World's Eye on the Brickyard

The article in the attachment below originally appeared in the May 8, 1910 Indianapolis Star.
 
The article recounts the travels of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Contest Director Ernie Moross who attended the May 1910 Atlanta speedway race meet to represent the Brickyard and confirm entries for his track's National Circuit races at the end of May. Practice for what was effectively the coming out party for the recently brick paved Speedway was expected to begin almost immediately.
 
Moross returned from Atlanta totally pumped about prospects for fantastic racing at the Brickyard. The buzz in the Hoosier capital was ratched up a few notches by the dominance of Indianapolis-built cars in Atlanta. Regardless the state-of-the-art racing surface of the Speedway had captured the imagination of fans, the racing community and the auto industry. Moross observed:
 
"The Marmon, National, American and Cole swept the boards. Harroun won the greatest number of places, while Bill Endicott in the Cole 'thirty' won every event in which he started. Aitken, after a mishap which might have proved fatal to a less skillful pilot, made a sensational cleanup in the last race and hard luck Herb Lytle drove like a demon. There was plenty of competition of high-priced and high-powered cars. DePalma was there with a Fiat 'ninety,' the same type of machine with which Bragg, the daring amateur, trimmed Oldfield. He also had a 'sixty' stock car. Strang also had a foreign machine, as he drove an S.P.O., also an Allen-Kingston, but before the Indiana onslaught they were powerless to make a showing. One thing has been evidenced and that is that Indianapolis racing cars can be depended upon to win their share of the prizes wherever they compete, while Harroun, Aitken and Lytle are making names that are wiping the heroes of old off the map."
 
Moross continued to extol the prowess of Indianapolis cars and their wheelmen. Note that in the following quote lift his reference to the "Blue racing team" is to cite National, which used midnight navy blue as their racing color.
 
"Harroun was a star, winning three firsts and placing in a couple of other events. When he was not winning the National and American were at the lead of the contests, and the way the Nationals flew around the track was a caution. Hard luck pursued Aitken, star of the Blue racing team. When leading in the first long event of the meet he ran off the track. Few people realize what running off the track at the Atlanta speedway really means. Unless this is done on the homestretch, it is a drop of about thirty feet, and that is what Aitken took. How he ever escaped with his life is a mystery and another one of the lucky incidents of the Atlanta track. Johnny was broken-hearted when his car was out of the entire meet after the first day, and as he viewed the wreck the tears coursed down his cheeks, as he seemed to have it cinched. Harroun, the desert Bedouin, was trailing him; after that no one had a chance to overtake the Marmon. In fact, Indianapolis cars were making the race anyhow, and Harroun went through the entire 200 miles without even hesitating. It was a wonderful performance." 
 
In the next quote Moross recognized Herb Lytle and his success with the American racer. The reference to the weight of the American could have something to do with his comment about excessive tire wear. Another possibility is that he was not managing his tires as apparently he was driving in spectacular fashion. While this allowed him to gain time on the competition it may also have come at the cost of excessive tire wear. I am only speculating.
 
"Hard luck pursued Lytle almost to the end of the meet. he would obtain a good lead and off would come a tire or two. He drove the heaviest car at the meet. In the fifty-mile race, which he won, his driving was the most sensational I have ever seen on a track. He had a lead on the National team when he lost a tire. A car was replacing a tire at the pits and Lytle could not see his pit on account of smoke. When he saw that he was going to pass it he slammed on his brakes and his car sturned sidewise. Had it been other than an underslung American I doubt if he would have escaped without turning turtle. He changed his tire and took after the fast-flying National that was leading. Kincaid was saving his tires, which were bad, and Lytle nipped him less than a mile from home, winning by about twenty-five feet. At the finish all of Lytle's tires were in bad shape, the tread being completely off of two of them. He took reckless chances to win that race."
 
Moross notes in the following quote there were "impromptu" races. This was not uncommon in the times and makes a record of history more challenging. It is important to note the bias of Moross in the reporting used in this article which unabashedly has an Indianapolis slant. Also, the writing here is very awkward and frankly I am not clear on what he is saying other than that the Indianapolis-built machines dominated. Note, too, that the report does not detail exactly how many cars were in each race I believe many had as few as five entered.
 
"Bill Endicott, in a Cole 'thirty,' won every event in his class. He won as he pleased and played with his field in all events. On account of numerous of the impromptu events were substituted, so that according to the events that were programmed there were but ten of the official races held; of this number Indianapolis cars scored nine firsts and many seconds also thirds. In most cases it was in one, two, three order."
 
The article concludes with some quotes by drivers. The gem of the bunch is from Ray Harroun and serves to illustrate that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had already earned its place as the capital of American racing even well before the advent of the Indianapolis 500. Harroun said, "I am simply practicing for Indianapolis."
 
Johnny Aitken held the same sentiment saying, "This is merely a workout for me. I have my eye on those championships. I am not going to predict more than to say someone will have to drive faster than they did at Atlanta to get me."
 
Aitken's reference to "those championships" is with respect to the fact that the May 1910 race meet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had been designated the kick-off to the American Automobile Association's schedule of first-ever national championship contests for the year.
 
Herb Lytle's quote is interesting because hardly anyone today knows that he had only recently gotten back on his feet again after a protracted bout with Typhoid Fever. He had contracted the illness about six months prior. Lytle is quoted, "For the first time in years I am back in my old stride. I have confidence in my car. It will deliver the goods. I will drive as long as there is a wheel left to run on. I am out to win and will not be out of a race until the last car has crossed the tape."