Aitken Models Speedway Helmet

This is an interesting image from the May 16, 1910, Indianapolis Star that is of reasonable quality for a digital copy of microfilm. In the weeks leading up to its May 1910 "national championships" race meet the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was hard at work promoting all aspects of the event. Speedway Contest Director Ernie Moross lined up an assortment of special trophies and awards. Among those is the one pictured here, "The Speedway Helmet," as modeled by National Motor Vehicle Company's lead driver, Johnny Aitken. This is a publicity photo taken in advance of the first go at this specific prize. Contests for the Speedway Helmet were staged three times but Aitken never won it.
 
Other noteworthy trophies offered at the Brickyard in 1910 were: the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy, The Prest-O-Lite Trophy, the Remy Brassard and Trophy and the Cobe Trophy. The original cutline associated with the above photograph read as follows:
 
"Johnny Aitken, pilot of the National, tried on the new Speedway helmet yesterday and said it would fit - if he wins it. The helmet is the prize in Event No. 9, to be held May 27 at the Speedway, a free-for-all open race for cars of Class D, the distance to be five miles. This prize is to be competed for by free-for-all cars of Class D at the May, July, August and September meets 1910. The winner of this race and the successive races for which this prize is offered, shall be entitled to $50 per week from Decoration Day, May 30, until Thanksgiving Day, 1910 (providing he successfully defends and wins the same at each meet.) The Speedway Helmet is to be worn by the winner while defending same. In case of postponement or the declaring off of any of these meets, or discontinuing this event, then the last holder of this trophy shall receive the sum of $50 per week for sixty days after such notice has been published. The holder of this trophy at the end of the season is entitled to permanent possession of same."
 
Aitken's career is clearly under-documented; there probably isn't any better single source of information on the man than First Super Speedway (FSS). Check out other links where you can learn much more, this index does not contain every mention of Aitken on FSS as I tried to cull out the most significant:
 

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