Al Poole - Indiana Trophy

This image comes from a photograph in the June 15, 1909 Indianapolis News. This is a picture of one of three Chalmers-Detroit race cars entered in the June 18, 1909 Indiana Trophy support race to the June 19 main event - the Cobe Trophy race, named after the cup donor Ira M. Cobe. One of the Chalmers-Detroits, in the hands of driver Joe Matson, won the race. This image is of the car that was driven by Al Poole and was classified seventh while the third car was driven by Billy Knipper and was classified 11th. Poole is one of the early days drivers that started as a riding mechanic and graduated to the driver's seat to demonstrate competency. These races were organized by the Chicago Auto Club with American Automobile Association (AAA) sanction. The race course was over notoriously poor public roads in northwestern Indiana between Crowne Point, Indiana and Lowell, Indiana while skirting the community of Cedar Lake.
 
Check out another image of Poole during this same Indiana Trophy elsewhere on First Super Speedway.