Evening star., 1925-10-26
M'DONOUGH LEADS
IN 25EM|LE RACE
AT LAUREL TRACK
Oa PaoIo, in Third Position.
After Leading Field
at First.
SMALL CROWD ON HAND
TO SEE CHAMPIONSHIP
Hertz Unoficially Breaks Track
Record in Flash of Speed
in Trials.
By 4 STAFF Correspondent.

T.
WASHINGTON SPEEDWAY. L.aur.
81. Md, October 26.-Bob McDonough.
youthful race driver was leading a
field Of speeding champions this after
noon in the 25O-mile race at the
Washington Speedway Exhibiting
rare driving qualities. and pushing his
machine TO the limit, he passed De
Paolo early in the race. The latter
dropped TO third when Tommy Milton.
veteran of the track, also passed him.
McDonough was leading by full lap.
OF at O'Clock.
The last half hour before the race
was TO start was given over 10 the
meChanicians. who worked on tncir
drivers midget speedsterS and made
sure that everything possible had been
done to make the test as safe a.s such
wild flight could be made. A few
hundred more spectators strolled into
the almost barren grandstands. Ref
cree Fred c. Wagner called the pilots
together for final word of instruc-
ton, patted each one on the back and
promptly at o'clock dropped his
Checkered flag
An instant later the atmosphere was
the highest powered automobile motors
in the world. Slowly for the first few
feet and then with staggering alacrity
the little demons OF the track got
under way. One turn around and
d last look at the referee TO make
sure the start was official, and the
race was on. Like things alive. the
tiny cars leaped out on their 250-mile
journey.
Duray Leads at Start.
For the first few laps the drivers
kept pretty close TO their positions
They were warming up their engines
for the big grind that laE ahead of
them. BY the time that the drivers
had negotiated six laps Leon Duray
was leading by brief margin.
Meanwhile. it developed that the
speedy racing car Of Earl Devore. one
of the flashieSt machines in the race
was in danger Of catching on fire from
an oVerheated engine. He had to re-
tire from the race afte" making a
dozen laps, and a score of mechanics
set to work to ind out the cause oi
clouds of smoke which shot from the
exhaust
In the next lap the first tire change
of the race was completed snappily
when Harry Hartz limped his car into
the pit. He Was of again in 4 few
seconds.
De Pao!o in Lead.
IL took about 10 laps for young DE-
Paolo to show his stuff. He flashed
into the lead Il lap later and was still
maintaining ii in the twentieth lap.
Earl DeVore's car failed TO react
properly to the ministrations OF
mechanics who worked over it fever
ishly and it appeared that he was
permanently out of the running.
De Paolo's yellow racer continued u
hold its lead as the tWenty-fourth lap
was registered. He was closely press
ed by young Bob McDonough and Earl
Cooped. De Paolo was hugging the
rail and frequently passed the group
of other racers on various parts Of the
track.
6uray Pushes Ahead.
Duray pressed his motor hard dur
ing the early laps and aged ~
creep into third position during the
twenty eighth lap. De Paolo led Nc
Donogh in this lap by several sec
onds, but the latter trailed so closely
to the leader that it appeared ut any
moment he would catch UP with him,
if not actually pass him. krieSs and
Jim Hill, in Reginald Johnson's car.
both pulled into the pits in the
tnlTIleII ldp LOT llllilpI llcltl dNJuSt-
ments:
Sixteen monarchs of the speedway
faced the tape of this great, misShapen
saucer.
Three men are generally regarded
as holding the greatest chance OF
flashing home first in this race They
are Peter De Paolo, Tommy Milton.
veteran champion of 1921, and Harry
HartZ. youthful novice of the motor
drome. Earl Cooper. occupying fourth
place in the running, has a slim
chance of adding TO his hopes today.
Crowd PitifulIy Small.
A mere handful of men and women
were scattered through the grand
stand shortly before the race started,
a pitiful comparison to the thousands
who fought their way through a sea
of mud TO witness the 250-nile inaug-
ural race last Spring. Apparently
postponement of the contest from
Saturday, which was necessitated by
a driving rain. made it impossible for
many to attend.
An ideal racing day smiled upon
those who did journey into the grand
stands however. After fighting
valiantly all morning, the sun broke
through the clouds and there was lef'
just enough of tang in the tempera-
tufe to keep spirits in tune with the
roaring motors that were dartin@
Continued on Page 2, Column ~