This category is to further the body of knowledge about Ernie Moross, one of the most interesting personalities of early American auto racing. Moross was Barney Oldfield's manager for a good portion of that great driver's career as well as the first general manager of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He owned the Moross Amusement Company and campaigned other great drivers including Bob Burman and Teddy Tetzlaff, primarily in Benz racing machines. After he retired from promoting auto races he became a communist and ran for a Michigan state senate seat. Failing at that, he also suffered a huge financial set back during the Great Depression and died penniless at age 75 in 1949.

Moross Hired by Speedway

The attachment here contains two articles from the May 22, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was under construction at the time and track management was scurrying to get the facility into shape for motorcycle and auto races that summer.
Fisher Tests Speedway

The attached article was originally published in the May 22, 1909 Indianapolis Star and reports on the very first lap taken by an automobile at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The man at the wheel was Speedway Founder and President Carl G.
Cadillac Withdraws From Racing

This article appeared in the May 28, 1909 Indianapolis Star and reports on the intentions of the Cadillac Motor Car Company of Detroit with respect to auto racing. The value of auto racing has always been a debate among manufacturers. During this period those that did participate advocated stock car racing to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the governing body of auto racing in the United States.
National @ Giant's Despair 1909

The articles in the attachments below focus on the National Motor Vehicle Company's entry into the Giant's Despair Hill Climb, sometimes referred to as the Wilkes-Barre Hill Climb which is a nod to the nearby city in Pennsylvania.
Oldfield Throws in with National

This article (attachment Oldfield051909) was originally published in the May 19, 1909, Indianapolis Star and reports that Barney Oldfield had decided to work with the  National Motor Vehicle Company to provide his race cars for that season. The Indianapolis-based company's leader was Arthur C.
Marmon History & 32 Speedster

This is an interesting magazine article I stumbled across during an "ogranic Web search" for information on Marmon cars.
Webb Jay @ Premier 1909

The two attachments below both contain very brief articles on an early race driver of the time, Webb Jay. The article in attachment WebbJay052009 appeared in the May 20, 1909 Indianapolis Star.
Harris Hanshue & Apperson

The article in attachment HarrisHenshue052309 was published in the Indianapolis News on May 23, 1909, and provides a brief profile on driver Harris Hanshue. Hanshue went on to found Wester
DePalma @ Readville

This item was published in the June 18, 1909 Indianapolis Star and reported on a record-setting performance turned in by Ralph DePalma. The Fiat-driving DePalma set a new 25-mile speed record for a one-mile track at Readville, Massachusetts.

Called the "Western Vanderbilt" the initial Ira Cobe Trophy Race was run on a 23.27-mile road course completing a circuit between Crown Point and Lowell Indiana on June 19, 1909. It was commissioned by Ira Cobe, who founded the Chicago Automobile Club. Low attendance and the brutal punishment inflicted by the under-developed roadways contributed to the decision to move the contest for this classic trophy to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910.

Marmon Death = No Cobe Entry

This brief item from the May 20, 1909 Indianapolis Star explains why Nordyke & Marmon of Indianapolis elected not to enter the Cobe Trophy or Indiana Trophy, the first major races held in Indiana in June 1909.