Evening star., 1925-07-12
DE PAOLO WINNER
|NAUTO MARATHON,
RECHECK REVEALS
Bob MCDonogh, First Named
Victor, Later Shown
Defeated.
123.33-MILE AVERAGE
RECORDED DURING RACE
Frenzied Crowd Sees Sensational
Battle of Speed Kngs-De
Palma Is Injured.

Cold mathematical formulate last
night pronounced Peter De Paolo and
his Duesenberg winner of the 250
mile motor classic at Laurel just
hours after a nerve-shattered throns
had departed from the new Baltimore
Washington Speedway confidently be
lieving 1t had watched the youthful
Robert McDonogh, kid of the lightning
oval. pluck victory from a daring field
of veteran speed kings.
In some still misty manner, some
one somewhere skipped a lap on De
Paolo and as a result, while the Off
clal scoring board was busy clicking
off a brilliant victory for young Nc,
Donogh, De Paolo was really going
ahead and winning the race. The
official figures show that DE Paolo
completed the journey in hours
minute and 81 seconds. McDonogh S
time with a Miller Special was
hours l minute SO 2S-1O0 seconds.
Crowd Kept I'm Frenzy.
But, however unfortunate may
have been the mistakes Of the judges
the race was one of unforEettable sen.
red. one when Jerry Wonderlich was
overcome by the heat just before the
start and the other when Ralph De
Palma. veteran of the field in yes
terday's classic, skidded from one of
the high banks and was hurled from
his partially wrecked car.
Wonderlich was revived at the
Speedway's temporary hospital. but he
was ordered not to drive and De Pal
ma was practically unhurt. But it was
the narrow escapes that kept the
throng in a nervous frenzy from the
drop of the starting flag until the win
ner had roared across the finish-the
slides and hair-breadth passes at the
steep curves with cars laundering
along the track at more than two
miles a minute.
Time and again applause that rose
like an overwhelming symphony over
the droning hum of flying motors
gave way TO shouts OF aGonized fear
as the pilots crowded at the towering
bends and one, unable to hold his bit
of steel and aluminium at such a pitch
any longer, started slipping down into
the mass below him.
McDonOgh Sensed Error.
Even while he was receiving the
acclamation of thousands yesterday
after the close of the race, Bob
McDonogh knew somebody had erred.
He knew he had not won. So the
formal decision of the judges last
night, which snatched victory from
him and handed 1t to De Paolo, came
as no surprise. He made no COM
ment, simply smiled and immediately
called up De Paolo TO congratulate
him. The latter, incidentally, had
made no protest, but merely requested
the judges to re-check the official
scores to see whether or not a mistake
had not been made.
Il felt confident l had won," said
De Paolo. II very distinctly remem-
Der when Kriess and Duray passed
me. That was early in the race.
But / could not remember McDonogh
having ever passed me and that Is
why / was sure in my own mind a
mistake had been made. 1t is un-
fortunate and / am sorry for Bob.
but he would not want to be credited
with the victory under such circum-
stances"
Average Speed Is 1888.
De Paolo's time was not unusual.
the recognized record for a 250-
mile race being l hour, SO minutes
10 6o-10o seconds, which was made by
Tommy Milton at Kansas City on
September II, 1922. The intrepid lit
tie winners average time during the
race was 1888 miles an hour, but
toward the end. when McDonogh was
pressing him hard for passing pass.
ing that would have meant defeat-he
averaged better than 131 miles an
hour by official timing.
Although De Paolo's time of 1888
miles an hour constitutes a new world
record for go miles over a track of
one mile and an eighth, this fact Is
not really as important as it sounds.
The only other track of that size in
the United States was the old Union
town course and drivers do not figure
much on the times made there. AS
the pilots see 1t, the time made TODAY
merely means that drivers in the next
race on the Laurel track will simply
have that mark to shoot at, and they
frankly admit that it should not be
difficult TO smash 1t.
To Washington and this entire sec
ton, which has never before been
host to the dare-devils of the motor
world, the race was a never-to-be-
forgotten event. Although figures
from different sources vary, a ire.
mendous throng poured into the arena
and roared in a frenzy of excitement
as the cars flashed past at almost
niSrNSiAAiio oPCOhs All OlllCldi Oh Ine
American Automobile Association es-
timated the crowd at better than
$4,000. Other sources believed 1t was
closer TO 10000 or 5000.
Shattuc Gets Place.
Just before the races were ready to
start Referee Fred Wagner announced
that Jerry Wonderlich had been over.
come by the heat and would not be
permitted to drive. His place was
taken by DIR. William F. Shattuc. who
had previously been eliminated along
with Earl Devore. Devore, too, later
entered the race when he agreed to
drive for Ralph Hepburn, who had
broken his wrist previous to the race
and was hesitant about driving.
Sixteen pilots faced the starter in
the following order when the hour
for the race arrived. Peter de
Paolo, Leon Duray, Phil Shafer, Peter
I<riess. Earl Cooper, Fred Conner,
Wade Morton, Harry Hartz, Benny
Hill, Tommy Milton, Frank Elliott,
Robert McDonogh, DIR. Shattuc, De-
wore driving for Hepburn. Ralph De
Palma and Jimmy Hill. The referee
hurried from car to car with final in
structions and then gave the signal
TO start.
II was not the official beginning of
the race, however, and very fortu-
nately so. De Paolo developed carbu-