Oldfield Morris Park 1905

Barney Oldfield, the recognized king of dirt ovals in the United States, met new challengers in 1905. In this photo Oldfield is seen in his Peerless Green Dragon racer at Morris Park in the Bronx of New York. This race was the coming out party for Louis Chevrolet who burst onto the American racing scene racing a Fiat privately owned by Major Charles Miller. It was also the first race in the newly announced national championship, the first ever to be awarded by a points system. The year of the first points system national championship has been a matter of debate for some time due to confusion created by AAA officials decades after the fact revising history. Most historians agree the first points national championship came in 1916, however, this "dead end" championship is an interesting anomally that cannot be ignored. Chevrolet defeated Oldfield in the national championship race, which occurred June 15, 1905.