Marmon Wasp Wins Maiden Race

The attached article was a "special" to the Indianapolis Star and appeared in the paper on May 7, 1910.
 
The article reports on the second day of the Atlanta speedway's second race meet, the first held the previous November. The big news in the Hoosier capital was that Indianapolis-based factory teams dominated four of the six events staged the day prior to publication of this article.
 
This statement of success included the Marmon Wasp's maiden race where it emerged as the winner in a 12-mile "free-for-all" competition. The car, a purpose-built racer that flew in the face of the prevailing view that only stock car racing had true merit, had already captured the imagination of the racing world that followed its progress from design, to testing and then racing. It was destined for great things at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway later that month and then iconic status as the winner of the first Indianapolis 500. Ray Harroun out-paced Herb Lytle in another Indianapolis-built car, the American, and Ralph DePalma in a Fiat, probably the Cyclone, not the famous "Giant." 
 
Thomas Kincaid won a ten-miler for cars of 301 to 350 cubic inches in his Indianapolis-built National Motor Vehicle Company racer. Harroun finished second in a smaller Marmon with Lewis Strang (whose name is frequently misspelled as "Louis" in media reports of the day) third in a French S.P.O. racer. This is interesting as speculation had it that Strang would captain the Marion race team in 1910 and his appearances in any car that year were rare.
 
"Farmer" Bill Endicott won a 60-mile stock chassis race in his Indianapolis-built Cole racer. An E.M.F. driven by a man simply referred to as "Cohen" finished second while Lee Frayer brought his Firestone-Columbus home third. A 50-mile feature provided a close finish between two more Indianapolis cars with Herb Lytle in the American, winning over Kincaid's National with the Marmon of Joe Dawson third. There were five starters in the race - important information as you try to imagine the spectacle put before those in the grandstands.
 
Check out a list at the conclusion of the attached article for the top three drivers and cars in each of the six races that were conducted that day. The two events where cars built outside Indianapolis prevailed were a one-mile time trial with DePalma winning in his Fiat and John J. Woodside in an S.P.O. getting the best of W.J. Stoddard in a handicap contest.
 
The day's card included an airplane exhibition. This featured pioneer aviator Charles K. Hamilton who thrilled the crowd with a nine-minute flight in his Curtiss biplane. While attempting another flight he damaged a propellor on the rough ground during take-off. He retreated to his camp for repairs.
 
Here is the summary of the auto races events:
 

• Event 1 (one-mile trials): Lytle, American (:43.19 seconds); Harroun, Marmon (41.19); DePalma, Fiat "90" (:40.32.5) and J. Walter Christie, Christie (:42.79).
• Event 2 (12-mile free-for-all): Harroun, Marmon (8:59.16); Lytle, American and DePalma, Fiat.
• Event 3 (ten-mile stock chassis, 301 to 450 cubic inches): Kincaid, National (8:18.11); Harroun, Marmon; Strang, S.P.O.
• Event 4 (ten-mile special amateur driver handicap): John J. Woodside Jr. with handicap of 1:30 defeated by Woodside in 8:26.32.
• Event 5 (60-mile, stock chassis, 101 to 230 cubic inches): Endicott, Cole (1:00:28.45); Cohen, E.M.F.; Frayer, Firestone-Columbus.
• Event 6 (50-mile free-for-all): Lytle, American (40:20.02); Kincaid, National and Dawson, Marmon.