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"Motor Age" Harvest Classic Coverage

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By: Mark Dill

Barney Oldfield and Ralph De Palma were more than rivals - they had a genuine dislike for one another. Some say it started when in 1908 young De Palma, an unknown upstart racer, beat Barney Oldfield in a best of three match race on a horse track. Incensed, Oldfield stormed off without congratulating the rookie. Nobody really knows the true cause, but the two competitors rubbed each other the wrong way. Both had ambitions beyond the race car. Each wanted acceptance in a world dominated by the wealthy. Money has always been a major ingredient in going fast.

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Joe Dawson

Winner of the 1912 Indy 500 Joe Dawson is pictured in his National Motor Vehicle Company race car. This is the only Indy 500 where the winner was overshadowed by another driver that fell short of the ultimate prize as Ralph DePalma dominated to lead 196 of the 200 laps only to lose when his Mercedes engine blew.

This article about the Harvest Classic was originally published in Motor Age in the September 14, 1916 edition. Excellent coverage supplemented by several tables of finishing order, drivers, equipment and even times and speeds. Lots of good color commentary about Eddie Rickenbacker (back before he changed his name from Rickenbacher), Johnny Aitken, Ralph De Palma and driver Tom Rooney who watched from the stands, still mending a leg broken in the Brickyard's Memorial Day Classic. This is the best quick summary of the September 9, 1916 Harvest Classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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