Oldfield, Cooper & One Minute Miles

This article focuses on Barney Oldfield's milestone achievement of busting the one minute barrier for a lap of a mile track. The date was June 20, 1903, the car was a Henry Ford designed racer, the "999," and the time was 59.6 seconds. Tom Cooper, who partnered with Ford on the development of the cars, was a former national bicycle racing champion (1899). Cooper and Oldfield drove identical Cooper-Ford racers. Cooper's was referred to as the "Red Devil." Great friends, the two drivers incessantly pushed each other to higher and higher speeds. The record was set at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in an event organized by Carl Fisher, who went on to found the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909.