The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-27

IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

New York WOrldTelegram Sports Editor
T AM a bit beWildered. came out
Il here in an airpIane to see an
automobile race in region where
the horse is king, and so I ask you,
in a confused world, does this make
for simplicity?
Because the sweep and movement
of life should be made plain, I add
that people prefer speed in trans
portation, that this is the center of
automobile racing that, only a few
miles away, is Kentucky, the cradle
Of the breeding industry.
1 hope you will not be too precise
in your analysis when I say that it
seems strange to me that the three
combinations Of transportation with
which this generation is familiar are
grouped together in a. sort of fra
ternal relationship. Maybe the horse
has really come to stay.
XTTHEN the ship landed the first
w person I met was Steven
Jerome OHannagan, who seems to
be Mr.. indianapolis himself. This
seemed nice enough. A few mo-
ments later in the company of
Henry McLemore, United Press cor
respondent, I found myself squirm-
ing under the pressure of a police
captain.
we want you" the gentleman
said.
Who wouldnt?" I answered, with
no attempt at ego.
Take this guys picture" de
manded the captain.
This had never happened to me
before. What had I done? To be
sure I had picked Dempsey to beat
Tunney, but SO had many others
and up to now nobody had insisted
that it was a violation of the GRIM
inal code.
Is this your first 500 mile racer"
asked the captain, and there was
no mistaking his severity.
Then it daWned on me. EVERYBODY
IN America is supposed to see the
5OO-mlle race before he grows a
grey beard. My o1ense against the
normal scheme Of things was that
had waited until I had seen every
thing else before I decided to come
out here.
IN no time at all I found mvself
4 at the track where the king of
ground speed is annually crowned
There is no other place like it in
America. The track is two and a
half miles long. The wooden grand
stands and bleachers cover at least
mile of the space, by far the
longest seating arrangement in this
country. Back Of it all are tall
trees through which a late spring
breeze signs mournful lyrics.
When 1 arrived some of the
drivers were still trying to qualify.
To qualify you must drive your car
ten times around this brick surface
track at a speed Of more than 100
miles an hour. I hadn't been at the
track more than five minutes when
a wave Of hysteria swept the stands,
only sparseIy populated during the
trials.
At the No. turn-coming into
the home stretch-a car had skidded
and gone into the rails There is
always a dramatic, morbid IN
certainty when a car going at tor
speed skids on this track, people
stand on tiptoes and crane necks
All is silence. Anybody hurt
Anybody killed? You never can tell
at the moment.
THROUGH an exit gate, first
4 comes a fire engine truck. This
IL itself is enough to cause a cynic
to question the morals Of an auto
race driver. Next comes an amhu-
lance. Then conventional motor
car carrying the officials Of the
track. For some reason they do
not go directly to the scene of the
crash. They circle the track There
is one-way drive rule here. Fa-
tality must bow to formality.
In this instance there is no IA
tality, not even a casualty. 4
driver by the name Of Virgil Liven-
good Of Hammond, Ind, has had
the misfortune to lose control Ct
his car coming of the turn into
the stretch. His car skids and
crashes into what they call the
dumping rail-" a heavy wooden
barrier at equi- distance with the
hub Of the car.
Livingood-what is there in a
name?-bangS into the wooden bar
Mer. spinterS it to toothpicks, de-
stroys his car, but in some miracu-
lous manner he and his mechanic
are unhurt They get into the Of
ficials' car, drive back past the main
grandstand, wave to the spectators
that they are all right and get out.