Boyer's frontenac. Eddie Hearne, in a Stutz, broke a piston in the last lap and coast ed over the line in fourth place.
 The second heat proved an easy vic tory for Jimmy Murphy, Duesenberg pilot. who was the favorite of the fans because of his wonderful non -stop tri- lmph in the 250-mile event inaugural Ing the new speedway a month ago. 1 This heat furnished the prettiest rac- ng of the day.
 Murphy, Pullen, SarIes and Ralph De 1 Palma in his French Ballot car alter 1 hated fin the lead until the 26th lap, 1 when Murphy stepped out in front and | 'oon advanced far ahead of his rivals. | He finished seventeen seconds ahead | if Pul1en, with De Palma third and i ,arles fourth. During this heat Milton vas busy at the pits getting his car in hape for the final. The victors in hese two heats, as well as in the final. rove nonstop runs on Goodyear cord ires.
 The three events were replete with hrills, as the speed demons sizzled round the tracks like veritable me COTS. and time and time again the 5000 fans were brought to their feet $ some driver passed in a sensational urst of speed.
 The drivers go from Los Angeles to Iavana- Cuba, for series of races at he Cuban fair beginning April 10. rom Havana they will ship their cars 3 Indianapolis, Ind, for the big 500- 1ile race there on Decoration day. Af- sr Indianapolis the drivers divide into vo groups, one going to Tacoma, Wash. for the races there on July 5th. nd the other to Uniontown, Pa, to anticipate in a race to be held in June.
 The next automobile race held on Los ngeles speedway will be staged on thanksgiving day, after the close of le racing season in the east.