First Days at Daytona - 1910

Attached are a pair of articles covering events at the 1910 Daytona-Ormond speed tournament. The first initially appeared in the March 23, 1910 Indianapolis Star, the second was in the March 25 edition.
 
The first article reports on competitive events that took place on the initial day of the annual speed festival - March 22. Close finishes were the order of the day as in the ten-mile handicap race nine cars finished in a cluster and the winner and second place finished inches apart in the ten-mile Southern championship. Barney Oldfield drove a Knox racer to victory in a 20-mile free-for-all stock chassis event winning from a Pope-Hartford by a half car length.
 
A short-circuit in the electric timing device forced postponement of two events - described as the one and five mile world's championship races. The one mile championship was planned for the following day. Among the drivers expected to compete were Oldfield, J. Walter Christie and David Bruce Brown.
 
 The second article reports on the events of the final day of the meet on March 24. At this point I have no record of the second day (March 23) being covered by the Indianapolis Star. It mentions the second day had presented a record-breaking race. March 24, however, proved to be a dreary day as rain washed away a lot of the action. The biggest victim was the 300-mile "free-for-all" event for what was described as a magnificent $5,000 trophy sponsored by the "W.B." Corset Company. The race was cancelled and there is no record of it ever taking place.
 
One-mile time trials were conducted and while top drivers competed nobody came near the time Oldfield had established in his land-speed record run with his newly acquired Blitzen Benz the previous week 131.720 MPH or just over 27 seconds. Christie reportedly recorded a time of 33.15 seconds.
 
The day also produced two ten-mile handicap races. The first was won by a driver by the name of Altman in a Hudson at 12 minutes, 45 seconds. Oldfield drove his Knox to second while his teammate Ben Kirscher in another of Barney's cars - the Darracq that won the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup - was third. There was a second ten-mile handicap which was won by Kirscher with Oldfield second in the same cars used in the other race. Another driver by the name of Bond in a Stearns was third. Another ten-mile race was also staged for stock chassis cars. The winner was Pete Hart in a Buick with Altman and his Hudson second.
 
Kirscher drove the Darracq again in a one-mile time trial. Although the article does not clearly state it I assume he won the event as he is the only driver mentioned. Note too that George Robertson and Walter Christie were working together at the meet. No results for Robertson are mentioned.