1913 Indianapolis 500

Charlie Merz was an impressive player in auto racing's early days. At just 17 he and co-driver "Jap" Clemmens set a new 24 hour world speed record in November 1905 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds driving a National Motor Vehicle Company stock car. Earlier in the meet, Merz won a 10 mile sprint race to give him a genuine Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory. Four years later he survived a brutal accident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's first auto race on August 21, 1909.