First Auto Races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - August 1909

This folder has numerous articles on the inaugural auto races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These races occurred only days after the Speedway hosted the Federation of American Motorcycles (FAM) race meet. The auto races were a blend of success and tragedy. Most of the major American drivers entered – Barney Oldfield, Ray Harroun, Bob Burman, Tom Kincaid, Lewis Strang, Louis Chevrolet, Jap Clemens, Charlie Merz, Eddie Hearne, Ralph De Palma and Tobin DeHymel among them. With the exception of a Fiat and a Benz, the entries were American, including: Marmon, Marion, Stearns, National, Jackson, Stoddard-Dayton, Buick and Apperson. Tragedy came in the loss of several lives, including Willfred Bourque, who became the first driver to die in a racing accident at the Speedway.

Claude Kellum

This article provides the best background I have seen about Claude Kellum.
National On Stock Cars & Racing

This article shares the views of an unnamed officer of the National Motor Vehicle Company on auto racing, the definition of a competition stock car and racing during the first auto meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The article was originally published in the Indianapolis Star on September 5, 1909.
 
Bourque's Wedding Plans

This post offers a pair of attachments containing brief articles discussing the canceled wedding plans of driver William Bourque who was killed in a fatal accident during the first day of racing at the first auto race meet on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Marmon Rejoices

This article is about the Marmon automobile business and their declaration of success during the first auto meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The article was originally published in the August 29, 1909, Indianapolis Star. These races were conducted from Thursday, August 19 to Saturday, August 21, 1909.
 
Jackson Automobile Co. Protest

This attached article (attachment jackson082209), published in the Indianapolis Star on August 22, 1909, concerns the protest Jackson Automobile Company over the decision of American Automobile Association (AAA) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to call off the Wheeler S
August 1909 Weather

Meticulous as I am I thought it would be interesting to understand what the weather was like in Indianapolis during the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's tragic  first auto racing event.
 
Tire Wars 1909

Attached are two ads that were originally published in the August 22, 1909, Indianapolis Star. Both were purchased by tire companies, one by Michelin and the other Firestone.
National "Forty" Ad - 1909

The attached ads for the National Motor Vehicle Company appeared in the Indianapolis Star on September 5, 1909 about two weeks after the first auto race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photographer's Perspective

This brief Indianapolis Star article  provides the interesting perspective of a photographer covering early auto races. Published August 29, 1909 it is part of the wrap-up coverage of the the first auto racing meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a story even today's motorsports photographer can relate to.
 
Racing's Safety Issues - 1909

In the early days of racing people struggled with the brutal aspect of the sport. These attached articles probably were largely in response to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's tragic first auto racing event in August 1909.