May 19 - 10,000 Fans!

May 19, 1913 - Local newspapers reported a great practice crowd of 10,000 fans showing up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the previous day. One of the attractions was a car named after a 19th Century race horse - the Jay-Eye-See - in the hands of Case team leader Louis Disbrow. The car wasn't even eligible for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 and was built for land speed records. A re-bodied 1909 Fiat, the Case team toured the country with it and garnered a ton of attention. Tire wear loomed as a big issue for the exceptionally fast Peugeot team. Meanwhile other European teams and drivers were slowly arriving from their long journeys. Sunbeam engineer Henry Crossman said, "My word. I had no idea your track was anything like this. I am really astonished."