I have 17 PDF pages of Indianapolis Star coverage of the first day of auto racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the most comprehensive coverage you'll find anywhere - period. All the books written extract a watered-down summary fro...m exactly this content. These were the first-ever auto races at the world's greatest Speedway, and they occurred 100 years ago today!

I found an interesting article that attempts to paint the picture of Ray Harroun immediately after winning the first Indianapolis 500. The back-slappers surrounding, the "Kodak Fiends" (to quote the article) snapping intrusive pictures, his lips split from dehydration and horse mounted police trotting beside and in front of him to carve a path through the throng and allow him to drive the Marmon Wasp back to the garage area. A little hyperbolic, but a good read.

Check out this article written by Barney Oldfield about his interactions with racing contacts from around the world during the week leading up the the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. I love the image of Barney chatting up an old Japanese acquaintence who had traveled from the great Asian country to see the historic race.

I just uploaded a photo of driver Joe Jagersberger sporting the safety gear he intended to don for the first Indianapolis 500. The image, as you can see, is pretty bizarre and could have easily worked to depict a Martian in "B" sci-flick from the 1950's. In that regard, I guess old Joe was ahead of his time.