Auto Racing History

Welcome to the First Super Speedway Website!

Auto racing historians and journalists will find this Web site a gold mine. This is the best collection of pre-World War I American auto racing research in the world. This site is chock full of volumes of material about the earliest oval horse track races, the seminal races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and road racing content as well, such as original articles about the brutally hot first French Grand Prix in 1906.

"I love what you have done with First Super Speedway! I especially appreciate the early articles about racing. It provides access to much material that is currently only available at archives. This is a boon to those of us who write about auto racing. As a scholar, I always check what I see in any book, as some people are somewhat careless in regard to sticking to the facts, so having access to the newspaper articles is really a must. Keep up the good work, and it is good work!" - Dr. Elsa A. Nystrom, Professor of History, Kennesaw State University.

1906 & 1907 French Grand Prix Races

01Jul
Wild Bob and Lord Hughie
Bob Burman, Hughie Hughes, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial
- 07/01/2009
Mark Dill

My series on the first Indianapolis 500 continues with my latest addition of articles published in the Indianapolis News on May 24, 1911. Featured are two great drivers of the era, "Wild" Bob Burman and "Lord" Hughie Hughes. Burman was the world land speed record holder in 1911 and attracted quite a following at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He used his "Blitzen" Benz 200 HP racer to make a record run for the mile distance on a track the day before the 500. Hughes, born in England, was jokingly referred to as "Lord" Hughie.

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30Jun
The First Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial, Ray Harroun
- 06/30/2009
Mark Dill

I am expanding my archive of news coverage for the first Indianapolis 500. Over the next couple of weeks you will see all the articles published in the Indianapolis News and the Indianapolis Star about the 1911 Indianapolis 500 between May 7 and June 1, 1911.
 
Ray Harroun in Marmon Wasp at Speed

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29Jun
James Allison, Frank Wheeler Obits
Frank Wheeler, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial, James Allison
- 06/29/2009
Mark Dill

A large percentage of the e-mails I receive asking for information centers on the biographies of the "other" three founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With three biographical books, there seems to be a good deal of information available about Carl Fisher, but much less so about Frank Wheeler, James Allison and Arthur C. Newby. I have secured good obituaries about each of these men, as well as other items I think you'll find interesting.

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