Indianapolis Motor Speedway Summer 1910

These articles appeared in local Indianapolis papers about three weeks after the July 4, weekend of 1910. One article (July 28) reports the disqualification of the Buick team from the race meet. The reasoning was that the races were for stock cars, and apparently the Buick racers did not meet that standard. Another article reports the resignation of Ernie Moross, formerly associated with Barney Oldfield, as Director of Contests at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Another article reports an attempt by the Speedway to attract foreign manufacturers and drivers such as Felice Nazzaro and Lewis Wagner to the Speedway for its upcoming September 1910 races. An additional item reports on a project to pave Indianapolis streets with bricks, as with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Speedway Opens Gates to Visitors

This is a unique article that highlights early cooperation between local automobile manufacturers and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At the request of manufacturers in the summer of 1910, Speedway management agreed to leave their gates open so their inquisitive customers could come see the wonder of the new Brickyard. Previously, admission was granted only through a special credential issued by track management. This article was published July 29, 1910.
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Indianapolis Models Streets After Speedway

This is an obscure article published July 19, 1910. It discusses how the city of Indianapolis looked to the paving of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with bricks as a model for how city streets should be paved. The article reveals that a committee was preparing to visit the Speedway to study the paving and learn more about how the same process could be applied to municipal roads.
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Buick's Disqualification from Speedway Races

This is an important article for understanding the July 1910 race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Just days after the July 1 - 4 races were completed, the Buick team was disqualified for not complying with the AAA regulations for designation as a true stock car. Most of the races at the meet were for stock chassis cars, and car companies had to certify that the machines they entered were, indeed, using stock chassis. Part of that requirement was to sell a minimum number of cars of that type to average customers for everyday use.
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Ernie Moross Resigns

One of the most interesting personalities of the early Indianapolis Motor Speedway was E.A. "Ernie/Ernest" Moross. Carl Fisher called on Moross immediately after establishing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company. Moross, owner of Moross Amusement Company, was well established as the premier promoter in motor sports at the time. His breakthrough success came in promoting the barnstorming tours of America's first star race car driver, Barney Oldfield. Fisher needed an outstanding talent to help him launch the Speedway, and he found that in Moross.
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Speedway Courts Europe

This article documents the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's attempts to attract European star drivers like Felice Nazzaro and Lewis Wagner to compete at the Brickyard during the September 1910 Labor Day weekend race meet. The article is in poor condition and very difficult to read even with a manifying glass in some spots. It does highlight the Speedway's efforts to create more varied programs as attendance at the track fell off sharply in July from their May auto race meet. Award incentives for drivers are discussed in the article, which was published August 8, 1910.
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1911 Monorail?

This interesting article was published in the Indianapolis News on July 9, 1910. The article shares the latest thoughts of Speedway management for their menu events for the 1911 season. Interestingly, none of the plans called for the Indianapolis 500 or any other single, long-distance event. They were looking at starting the Glidden Tour (a reliability run that was conducted between 1905 and 1913 and the forerunner to road rallies) at the Speedway.
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Heavyweight Champ at IMS Stirs Controversy

Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, the first African-American to hold that title, was a controversial figure in America in the early 20th Century. After beating up on all comers (including Jim Jeffries dubbed "The Great White Hope" the former boxing champion that came out of retirement to challenge Johnson in an unsuccessful effort in 1910) Johnson was scorned by virtually all of white America.
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IMS Scuttles 1910 24-Hour Race

This brief article reports on efforts by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway management team to organize events for the second half of the 1910 season. Originally, they had announced a 24-hour auto race for August, which they cancelled in early July. Also falling by the wayside was a balloon race that was planned to open for the day long auto race. Funds targeted to promote these contests were then invested in the September 1910 race meet associated with Labor Day.
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