Oldfield & the Remy Brassard

Do you know what a brassard is? Let's just call it a fancy arm band. Our favorite example is the Remy Brassard, awarded with a trophy by the Remy Magneto Company at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in special sprint races they entitled in 1909 and 1910.

Remy couldn't have picked a better winner to attract attention to their company and its essential products than the first American racing hero, Barney Oldfield. The company not only provided the silver brassard and the trophy but also a weekly "salary" of $75 until the next time the prize was up for grabs. That bonus would be some nice mad money today and in 1909 when the average American's salary was around $500 it was serious income.

Oldfield led the 25-mile, 10-lap sprint from start-to-finish on August 21, the final day of the Speedway's first auto racing meet. Short distance races were not unusual in this early days format as several other contests ranging of two, five and ten laps were on the card.

One confusion about Oldfield's car in this competition is that some believe it was his famous land speed record car, the Blitzen Benz. It was not, despite what you may have read in otherwise outstanding books written by stellar historians. Oldfield did not acquire that machine until a few months later in January 1910.

While he did drive the 200 horsepower Blitzen Benz at the Speedway, that was only in mile and kilometer time trial runs in May 1910. The car he drove in the Remy race was known as the "Prince Henry" Benz, a 120 horsepower machine previously used by French driving star Victor Hemery.

The Remy Brassard win may have been one of Barney's favorites. That's because the guy who finished second was his arch rival Ralph DePalma, who was driving a 120 horsepower Fiat. DePalma once said his favorite race was his triumph over runner-up Oldfield in the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup.

Sure, Oldfield was a showman. A lot of his barnstorm races were orchestrated with pre-determined outcomes. On the other hand, Oldfield-DePalma was a true rivalry in an age when fans could find authentic racing.

Find authentic rivalries. Find authentic racing. It's on First Super Speedway where it's more than fine - it's delightful, even - to live in the past.