Evening star., 1925-07-11
10 DARING DRIVERS
TUNE UP TO START
|NB|G LAUREL RACE
Lightning Track and Perfect
Weather to Make
Trip Fast.
SHATTUC AND DEVORE
ELIMINATED IN TRIALS
End of 250-Mile Grueling Test of
Man and Machine Is Ex-
pected in Two Hours.
BY a STAT Commandment.

By a STAFF Correspondent.
SPEEDWAY. LAUREL, Md, July
1.-Man and machinery on edge for
titanic test of nerve and steel, IS of
the worlds most daring drivers waited
AT their marks today for the drop OF
The flag that will send them away on
a mad race of $50 miles for the in
auguraI championship of the new Bal
tlmore- Washington Speedway.
The track lightning fast, the wealth
or perfect for the racing dash. hot.
binding sun turning the boarded
arena into an oval glstening white
the drivers expected to complete their
journey within two hours.
Atmosphere Is Tense.
Banked high in the huge grand
stand that stretches along the entire
north side of the track, thousands of
eager men and women waited with
throbbing pulses for the call
They're offr'-that will start the
greatest race ever seen in this part
of the country. 1t was a scene of
tense. nervous anxiety, and perhaps
the only persons in the whole arena
who did not feel the taut strain of
the last hour were those in the pits.
There mechanicians and drivers
were calm and careful. smiling and
joking and even calling threats 10 one
another from pit to pit. But in the
grandstand, and around the arena
where thousands of cars were park
ed, nervous spectators anXiously twist
ed handkerchiefs and tore up bits of
paper TO relieve their iumpy nerves.
One or two were politely asked not to
throw paper around for it might blow
down on the track and interfere with
the racers
A band, spread out in front of the
judges stand. tried in vain to take
the minds of the throng off the
cars and themselves, but the thou
, sands refused to be quiet. Swaying
back and forth. they eagerly followed
the paths of machines out for test
runs. and finally officials were obliged
TO order all cars from the track out
Of sheer sympathy for the excited
multitudes. Then the crowd finally
took their seats. Some ate lunches
they had brought with them, others
wig-wagged frantic signals TO over
worked hot-dog yenders. and cold
drink carriers, and a few decided to
seek a few minutes relief from the
terrific heat that smothered every
body, and disappeared 10 the shade
beneath the grandstand.
Motors Tuned Early.
Motors were tuned up early and
almost since the first streaks of dawn
mechanicians and drivers have been
giving their roaring little steeds of
steel and aluminium their final test.
Now everything is ready for the get
away.
Eighteen drivers originally qualified
for the contest but it was essential
that two should be dropped. Referee
Fred Wagner stipulated that track
conditions warranted the starting of
only 16 and Earl Devore and DIR.
William +. ShattuC were eliminated.
This left the quota stipulated by the
judges and they appeared on the
track in the following order:
Earl Cooper. Junior eight special;
Bennie Hill, Miller special; Tommy
Milton, Miller special; Fred Conner,
special: Ralph De Palma, Miller spe-
cfal: Phil Shafer. Duesenberg special;
Jerry Wonderlich, Miller special:
Peter De Paolo, Duesenberg special;
Robert McDonough, Miller special;
Reginald Johnson, r and J special;
Frank Elliott, Miller special; Leon
Duray. Miller special; Pete Kriess,
Duesenberg special; Ralph Hepburn,
Miller special; Wade Morton, Duesen-
berg special.
! Thousand Pour In Gates.
The track was taken over by several
of the drivers as early as o'clock for
dazzling practice spins. Only a scat
tering crowd was on hand to watch
the cars tune up, but thousands of
men and women began pouring in the
gates before noon.
Dr. Shattuc the millionaire sports
man who became converted" to the
speed game while serving as track
physician at a number of big races,
gave the early arrivals in the stands
a thrill by tipping his car close to
the guard rail at the rim of the bowl
for several laps.
1t seemed that the incorporated
bullet actually was sCraping the rail
as ii roared over the far from smooth
boards.
BY II o'clock the grandstand had
begun to get filed with gaily dressed
women and shirtsleeved men. Out
side the bowl scores of policemen and
soldiers were perspiringly trying TO
park the hundreds of automobiles that
filed in a long winding line from the
Washington-Baltimo boulevard to
the grounds, half a mile to the east.
One of the greatest traffic problems
ever facing the Maryland authorities
gradually assumed full proportions as
noon hour approached. The cars from
Washington were piling up far down
the highway. awaiting an opportunity
10 turn into the narrow, dirt roadway
that was the sole means of approach.
Qualifications were completed this
morning shortly before IL O'Clock.
Ralph De Palma, winner of many
motor classic out West, stepped his
little Miller Special around the pine
board oval to the tune of better than
l2S miles an hour. Conner, also
driving a Miller Special, did the lap
In l29 even.
Leon Duray in another Miller Spe-
Cial. reached the maximum speed of
l29 $40 per hour Benny Hill, the
fourth qualifier today, will probably
drive Reginald Johnsons r and J
Special. The time for his test trial
around the track could not be accur-
ately obtained.
Eight Qualified Yesterday.
Yesterday eight other drivers quail
fed. as follows: Peter E<riese. 109 $40
miles an hour; Wade Morton, 1882:
Phil Shafer. 1928; Earl Devore, 1871;
Frank Elliott, 1865 DR.. William Shat
tuck, HI, and j. Hill, driving Ralph
Hepnurn's car, in 1914 miles an hour.
Things began to hum in the bowl
.at noon when the drivers, completing
Ia st minute adjustments in the pits,
fD-., -