Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-05-30
Shaw Leads Meyer
Al 100-Mi|e Post
In Auto Classic
Snyder Drops Back,
Changing Two Tires,
After Setting Pace

SPEEDWAY,

INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY,
May 3O.-Wilbur Shaw. Indianapolis
1887 winner, snatched the lead from
Jimmy Snyder, Chicago. shortly
after IS miles of the 500-mile auto
mobile race here today. Snyder
was forced into the pits for change
of two tires and Shaw overlook him.
Shaw covered the first 100 miles in
48:5636 to average l23442 miles an
hour. new speedway record. This
wiped out the record of 120.253
Snyder hung up a year ago.
Louis Meyer. Huntington Park,
Calf, was trailing Shaw by eight
seconds, with Rex Mays, Glendale,
Calf, third. Ted Horn, Los An
geles. was fourth.
Shaw passed Meyer shortly after
the 75-mile mark and at 90 miles
he took the lead when Snyder came
into the pits. 1t was the first time
Snyder had been out of the lead.
Snyder was in the pits only minute
and half, taking fuel and changing
two tires. and then he took up pur-
suit of Shaw nearly lap behind.
Litz Out of Race.
A. B. Deacon) Litz of Dubois, Pa,
went out of the race after stopping
at the end of IS miles. Mechanics
couldn't get his car started after the
pit stop.
Shaw had an 8-second lead over
Meyer at the 1O0-mile post and the
speed was blistering 123442 miles
an hour. Mays was in third place
with Horn fourth. All of the first
four cars were on the same lap,
however.
Others in the first 10 at that point
were Snyder, Chef Miller, Roberts,
Mel Hansen of Los Angeles, Bailey
and Kelly Petillo of Los Angeles in
that order.
Thirty-three low slung racers,
brightly painted in maroons, blues,
reds and various other colorS, start
ed in the race as a bomb bursted
high in the air. The drivers. at
tired in coveralls and wearing he'll
NETS to protect their heads in
case of accidents, squeezed them
selves into their deep bucket seats
and stepped on the gas.
Gene Tunney, retired undefeated
heavyweight boxing champion of
the world, waved a green flag as the
signal to open their throttles. The
daring scramble for prizes totaling
$1,000 was on.
At the start the crowd was esti-
mated at more than 100000. with
thousands still pouring through the
eight gates. The general admission
gates of the speedway were opened
at am, and the first car through
was driven by Roy Frazier, Detroit
high school lad, who had been
parked just outside the speedway
since May 2.
Shaw, the winner of the 1887 race,
stretched his lead over Meyer to 10
seconds at 125 miles. 1t took just an
hour and Al seconds to run off the
first 125 miles, and Shaw's speed was
1913 381 miles an hour.
Mays still held to third place, with
Horn fourth. Snyder, back in fifth
place, was a lap behind.
AL Miller of Detroit and Floyd
Davis of Springfield, ILL.,, went off the
track at opposite ends of the course,
but apparently neither was hurt.
The cars came to stop on the apron
at the lower edge of the track.
Horn Goes Into Third Place.
AS the noon hour approached the
crowd, which had been sitting tight
for the most part began moving
around. Thousands milled in the
infield and along the roadway back
of the grandstands.
Shaw still was out in front at $50
miles with speed of 1924 miles
an hQ1 for the distance.
At That stage Meyer was in the
same lap with Shaw, but the others
were beginning to string out. Horn
had moved into the third spot ahead
Of Mays. Snyder was fifth and Chef
Miller sixth. The latter four were
a lap behind Shaw. Roberts had
climbed up to seventh, with Hansen
eighth, Petillo ninth and Ralph
Hepburn of Los Angeles tenth.
Snyder's Lead Cut.
At the 50-mile mark Meyer had
cut Snyder's lead to three seconds
and gradually was closing in on the
fast-f1ying former milkman. Shaw
was another second or so back Of
Meyer.
Snyder cut loose again and
stretched his lead to 10 seconds
within the next couple Of laps.
Snyder picked up $1,000 In lap
l60e RACE. PaGo z.3O