Three Young Stars

The National Motor Vehicle Company, the Indianapolis automobile manufacturer headed Arthur C. Newby, one of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's four founders, had an awesome race team in 1910. Three young stars headed by the more established Johnny Aitken had proven their prowess in running with the best of 'em.
 
The other two young daredevils were Tom Kincaid and the freshly-promoted-from-mechanic Howdy Wilcox. Nine years into the future Wilcox would win the Indianapolis 500, the famous classic not yet conceived when the Brickyard opened its gates to the first Memorial Day weekend of racing in 1910.
 

The image you see here is from the May 30 Indianapolis Sun on the morning of the final day of the meet. Aitken and Kincaid had scored victories during weekend, including the latter's triumph in the Prest-O-Lite 100 mile feature for the first day, May 27. He was still fresh from another important success in winning a 200-miler on the Atlanta speedway early in the month. By July 7 it would all be over when he lost his life practicing at the Speedway.
 
His mentor Aitken scored 15 race victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including a sweep of the three races that comprised the Brickyard's "Harvest Classic" in September 1916. None of his other wins included the Indianapolis 500. They were all events of lesser importance during the four race meets that spanned 1909 and 1910. Aitken retired temporarily and managed the winning teams of the 1912 and 1913 Indianapolis 500s for Joe Dawson and Jules Goux respectively.
 
Aitken returned to driving in 1916 at the wheel of the Speedway's race team headed by another of the track founders, Jim Allison. He won the pole for the Indianapolis Memorial Day race but was sidelined by mechanical failure. He spent the rest of the season chasing Dario Resta - both driving Peugeots - for the first points-paying national championship. Resta took the honors at the final race.
 
American entry into World War I followed and disrupted everyone's life. Aitken did not survive it. He did not perish in battle but instead fell victim to the medical scourge of the day, the great influenza epidemic of 1918.
 
Wilcox, too, would have his life cut short in 1923 in a vicious accident on the fast, terrifying board track that was Altoona. Before the end, though, he played a crucial role as relief driver to Tommy Milton in his 1923 Indianapolis 500 victory. Milton led 40 laps but is rarely remembered for the contribution.