Joe Dawson's Wreck (1910)

This image of driver Joe Dawson's wrecked Marmon race car orginally appeared as a photo in the May 29, 1910 Indianapolis Star. The photo supported an article reporting on the race results for the second day of racing (May 28) for the May 1910 race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These races were part of the Memorial Day Weekend that included "national championships," a newly-announced distinction by the American Automobile Association (AAA) for select race meets. Car manufacturers were keen to make a great showing. 
 
Check out other articles that provide additional summaries on the results of the races staged the previous day (May 27). You can also find an article published May 28 that set the stage for the day's program elsewhere on First Super Speedway.
 
The Star ran several articles on racing at the new Brickyard the previous day. I suggest you reference them to attain a more complete picture of this incredible day of racing.

• C.E. Shuart's report focusing on the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy.
• H.G. Deupree's report on record-breaking speed.
• May 28 Weather Report.
• Event card for May 28.

 
The fifth, final and feature race of the day was the $10,000 Wheeler-Schebler Trophy. The first three finishers were: Ray Harroun (Marmon "Wasp"); Leigh Lynch (Jackson); Johnny Aitken (National "60"). Winning time: 2:46.31.00. This was a new American speedway record for the distance. Dawson, Harroun's teammate, worked his way to second place only to be undone by an accident, I believe exiting turn two. There was a tall plank fence lining the track at that point and the yellow Marmon crashed through it as you can gather from this wonderful image.