Eddie Hearne, 1927

Here's a photo of nine-time Indianapolis 500 starter Eddie Hearne at the Speedway in 1927. The margin note referring to him as "Grandpa," was certainly because he was, at 40, one the oldest competitors in that year's contest - which proved to be his last. Hearne was an accomplished driver who is largely forgotten today, except by the most dedicated racing historians and aficionadoes. In his nine "500" appearances, he scored five top-ten finishes, three of which were in the top four, including the runner-up spot in 1919.
 
While Hearne never took home the win in the "500," he did win twice at the Speedway. Both were in the coveted Speedway Helmet  races of 1910, in July and September. Check out this image of the Speedway Helmet (Johnny Aitken modeled it at the press announcement) elsewhere on First Super Speedway.
 
Hearne is credited with 11 American Automobile Association (AAA) championship race victories and won the 1923  AAA national championship. He launched his career in 1908, and competed at the first weekend of auto racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1909.
 
This image was graciously provided by the Paul Sheedy collection.