Glorious Failure

Winner of the 1912 Indy 500 Joe Dawson is pictured in the foreground beside his National Motor Vehicle Company race car as Ralph DePalma pushes his crippled Mercedes down the front stretch of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the conclusion of the 1912 Indianapolis 500. 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. Helping DePalma push was his riding mechanic Rupert Jeffkins.