Five Contenders, Five Miles

This day in history is not to be confused with Rev Your Engines on May 30, 1911. That day marked the debut of the Indy 500--a grueling 500-mile race that was an immediate hit with audiences and drew press attention from all over the country. Two years prior to that date on August 19, 1909, the first five-mile race occurred as 12,000 spectators roared with excitement while watching 29-year old Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer win the first race. There were a total of five contenders vying for first place in the five-mile sprint around the freshly oiled macadam track:Two Buicks, two Stoddard-Daytons, and a Velie.

This Day in History: August 19, 1909

 

Schwitzer, known as “Louie” to his friends, is pictured above, center.
His stripped-down four-cylinder Dayton-Stoddard touring car
won the first race in Indy with a speed of 57.4 miles per hour.
Schwitzer designed the car’s engine while serving as
chief engineer for Atlas Engine Works.

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From start to finish, five minutes and 13 seconds lapsed. Schwitzer became the first driver to cross the finish line on what would soon become the world’s most famous oval race track. The May 30, 1911 debut of the Indy 500 heralded driver Ray Haroun as the purse winner of $14,250, with an average speed of 74.59 mph and a total time of 6 hours and 42 minutes.

The very first Indy 500 in 1911. Ray Harroun wins the race.

A Bit of Race Car Trivia...

 Did you know that the first car race held on American soil took place in 1895?
The outstanding average speed was 7 MPH!

From then 'til now...

2016 - and the winner is...

Alexander Rossi earned $2,548,743 from an overall purse of $13,273,253 for his victory in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rossi’s final lap speed was just 179.784 mph. But he had built such a huge lead that he still managed to cross the start-finish line with a 4.4975-second margin of victory. [Source: indycar.com]

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