Oldfield Praises Harroun

This is another of the articles that Barney Oldfield wrote for the Indianapolis Star during May 1911 to provide a driver's perspective to coverage of the first Indianapolis 500. He heaps praise on Harroun to the point of hyperbole, saying he "toyed with this competitors like cat does with a mouse." The overarching message that comes through is how much he respected Harroun's engineering genius and his ability to mix "brains and gasoline." In an interesting reflection, he talks of meeting  Ray Harroun for the first time five years earlier (1906) when Harroun asked Oldfield about his Green Dragon racer and then showed him a smaller car he had assembled himself. Oldfield reports that from that point on he recommended Harroun for opportunities as he identified them. Another great artilce that brings back the voice of a champion long ago departed.
 
This article was published in the May 31, 1911 Indianapolis Star.