Lewis Strang (1910)

This image was published in the May 15, 1910 Indianapolis Star in support of an article previewing the May 1910 "national championships" race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Other images that appeared with this one in support of the same article:
 

• A front stretch image of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• Bill Endicott
• Johnny Aitken
• Charles Stutz
• Tom Kincaid

 
The driver pictured here is Lewis Strang in his Marion racer. A genuine star, Strang, whose career probably peaked in 1908 with wins at Lowell, Savannah and Briarcliff as well as being the sole American entry in the world's then-biggest race, the French Grand Prix, was widely respected not just as a driver but for his extensive knowledge of the sport and the automobile. Months prior to the publication of this photo Strang had impressed the automotive and racing world with his record-breaking exploits at the wheel of the Fiat "Giant" at the exciting new speedways of Indianapolis and Atlanta. He and his uncle J. Walter Christie were the stars of the frigid December 1909 time trials at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At this point Strang was the topic of popular culture gossip - specifically his dissolving marriage to stage actress Louise Alexander, aka Jeanne Spaulding.