Pork & Beans At Speed

In 1909, as now, motorsport was a cross section of experts who clawed their way to prominence through a relentless work ethic and enthusiasts who provided the scarce lifeblood: money. In the days leading up to the first auto race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1909, young Gilbert Van Camp, heir to the Indianapolis-based Van Camp (think pork & beans) packaged goods company, practiced on the 2.5-mile crushed stone and tar oval track.
 
Van Camp's coach was none other than Barney Oldfield, who had owned and driven a Stearns gow job the year prior. We can't be certain, but there's a good chance Van Camp purchased Barney's year-old racer to pursue his thrills. We can tell you this - if you look carefully at this image of Van Camp passing the pit area at speed, you can spy the trademark striped cowling of Oldfield's "Old Glory" National racer in the unprotected pit area.
 

So, did you know of Van Camp and his racing exploits? It's okay if you didn't. That's what First Super Speedway wants to do for you - cast light on the interesting characters of the Heroic Age of auto racing. It's up to you to click through and dig in.