The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-02-04
DEPALMAE ENTERS
300 MILE EVENT
DIRT TRACK DEMON WILL
DRIVE FRENCH BALLOT MADE
IN ARR
Entry Into Race Recalls HIS Misfortune
in Another Big Track Feature
Recently.

indianapolis. Feb. 3.-Ralph pePalma
International star and one OF Americas
fayorite race drivers. is the second to
enter the ninth annual 50o-mile inter
| n~ational sweepstakes or the lnd!anapo'
liz Motor Speedway May so. Eddie
licarnC the last OF the ~m!llionaircS ara
h has met DcPalma in many a SpcSI
! battle ON road, track and hill. Is the
only one 10 rrcccdc Ralph in entering
, In hlinE his entry DcPalmn has not
named the car he will drive. but 1t Is
generally believed that this will be Il
Ballot from the Paris factory. DE
Palma has he"n driving the ~"cight-in-
line" ~SpSedstcr for two years and Will
start thu championship season al Los
Angeles. on Washingtun'S birthday. at
the wheel OF the French car. II" has
ais" been selected by Earnest Ballot
TO captain MS team Of four cars IN the
French Grand rriX in July.
D,Palma gained favor Of the speed
fans IN 1917 by defeat rather than vic
! tory. The ltalIan-AmeriCan drove 4
Mercedes in the 500 nine years ago. For
49, miles h" showed the way To all
the American and foreign cars and
drivers. only to have victory slip from
his grasp and see so. 600 vanish. with
TWO laps Of the brick course TO G". Ills
, 'dago luck" as ne chose Ia designate"
his misfortune madr him the faVUrir"
OF almost every fan.
Three years later he set a track rec
ord and Won the Indianapolis classic.
after an almost Sc~vCn-hour haiti" with
pario Krstd and his fleet rcuEcut. This
time DCPalma agaIn drove Il Mercedes
. While Ralph had perhaps five miles an
hour less under the hood Of his car h"
out-Gamcd RcSta III driving and atiIiu-
ID the ambition Of every race driven
"A 5OO-mil. victory. Incidentally. ne
driver has ever twice woQ this event.
D"talma. In making his entry has
advised r. r.. Myers, ScCrrtary-GirncrSl
manager Of the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway company. that he hopes to bc
the first Ia han up two tive-Crntur,
victories. although he is not "Gu,is;iCal
enough to state that he will win tire
: event. which last year carried II tota'
cash award Of about 800, nnO.
III luck last May was al! that pre-.
vented Dcralma from being III" iirSt e.
WIN a pair of indianapolis races. Tn,
SAM" wdS true in 1919 when he set thr
pace for IN first half Of the race. Al.
though UcTalma has won rountl"ss
races. the fans admire him more for
! his SpOrtsmanlikc ATTITUDES M" years
ago when victory was turned !uto de-
feat. because iron and steel could not
stand tn" strain of tho speed t"St ON thc
brick oval for another fou minutes
4 dcCad, ago Il crowd OF 100. hn0 pre-
dtction for almost any autoInoOjl" race
or speed test would have" h"rn grounds
TO have the prcdiCtur placed under IN"
. observation Of an ~aiIen!St. The ndiau.
aroIIS Speedway passed the century
thousand mark seven Years ago and last
yeas $4,000 fans passed through The
eat"s to sec the international speed
classic. The seat sale for the ninth
annual I0o-milc Sweepstakes opened
last Monday (January 80 aud iudiri.
tons Grc that a new worlds record wall
b" made by the 1921 five century.