Oldfield, Christie Barnstorm Ft. Erie!

Here you will find three attachments containing very brief articles, all pushing legendary racing hero Barney Oldfield front and center. Two of the articles concern what I believe was a barnstorming event featuring Oldfield and one of his favorite barnstorming partners, J. Walter Christie - the pioneer in front wheel drive technology. The venue was a track at Ft. Erie near Buffalo, New York.
 
The first item (attachment OldfieldNews080209) does not reference Ft. Erie, but instead notes that Oldfield and Louis Chevrolet were promoting an expected racing event in Ohio. It also references a then-recent event in the area, and you can find more detail on that elsewhere on First Super Speedway. The article speaks to plans for promoters to host a road race in the area at month's end. The American Automobile Association (AAA) had apparently agreed to sanction it as an 80 to 85-mile race.
 
Attachment OldfieldNews080709 has a very brief article reporting that Oldfield did not participate in the day's racing at Ft. Erie on August 6. Apparently, his car had a mechanical issue. His plans to travel to Indianapolis with J. Walter Christie are noted. Also, Louis Chevrolet was reported to have driven at near-record speed for 50 miles, covering the distance in 52:10.2. Note that he is incorrectly referred to as a "Frenchman," when he was actually born in Switzerland. 
 
There is a second automobile-related item in this attachment worth calling out. It concerns a Dr. Harry D. Weller, an Indianapolis dentist who participated in the Glidden Tour as an observer. Weller retired from dentistry to enter the automobile business. He had a major figure in the Indiana Dental College. Weller began work in the field at the Waverley Company - a maker of electric cars. He was in battery construction there.
 
Weller later went to Premier with the proposal of working without compensation as a way of developing skills and expanding his network. He worked in various departments on engines, transmissions and steering systems. As a Glidden Tour observer, he represented Premier. The rules required that he ride in a different car each day, which gave him the opportunity to observe the event from the perspective of different machines and officials.
 
In attachment OldfieldNews080909 we learn that Oldfield apparently repaired his malfunctioning car and was able to get into the racing action of August 9. He reportedly defeated Christie in the feature event of the day, a three-mile sprint race. Typical of barnstorming, the two apparently put on a show, with several lead exchanges.
 
Christie, in a mile exhibition, lowered the mile track record from 54.6 to 54 seconds. Chevrolet made a track record of 51:19.00 for 50 miles - the previous record for any oval course was 51:22. This was a 100-mile contest and driver F.S. Lorimer crashed on the 96 lap. The dust produced by the incident was reportedly thick. Lorimer was found under the car with significant cuts, bruises, and abrasions but no broken bones or internal injuries.