The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-09
Eddie Hearne First To Enter 5OO-Mile
 Sweepstakes Eueni

l Indianapolis, January S.--(special )- Ed die Hearne. the last of the millionaire race drivers of decade ago, Is the first
 man to enter for .the ninth annual 500- ] mile international sweepstakes race here ] May 90. This gives him the coveted No Il to carry in the Indianapolis speedway < 1 classic, the worlds greatest race of the ! year.
 l It is a coincident that Hearne should get the No. 1. For the last two years it | has been obtained by R. Clifford DuraAt,
 the California millionaire, who retired from racing at Elgin last summer. Du- I rant was Hearne's patron in 1919 and
 backed him in his speed campaign. & | Eddie is one fthe few remaining all,
 round drivers, for he has received tns checkered flag in speedway and road
 races, hill climbs and reliability runs anti l countless dirt track events Thirteaa lyears ago, when he reached the age of ihl Hearne broke into the game, which
 then boasted number of millionaire and near millionaire pilots. The glamor J. 1 the speed sport had attracted such men of wealth as W. K. Vanderbilt Harry i Hardness, Croker, who was killed on the ! Florida sands, and many1 others! How 1 ever he broke in before Caleb Bragg | David Bruce-Brown, Spencer Wishart Joe Boyer and Cliff Durant were names to conjure with in the racing sport. All I followed him, all have lost their lives in competition or voluntarily retired.
 DROVE FOREIGN CARS
 ' Being man of means, Hearne drove
 foreign cars in the majority of his early races. although he first gained fame when he finished fourth nsthe first grand I prize at Savannah in 1908 in the fight
 car class. plotting a Buick Italian Fats
 and German-Italian Flats and German \, Benz cars were his fayorites. and it was
 at that wheels that his star was at it's zenith.
 When the Indianapolis speedway
 opened with it's first race meet, 12 years
 ago next August, Hearne was still in the
 amateur ranks. With Fiat car he beat the pick of the. "gentlemen racersf
 winning the national amateur champion-
 ship trophy.
 In 1910 he turned pro and his record
 of getting money in seven starts that year on the speedway was unusual. He used Benz ear and registered five firsts second and third Included nj this were two victories which gave him the Indianapolis speedway helmet trophy In 1911. the first of the 5O0s. he drove a Fiat and although he had more than his share of mechanical trouble, he was still in the fight when the race was called In 1912 he was eliminated after 54 laps, piloting a Casen Then for some years Eddie dropped out of the big time
 stuff as financial troubles and other worries beset him However,, in 1917 he came back tc the "big time,' taking second in the initial race of the year at Uniontown.
 USES HIS HEAD Tn his late+ years he has learned s'to use his head While he has not alwa vs ! had the fastest car. the drivers respect his ability. One of the best illustrations | was his taking of the runner-up place in the 1919 Indianapolis 500. He drove a | Durant rebuilt Stutz and early in tine contest the fans and dopesters did not l figure on his making any trouble Tor l 1.-the winner However. after the race | passed the halfway mark his consistent driving began to tell and he practically