Indianapolis Speedway Harvest Classic 1916

This is the story of nearly forgotten 1916 Harvest Classic - almost a footnote in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As America prepared for war, Speedway President Carl Fisher knew that he may need to curtail operations at the track as the country weathered WWI. In September 1916 he organized a race meet of three events at 20, 50 and 100 miles. The crowd was disappointing, but those who didn't attend missed a great show as Johnny Aitken won all three events. He was never without tough competition from outstanding racers like Eddie Rickenbacker, Hughie Hughes, and Howdy Wilcox. This article originally appeared in the 2006 Allstate 400 program.