First Day Qualifiers - 1911

This article was originally published in the May 27 Indianapolis Sun. It discusses a driver's meeting to be conducted by Starter Fred Wagner that evening and lists the drivers who qualified for the first Indianapolis 500 the day prior. This is the only list I have of these "first day" qualifiers. The requirement was to hit 75 mph in a quarter mile on the home stretch. Note that Ralph De Palma's Simplex blew a cylinder gasket and failed to get the job done. He and a handful of other drivers were able to qualify on May 29, the day before the historic race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.